Review: British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)

During my Aria Suite Adventure to Hong Kong, I had the chance to check out several lounges at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD). After visiting the Capital One Lounge, Chase Sapphire Lounge, Turkish Airlines Lounge, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, and Lufthansa Business Lounge, I spent some time at the British Airways Galleries Lounge (worry not, this is the last lounge review in the series, and then we’ll get to actual flight reviews!).

British Airways’ lounge at Washington Dulles is one of the first in the system to be redesigned in recent times, and the refreshed lounge only reopened in late 2024, weeks before my visit. I must admit, this lounge impressed me — it has an elegant design, gorgeous views, a full bar with cocktails, and a quality food selection.

Huge kudos to British Airways, because this beats any of the other airline lounges in the terminal, by a long shot. If this is a sign of what British Airways has in store for its other lounges, I’m looking forward to it.

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles location

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles is located in Concourse B, near gate B50. For context, all terminals and gates at Washington Dulles are connected airside, and Concourse A and Concourse B are in the same long hall.

It’s hard to miss the entrance to the lounge, given its shiny, blue exterior.

The lounge is actually located one level up from the terminal, and you need to take an elevator in order to get there.

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles hours

When is the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles open? That’s a great question. According to the oneworld website, it opens at 2:30PM. According to the sign at the door, it opens at 3PM. However, it actually opens at 2:45PM, or at least that’s what I was told at reception.

You can expect the hours to vary based on flight schedules, and for the lounge to generally be open starting a few hours before a British Airways or other IAG flight (that includes Aer Lingus and Iberia).

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles entry requirements

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles follows standard oneworld lounge access rules. That’s to say that it’s open to eligible oneworld first and business class passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald and oneworld Sapphire members on eligible itineraries.

Obviously the lounge is intended primarily for British Airways’ two daily flights to the airport. However, it’s also used as the lounge for other IAG carriers, including Aer Lingus and Iberia.

Back in the day, the lounge was open to Priority Pass members during select hours. However, since the lounge underwent a refresh, it’s no longer open to Priority Pass, and unlike other lounges in the terminal, doesn’t open in the mornings.

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles layout & seating

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles is roughly 10,000 square feet, with seating for around 200 guests. The lounge has a quirky layout, as it’s not just your typical rectangular space. This is one of British Airways’ latest lounges to be refreshed, and the airline really did a phenomenal job, coming up with an elegant yet functional design.

As you enter the lounge, there’s a long, central hallway, with the various parts of the lounge off to the right. This narrow space has quite a bit of seating, with anywhere from one to three seats per “row.” This area of the lounge tends to stay quietest, since there’s quite a bit of foot traffic.

This area faces the interior of the terminal, so it’s good for people watching, but not so good for plane spotting.

Off this main area, you’ll find a couple of communal workstations, which can accommodate up to a dozen people.

There’s another two sets of communal tables in the very back of the lounge.

As far as the other areas of the lounge go, in the very back right of the lounge you’ll find the bar. It’s always nice when lounges have a full-service bar. Not only does this one have amazing views, but it also has a pretty design (the entire lounge has cool lighting fixtures, in my opinion).

On each side of the bar, there are booths that span the length of the space, with small tables, plus chairs.

Also in the lounge and off to the right is the self-serve drink and snack area, which has some high-top tables, and a nice decorative wine wall.

This then leads into the Club World Dining area, which is the biggest room in the lounge.

This has all kinds of seating options, from high-top communal tables, to dining tables with chairs, to booths.

The views from both the dining and bar area are gorgeous, as you have an amazing vantage point over the airport.

The lounge also has a dedicated restaurant area for first class passengers, which I didn’t have access to (since I wasn’t in first class). The lounge then has a couple of VIP rooms, to offer privacy to those who may need it.

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles food & drinks

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles has an impressive selection of food and drinks. Note that during my visit, the entire lounge (including the dining area) was open to all passengers, including the Club World Dining area. I believe late at night, the dining area may be restricted to business class passengers, since there’s a more extensive food selection prior to the last flight (so that passengers can maximize rest).

The small buffet area in the main part of the lounge had some basic snacks, like whole fruit, cookies, brownies, and snack mix.

There was also an espresso machine, tea, a large selection of wine, and soft drinks.

Then there was the main buffet area inside the Club World Dining area, which was open to all passengers during my visit. This had an extensive selection of both hot and cold dishes.

To start, the buffet had sandwiches and soup. There was roasted cauliflower soup, and then sandwiches included:

• Chili lime chickpea cauliflower wraps
• Black truffle egg salad sandwiches
• Coronation chicken on sourdough

Salads included:

• Roasted beet salad with pickled red onions, goat cheese, and dill
• Brussels sprout caesar salad with shaved parmesan
• Spiced rainbow carrot salad with tahini
• Classic cobb salad with herb dressing
• Baby lettuces

There were also a variety of toppings, like sunflower seeds, toasted almonds, toasted walnuts, tomatoes, and more.

Then hot options included:

• Beef stew with root vegetables and mushroom
• Mash and leeks
• Maple roasted butternut squash
• Curry chickpeas
• Cumin basmati rice with horseradish sauce and cucumber raita

There was also an “action station,” where you could order crispy chicken sliders.

Lastly, there was also a meat and cheese selection, with cheddar cheese, blue cheese, salami, mortadella, crackers, bread, and all kinds of other accompaniments.

I tried a few things from the buffet. While it’s one thing to have a nice variety, I was impressed by the quality of food as well, and found it to be good.

Below you can find the extensive cocktail and wine list available at the bar.

I ordered a negroni, which I found to be excellent.

British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles bathrooms & showers

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles has restrooms in the back right of the lounge. The men’s room was modern. All too often we see lounges renovated, only for the bathrooms to be left alone, though that wasn’t the case here. The men’s room was a sufficient size, with several sinks, urinals, and stalls.

The lounge also has shower suites, and I took a shower prior to my flight. For a US lounge, this was a great shower setup, with excellent water pressure, a sink, and a toilet, with products from Elemis.

Bottom line

The British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles is an excellent outstation lounge. It has a modern and elegant design, an impressive selection of food, a proper bar with cocktails, and views that will delight any aviation geek.

I’m happy to see the direction British Airways seems to be headed with its lounges, as this exceeded my expectations, and was significantly better than the other airline-operated lounges I visited. Well done, BA!

What’s your take on the British Airways Lounge Washington Dulles?