MEA Beirut Lounge

MEA Beirut Lounge – Beirut (BEY)

The Beirut Lounge at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International airport is operated by Lebanon’s flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) as a secondary club for various airlines including Lufthansa, Royal Air Maroc, and Air Serbia.

The club also welcomes members of various airport lounge access programs including Priority Pass, Lounge Club, and LoungeKey.

Located on the upper level of the terminal, minutes from the security checkpoint, the Beirut Lounge is a stone’s throw and yet worlds apart from the Cedar Lounge, MEA’s primary and vastly superior lounge for their own customers and SkyTeam partners.

MEA Beirut Lounge BEY design

The MEA Beirut Lounge at Beirut airport is comprised of two adjacent and yet distinct sections.

The first room, where the reception desk is located, is bland, bare, monochrome, and harshly lit. There’s hardly an attempt at a décor, though the space feels clean and well maintained, and the sparse furniture arrangement means that guests benefit from a generous amount of personal space.

MEA Beirut Lounge – Beirut (BEY)

While the floor is dotted with power outlets, oddly no attempt has been made to place furniture close to power points. On a more positive note, the club overlooks the tarmac and receives plenty of daylight.

Push the door near the drink cooler and you’ll step back in time as you enter the former LAT Lounge (which has moved closer to the security checkpoint.) The space was hastily converted into a smoking area for the Beirut Lounge, though it has remained intact otherwise.

A time capsule with the depressing allure of a faded private club, the smoking room features marble and wood finishes, dim lighting, monochrome tones, indoor plants, and an imposing marble-clad bar. There are still separate bathrooms and traces of the former reception area.

MEA Beirut Lounge BEY amenities

The Middle Eastern Airlines Beirut Lounge is primarily a place to sit and smoke. The club offers few notable amenities.

MEA Beirut Lounge – Beirut (BEY)

The meager food selection consists of pastries, sweets, and fruit. The pickings are slim, even at meal times. And while the club does not have proper kitchen or food serving facilities, it’s unfortunate that MEA doesn’t at least offer sandwiches or more substantial fare.

On the beverage front, the situation is less dire. Guests will find a large cooler stocked with bottled water, soda, and beer, as well as two staffed bars with middle-shelf staples such as Johnny Walker Black and Bombay Sapphire Gin. There is also an espresso machine in the smokers’ lounge.

For smokers, the main appeal of the Beirut Lounge is the expansive smoking area: the entire rear section of the club—the former LAT Lounge—is designated as a smoking zone, and is typically sparsely occupied.

Other amenities include secure Wi-Fi and a selection of newspapers and magazines.

MEA Beirut Lounge BEY bottom line

MEA Beirut Lounge – Beirut (BEY)

Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International airport might not be earning any awards anytime soon, but it is nevertheless home to a few remarkable airline clubs. The MEA Cedar Lounge and Qatar Airways Premium Lounge are beacons of design and boast world-class amenities. In contrast, the MEA Beirut Lounge is the odd step child—a bare, desolate, and unattractive space with a few nibbles and a bar as the only notable features.

Incidentally, Middle Eastern airlines directs their own customers to the far superior Cedar Lounge. The older Beirut Lounge is primarily used as a contract facility for various airlines, presumably at a lower cost than the Cedar Lounge.

There’s not much to look forward to at the Beirut Lounge save for a glimpse into the airport’s past. Priority Pass members should skip the Beirut Lounge in favor of the Cedar Lounge. Alternatively, the Alhein Premium Lounge is smaller but offers showers.