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New Emirates First Check-In Experience at DXB Has Opened
‘Emirates First’ – an exclusive new check-in experience at Dubai International Terminal 3 has opened today! Access is available to Emirates First passengers and Skywards Platinum members.
After arriving via Chauffeur Drive, you can check in while comfortably seated as Emirates staff complete formalities on iPads. You can also opt to check in the traditional way at one of the marble brass counters. There’s also dedicated First Class baggage for even faster handling of your luggage.
A grand golden entrance sets the tone as you step into the space. Bronze accents and warm earth tones are complemented by soft lighting, greenery and comfy leather seating. Rolex clocks tick above a podium, and a backlit Ghaf Tree mimics the design of the Emirates First Class cabins—a premium First environment.
You’ll notice that Emirates has not added any screens or advertising to create a better ambience and avoid sensory overload.
Once past security, it’s an easy transition from immigration and on to one of Emirates’ three First Class lounges, where à la carte dining, premium drinks, spa treatments, and concierge shopping await.
Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Deputy President & Chief Operating Officer, said:
“We invest heavily in upgrading our ground products, and Emirates First is one of the areas that will offer a unique and private environment to our First Class customers and Skywards Platinum members. We know our customers value privacy and convenience, and this will provide another level of hospitality to the check-in experience, as part of our efforts to continuously uplift the overall travel journey.
“Now, our customers can enjoy a sleek transfer with our Chauffeur Drive Service, a swift check-in at the exclusive Emirates First, explore a world-class lounge before boarding, and relax into a multi award-winning inflight experience with Emirates.”
This is the latest addition to a range of investments in the Emirates First Class experience, following the announcements of the keepsake menu and Robert Welch caviar bowls in May, as well as rustic cheeseboard slates and a gloved service onboard. Every small detail has been carefully evaluated.
Emirates is currently the largest operator of First Class, with 26,800 seats available per week. This latest addition really adds value to travelling in First with Emirates from DXB, and it’s a fantastic benefit of being a Skywards Platinum member. It’s great to see Emirates improving every detail of the ground experience.
View the Emirates website here >>>
My Lounge Heathrow Terminal 3 Now Open + Welcome Discount
This week, Heathrow Terminal 3 welcomed a new lounge in the space of the old Club Aspire lounge.
This is the final phase of No1 Lounges’ multi-brand expansion at T3, following the opening of Clubrooms earlier this year.
You can book the lounge via DragonPass, PriorityPass and LoungeKey. Guaranteed entry by early booking is £6, or you can try your luck with a walk-in. You can also book directly with No. 1 Lounges. Price-wise, My Lounge comes out as the cheapest of the three pay-to-use options in T3.
To mark its debut, My Lounge is offering 15% off bookings up until 16th August, 2025. Use code MYLOUNGE-LHR3 at check-out via No 1 Lounges.com. Children are allowed in the lounge but don’t qualify for the discount. A 3-hour stay is typically charged at £38, and the discount reduces the cost to £32.30.
There’s a more casual vibe than typical lounges, aiming to take the edge off travel with an open-plan layout and grazing-style food stations.
It’s breakfast baps in the morning, build-your-own burrito bowls later on, and a DIY pancake station with syrup on tap – perfect if you’re looking for something a little different.
Seating is all comfortable lounge-style (some with runway views), with a bistro-style table also available, all designed with groups, families, and solo travellers in mind.
Drinks are a mix of help-yourself soft drinks and bar-served beers, wines, and spirits. The complimentary wine selection includes options such as Lanya Merlot, Tooma River Chardonnay and Sospiro Rosato Rosé. Sparkling wine and champagne are available for an additional fee. View the sample menu here.
You’ll also find arcade games, a PlayStation corner, and a TV den adding to the laid-back atmosphere. The lounge also features fast Wi-Fi, plenty of charging points, flight information screens and a standard 3-hour stay (with options to extend).
Other My Lounge locations include Gatwick (both terminals) and Birmingham.
You’ll find My Lounge T3 near the other pay-to-use lounges.
View on the No 1 Lounges website here >>>
DragonPass Dining Credit Raised to £18 and Now Stackable
DragonPass Premier+ has just increased the dining credit option to £18, up from £15. This is a much-needed increase, considering you can opt for restaurant credit instead of a lounge pass (which is worth more). This also brings the amount to the same as the restaurant credit offered by Priority Pass.
On top of this, you can now use multiple £18 restaurant credit vouchers in a single transaction by scanning each £18 QR code multiple times after ‘Redemption Successful’ to redeem multiple vouchers against your passes. This is perfect if your bill exceeds £18 or you’re travelling with family who don’t have DragonPass. For example, if you have four passes available, you can now swap them for four dining vouchers to get even more off your total bill.
If no lounge is available to book on your day of travel, this is a compelling alternative if you don’t mind using one of your lounge passes. Although £18 is worth much less than a lounge pass, if you don’t travel often enough to use your passes on lounge visits and your airport visit is your chance to use a pass, it’s an excellent option.
If you don’t use a voucher but you’re a DragonPass member, you can still get money off your bill (usually around 15%) without using a pass. This can be useful for high-value bills where your discount would nearly equal the value of using a pass.
How to Get DragonPass Premier+
You can either pay for a membership or get a membership with a credit card or bank account:
There are plenty of options available for membership. For more detailed info, read our guide to lounge access with lounge passes. Bank accounts and credit cards, which include varying levels of DragonPass memberships, include:
- Revolut Ultra
- Barclays Premier Banking or Wealth account with Barclays Avios Plus
- Barclays Travel Plus Pack
- The Royal Bank of Scotland Premier Reward Black Account
- NatWest Reward Black
- Ulster Bank Ufirst Private Current Account
Where to Use Your Dining Credit
The ability to use a dining voucher is available at 49 restaurant locations, including:
Heathrow:
- Jones the Grocer – T2
- The Curator – T3
- Sputino – T3
- Joes Coffee House & Bar – T4
- Wild Olive (coming soon) – T4
- Giraffe – T3/T5
Gatwick
- Sonoma – North
- Sussex House Kitchen & Bar – North
- Giraffe – South
- Joes Coffeehouse – South
- Wondertree – South
Luton:
- The Smithfield
- Hawker Bar
- Sanfords
Manchester:
- BAR MCR – T1
- Giraffe – T1/T2
- Cafe Balzar – T1
- Apiary – T2
- Bridgewater Exchange – T2
- San Carlo – T2
Bristol:
- Frankie & Benny’s
Birmingham:
- Giraffe
Edinburgh:
- Brewdog
Glasgow:
- William Beardmore & Co
- Frankie & Benny’s
- Tennent’s Bar
- Caledonia
Aberdeen:
- The Distilling House
- The Granite City
- Bocco
Belfast:
- Samsons
