Not the Cozy Bar I Was Hoping For - No Bathroom or Games
add_circle Pros
- The lounge was clean and the staff were friendly and tried their best.
- The Meridian lounge is located in a convenient spot, close to the international terminal 2.
- There are charging stations available, although they can be a bit scarce.
- The lounge has a decent selection of newspapers and magazines.
- The staff were helpful and tried to accommodate our needs.
- The lounge has a decent wine list, although the prices are pretty steep.
remove_circle Cons
- The lounge was overcrowded and noisy, making it difficult to relax.
- The food selection was extremely limited, with no hot meals or decent snacks.
- There's no bathroom in the lounge, which is a major inconvenience.
- The kids' play area is non-existent, which was a big letdown.
- The workspace is tiny and not suitable for getting work done.
- The lounge has a weird layout, with different areas that feel disconnected.
- The staff seemed overwhelmed and struggled to keep up with the demand.
- The overall experience was a total disappointment, especially considering the premium tariff.
Gallery
Editor's Summary
I recently visited the Meridian lounge at Domodedovo airport, expecting a comfortable experience with our Premium T-Bank Tariff. Unfortunately, the reality was far from what I had hoped for. The lounge was overcrowded and noisy, with a limited food selection that was more like a sad buffet. The lack of a bathroom, kids' play area, and decent workspace was a major letdown. While the staff tried their best, the overall experience was a total disappointment. If you're looking for a better lounge experience, I'd recommend checking out the business lounges at Minsk or Vnukovo airports instead. The Meridian lounge just didn't live up to my expectations, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a premium experience.
Specifications
I recently flew out of Domodedovo, and I opted for the quiet lounge over the crowded waiting area (April 2025). We had the Premium T-Bank Tariff, which promised a more comfortable experience.
I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, as I always do - I hate being late.
After clearing security, we headed to the duty-free zone and followed the signs to the business lounge.
Next, we made our way to the international terminal 2, where we found the Meridian lounge on the minus 1 floor - you can take the escalator or elevator to get there.
The lounge is essentially a walled-off area of the airport, with a cable mesh fence.
At the entrance, we were asked to show our boarding passes and QR codes - since our flight was departing in 2 hours and 40 minutes, we weren't warned about the lounge's time limits.
We spent a total of 3 hours in the lounge.
Let's see how the advertised amenities stacked up against our experience.
The Meridian lounge offers:
a buffet with a wide selection of hot dishes, snacks, and drinks;
the ability to watch satellite and terrestrial TV channels;
visual information about flight status;
notifications when it's time to board;
a comfortable workspace with internet, printer, scanner, and fax (limited to Moscow numbers);
free Wi-Fi;
newspapers;
a cloakroom;
a shower room;
a dedicated children's play area.
After visiting the lounge and reading up on its description, I got the feeling that they were talking about a different lounge altogether - although the photos do match up partially.
So, here's the lowdown:
The food selection was meager, with only 5 types of salad,
chicken broth with crackers,
goulash, sausage, and pancakes.
There were also dry breakfast options (cereal and puffs)
tea, coffee (from a machine), juice, and water.
jam, honey in individual packets, and two types of pie. There were also peanuts, candied fruits, and dried apricots.
I was really disappointed with the food options here. Compared to other lounges, the selection was super limited, especially when it came to hot meals.
If you're looking to grab a drink and unwind before your flight, you'll be out of luck - there's no booze available. They do have a wine list, but the prices are pretty steep. I've seen people come in with their own duty-free liquor and quietly enjoy it.
Wine listThe lounge doesn't have its own bathroom - you'll have to exit the lounge and head down a flight of stairs or take the escalator. It's a real pain. They claim to have a shower, but all I found was a sign saying 'coming soon'.
I also couldn't find a TV to catch any live sports or news.
The admin area does have a departure board, though.
There are charging stations available, but they're a bit scarce in the lounge.
I was surprised to find that there's no kids' play area in the lounge.
The tables are tiny, barely big enough for one person.
Everything's disposable - even the plates and cups are made of paper. The utensils are plastic.
They're trying to create different zones in the lounge, with some areas being more spacious than others. There are also individual seats available.
I managed to find one high chair for kids.
Kids' high chairThe lounge claims to have a dressing room, but all I found were a few coat hooks on the wall.
I also couldn't find any kind of workspace or office area.
I was really disappointed with this lounge, to be honest. My husband said it felt like a homeless shelter.
The place was packed and super noisy. The staff did a decent job of cleaning up the dirty dishes, but you could also just throw them away yourself.
Considering we had a premium tariff from Bank T and didn't pay a thing, it was okay, I guess. But paying 3,500 rubles for this lounge is way too much.
I expected so much more from an international lounge, given the old Soviet mentality that everything is better for foreigners. But it turns out our domestic flights have better lounges.
Here's my ranking of lounges for domestic flights:
1. Business lounge in the Union sector of Minsk
2. VIP lounge at Vnukovo, general area, before passport control
3. Business lounge at Pulkovo Airport, St. Petersburg, Domestic flights
4. Moscow, Sheremetyevo, Rublev lounge, domestic terminal
5. Moscow, Sheremetyevo, Kandinsky lounge, Domestic flights
6. Moscow, Vnukovo, Prokofiev lounge, Domestic flights