Review: Dnata Lounge (Terminal 1) at Singapore Changi

Singapore airport offers a wide selection of contract lounges with at least one at each of its four terminals. One of the companies that operates lounges at the airport is the Emirati company Dnata (Dubai National Air Transport Association).

There are two Dnata lounges at the airport – one in terminal 1 and one in terminal 3. Before taking a KLM flight to Bali back in January, I had a chance to pay a visit to the lounge in terminal 1.

Continue reading this review to see what it was like.

Location, Opening Hours & Access

The Dnata Lounge at Singapore Changi airport terminal 1 is located near D-gates, one floor above the main departures level. You can access it using a set of escalators that can be found across from a Burberry store.

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The lounge is open 24 hours a day, and it can be accessed with Priority Pass and other similar memberships, as well as when flying in business class or holding an elite status with a number of different airlines.

Some of the airlines that send their premium passengers to this lounge include Air France, Air Mauritius, Delta Air Lines, KLM, and Xiamen Airlines.

Lounge Tour

Rather than having an entrance door, the Dnata Lounge at Changi airport terminal 1 featured a fairly large open reception desk.

On the other side of the wall separating the reception desk from the lounge itself, there was – besides some artwork – a magazine rack with a variety of newspapers and magazines.

The area near reception also included half-a-dozen or so sofa chairs.

Turning left at the reception, there was a quiet room with benches and sofa chairs which was darker than the rest of the lounge.

Separately from that, there was a dining area with dining tables with chairs and benches, as well as some counter-height seating. The buffet counter itself was located across from the wall separating the reception desk from the lounge.

The lounge’s restrooms could be found here as well.

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Continuing from the dining area towards the other end of the lounge, there was a self-service drink station, as well as a staffed bar. Seating in the bar area consisted of a couple of high-top tables and chairs, as well as pairs of sofa chairs arranged around coffee tables.

Past the bar area was the main seating area of the lounge. This area consisted entirely of sofa chairs, mainly in long rows across the width of the lounge.

Each seat had its own power outlet (and there was no shortage of power outlets in the rest of the lounge either).

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Finally, at the very back of the lounge were an area with a snacks and drinks counter, a pair of counter-height communal tables with eight chairs each, as well as a meeting room.

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Food and Drinks

Food and drinks in the lounge could be found in the snack area at the very back of the lounge and in the dining and bar area near the lounge’s entrance.

Starting with the snack area, there were a coffee machine and a selection of Dilmah teas. There were also canned juices, both canned soda and a soda dispenser, as well as four different brands of beer – Tiger, Asahi, Sapporo, and Heineken.

Finally, there were some wines and four kinds of liquor.

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As for snacks, there were pretzels, nuts, and cookies.

The same drinks and snacks as in the area above were on offer in the dining and bar area.

However, there were also many other items to eat, of course. And, while I didn’t attempt to do so, I believe one could also get cafe and cocktails made by the bar.

The dining area buffet included some lighter items such as sandwiches, bread, salads, and cup noodles.

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Then, there were chicken sliders, carrot cakes, as well as more substantial hot meals including butter chicken curry with rice, beef stew with mashed potatoes, and penne.

There was also cream of tomato and basil soup.

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Finally, there were apple crumble cakes, chocolate brownies, and some whole fruits.

Dnata Lounge Singapore Terminal 1 Summary

The Dnata Lounge in Changi airport terminal 1 offered plenty of seating and was not too crowded during my visit. As such, combined with the abundance of power outlets, it provided for a nice place to get some work done.

The drinks and food on offer in the lounge were decent as well. While they were nothing to write home about, there were enough options to keep travelers from getting thirsty and hungry.

Overall, I would not hesitate to visit the lounge again if I needed to get some work done.

Looking at the lounge from the point of view of a business class passenger, it was mediocre. However, looking at it as a Priority Pass member, the lounge was above average.