After a brief turn around in Qatar, it was time to head back to the United Arab Emirates. We were re-entering the United Arab Emirates on a UAE flagged carrier and, as a result, were eligible for a government subsidized visa. At the time of this report, the UAE was charging Canadians outrageous amounts in order to gain access to the UAE, making flying on a gulf carrier the only economic way possible in order to travel within the region.

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This post is one chapter in our trip to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Maldives on United Airlines and Etihad Airways. This trip was booked and credited to Aeroplan and Etihad Preferred Guest. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Oryx Lounge, Doha International Airport, Qatar

The next morning, our flight was on Ethiad Airways (pronounced ETT-EE-Had). We had used a last minute upgrade in order to get into Business Class for this flight. Getting confirmed into business class, we were afforded access to the Oryx Lounge at the Doha International Airport.

Checking into the business class airport at Doha, there was no wait in line and plenty of well dressed Ethiad attendants in suits. We were checked in within 10 minutes and assigned seats 1A and 1C. We were also presented with a lounge pass invitation for the Ethiad contracted Oryx Lounge. 

We headed through security and headed to the Oryx Lounge. It was a pleasantly decorated lounge, although it was completely dry. I’d heard through other forums that alcohol was available based on menu cards on request, however that didn’t appear to be the case when we visited in the morning. There was a wide selection of canned soft drinks and soft drinks available, along with some light pastry sandwiches. We enjoyed a Nespresso here, but didn’t stay too long. 

There were coffees and light snacks available but nothing all too exciting.

We checked out the duty free in Doha, there was a small duty free section at the shops with a very limited (3-5 brands of each variety) of selection of alcohols. You really had to look hard to find the Vodka’s or Gin bottles behind the Whiskies that featured prominently. After checking with counter staff that it was okay to purchase alcohol for UAE, they wrapped it up in several layers of packaging, more so than I have experienced in other airports. I felt like I had purchased something so taboo, that they hid it from any one else’s gazing eyes.

Overall:

The Oryx Lounge was a spacious and comfortable place to hang out before a flight. The snacks were passable, although like many other lounge locations, I wouldn’t come here looking for a meal. The lounge was dry on our visit, and as a result we enjoyed a Nespresso as a refreshment.

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