In 2023, Air India disclosed that it would refurbish the lounges in Delhi and New York. The lounges are dated and have not been refurbished for a long time. With the arrival of the Tata Group on the scene, the airline has upgraded the amenities at the Delhi lounges. Still, the New York lounge has been the subject of discussion in the Western traveller communities, and most of what I’ve heard is not favourable (the lounge participates in the Priority Pass network at New York JFK). I’ve personally been to the lounge, and it badly deserves an upgrade.
Air India appointed Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) of Singapore Airlines’ Lounges fame to refurbish Air India lounges at Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and Terminal 4 of JFK Airport in New York. The Air India International Lounge in Delhi is currently closed for renovation.
Air India’s Terminal 3 International Lounge under renovation at Delhi IGI Airport (Picture: July 2025, Copyright: LiveFromALounge.com)
Air India is now constructing its Lounge at San Francisco International Airport.
Air India is also working on launching its second international lounge at the San Francisco International Airport. We first reported on this exclusively in July 2024, before the CEO’s confirmation. Although the airline has not shared a specific timeline, I had anticipated that the lounge would be operational sometime in 2025. 2025 will also mark the tenth anniversary of Air India’s operations in San Francisco. The airline has not announced this lounge in the formal sense, but a disclosure has made its way into literature the airline distributes to the passengers.
The station has been wildly successful for Air India. From launching three flights a week between Delhi and San Francisco in 2015, the airline currently operates 14 weekly flights to SFO, with seven of these flights departing from Delhi alone, four from Mumbai, and three from Bengaluru.
What is the latest?
I recently happened to go through San Francisco and noticed the new lounge being constructed. The lounge will be located adjacent to Gate A1 at the International Terminal, situated between the China Airlines and Golden Gate lounges on the Fourth Floor.
The Build Group is constructing the lounge for USD 3.5 million, with an expected completion date of 2025. A new factsheet has appeared on their website, which also includes a picture/render of the lounge as it is expected to look.
It will be a small lounge, at 3400 square feet, but it looks impressive from the render.
My Take on Air India’s SFO Lounge
SFO is amongst the largest airports in the US and one of the busiest. Seventeen weekly flights roughly translate to 2-3 departures a day. However, it still makes sense for Air India to open its lounge here. For one, it signifies the importance of the market to the customers, who might be inclined to swing more high-yield corporate business their way with this signalling. Secondly, given that SFO is a gateway airport on the West Coast, and almost all airlines of note operate to SFO, it could also mean that the lounge could operate as a profit centre by being offered to other Star Alliance carriers (and other airlines as well), and if needed, even to the likes of Priority Pass.
Bottomline
Air India, which is currently refurbishing its lounges in Delhi and New York, is also constructing a lounge in San Francisco. The lounge will come up at the international terminal’s Fourth Floor, and is expected to be completed within 2025.
What do you make of Air India’s Lounge strategy, and where do you think they will target opening a lounge next?
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Best outstation lounges I’ve ever been in are the Qatar LHR and BKK Premium Lounges. I hope AI aim for that level of standard and service.
Do you know if they are planning more flights to SFO from other Indian destinations or doing double dailies to BOM or DEL?
Why wouldn’t they just use the Polaris lounge for their J passengers at SFO like Lufthansa does? I highly doubt Air India will be able to outdo that!
@A, lounges are also about brand building and reminding people they fly from a specific destination. After a decade in SFO, Air India may want to reiterate this to its customers and the general flying public.
Rather, I would say it is because Air India operates from the A Gates. The Polaris lounge is in the G Gates. The two separate gate areas are not connected directly airside, and so it is ~30+ min walk from Polaris lounge to AI gates through which pax have to traverse all 3 terminals in between. As such AI has been offering J pax access to the Golden Gate lounge in the A Gates, but it’s awful. Also to clarify, this lounge will not be opening in the G Gates as stated, it will be opening in the A Gates where AI’s flights depart from.
@JetSF, you are correct. I mixed up on my orientation, looking at the map. A gates it is, and it has been amended as per your note.
I hope they give insight into the DEL lounge opening timeline soon. I’m rooting for AI from abroad as they are an underdog with many headwinds. Appreciate your blog coverage of the Indian aviation scene.