Lounge Review: American Express Lounge Delhi Terminal 3

When I am travelling domestically, and I am at the Mumbai or Delhi airport, my lounge of choice is the American Express Lounge. I’ve previously reviewed the Mumbai American Express Lounge, but I realised a couple of days back that I’ve never written about the Delhi one. so right now is as good a time as ever to share more about this lounge.

The American Express Lounge is accessible to Centurion, Platinum, Platinum Corporate card holders, as well as the JetPrivilege Platinum members. In Delhi, the lounge is situated in the domestic side of Terminal 3, right across from Starbucks and overlooking the tarmac.

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The Platinum & Centurion card holders are allowed to bring guests along with them in the Lounge, however, the JetPrivilege Platinum Card holders can only access the lounge for themselves. Lounge Access is also offered to other Amex Cardholders, but is chargeable. Ever since I turned in my American Express Platinum Card, I’ve only had the access for myself. Your card is swiped at the entrance, and on approval, access is granted.

The beauty of the Amex Lounge for me has always been the restaurant approach, rather than the buffet as it is offered at most other lounges. Also, since the lounge is only for Amex customers, footfalls are usually less and this is a very peaceful and quiet lounge in that aspect. Plus the view that you see at the Delhi airport is very nice, like you can see in the picture below one fine morning!

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The Lounge underwent redecoration a few months ago, and now there are nice colorful chairs and tables all around. If you are a big group, look out for the couch, else you can have one of the smaller tables for 2 passengers.

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If you need a computer, there is one along with a printer at this lounge, which can be used for a quick print or few and lightweight browsing.

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On arriving in the lounge, you are usually set up for a drink of water, and the host brings you a menu with various options for your meals. There is also a small buffet setup in case you are in a rush, or you don’t want a meal but just a quick snack. The buffet has veg and non-veg finger sandwiches, chocolate pies, cereals, wafers and soft drinks on offer.

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As of September 1, 2015 the dining menu has changed, and here is the new menu which is valid after breakfast hours.

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On our visit earlier in September, we ordered the Hungarian Goulash, and the Chicken Biryani, both of which were very tasty.

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On an earlier visit, I also tried their Pasta, which was pretty good too. In fact the Penne Arabiatta was my standard order here for a long time. Seems they’ve changed the Penne Pasta to a Spaghetti Pasta as per the new menu.

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The beers were chargeable, and I got sticker shock when I saw the price on the chargeslip since they never told me the price of the beers. It was an INR 100 beer being sold at INR 490 per pint, which is perhaps luxury hotel pricing as per my assessment.

I was informed the breakfast menu still remains the same. Here is a peep at the menu.

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On a previous occasion, I had some eggs with toast, and it turned up very nicely. Here is a picture!

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If you’re based in Mumbai or Delhi and travel a few times a year, an Amex card is a must have in your pocket to be able to access these two lounges. They are the reason I hold on to my Amex Jet Platinum Credit Card at the moment.

Readers, how do you find the American Express Lounge at Delhi T3?

The Good News!

+ Accessible only to American Express cardholders, and hence quieter and less crowded
+ Personalised Dining options all times of the day
+ Good Hot Meals available

The Bad News!

- Sticker shock on the pricing of beer
- On some occassions when they are understaffed, service can be really bad and disorganised

Score!

About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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  1. Hi Ajay,

    Thank you for this information. However I went to the Plaza lounge in India last week and I cannot access the lounge because my Amex was issued in Brazil. I did not find any information regarding this on the Plaza or Amex home page. I was astonished when the receptionist blocked my entry.

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