In January 2018, I reviewed my Business Class flight on KLM Royal Dutch Airline from Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) to Amsterdam (The Netherlands). I was very impressed by KLM’s Business Class product but less so by the airport lounge at Dar Es Salaam Airport.
Dar Es Salaam, the former capital of Tanzania, has an International Airport that is disappointingly small and totally underwhelming. It comprises one terminal, which features a few gates, a small number of unappealing shops, and one restaurant.
The authorities are currently building a much larger and nicer terminal, which is set to open at the end of this year and will quadruple passenger capacity, after which the currently used airport building will be converted into a domestic terminal.
At the moment, all airlines that fly into Dar Es Salaam (e.g., KLM, Swiss, Emirates, Qatar, Oman Air, and more) make use of one lounge that is present in the terminal to accommodate their premium passengers.
The Tanzanite lounge is located one floor below the main concourse and is basically a large rectangular room that offers all the basics that should be present in an airport lounge: seats, complimentary Wi-Fi, snacks, drinks, toilets, but not much else Entering the lounge is like stepping back in time because of the dated design.
One corner of the lounge features a bar and a small self-service buffet with a few hot and cold items (including samosas), although I did not want to try them out (the food presentation was not attractive at all). You can also order a selection of sandwiches from a menu with one of the lounge staff members, who are consistently walking around to take orders and make sure all guests are treated well. The lounge’s highlight was the restroom sign (what kind of says it all); ‘men to the left because women are always right’.
The lounge is nothing special, but it is still better to wait here than in the small and humid airport terminal.
This review was thanks to The Luxury Travel Expert.
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