Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel domestic from Terminal 2 at Mumbai Airport for the first time after Air India had moved their domestic operations to the terminal. I was very impressed with the vibe of Level 3 on this terminal, which is allocated for domestic flights, and the large repertoire of shops and eating choices that the terminal has even for domestic passengers. After all, there are more domestic passengers in terms of count than international passengers who would make use of this terminal’s facilities.

While there was a small makeshift lounge being used by Vistara at this terminal, I was pleasantly surprised with the new lounge that has come up at the airport for domestic passengers. At present, only Air India elites and business class passengers travelling domestic have access to this lounge, or you can buy lounge access for INR 1,499 per head. I hear Vistara will send their eligible passengers here shortly as well.

The lounge is located near gate 44 on level 3. Once you clear security check, you need to follow the marker that directs you to the Lounges. You will find the CIP Lounge signage on your left.

While the lounge is also called the Travel Club Lounge, it is referred to as the CIP lounge by the airport manager. Being designed as an integral part of the CSIA Airport Terminal 2, it had the same peacock motif being used around the airport.

Once I entered the lounge, I found it pretty swanky in terms of design. The lounge is done up in white and golden hues, with lots of individual seating for passengers. On Instagram, I even went to the extent of calling it visually stunning.

A large part of the seating area has individual lighting overhead and plug points, apart from the common lighting from the ceiling.

As you enter, on your left, there is a bar. While soft beverages are served free, alcohol is not complimentary and you can have a drink against payment. It was too early in the morning to get a drink.

Right at the back of the lounge, there is a dining area, with a restaurant like set up.

The food options were pretty impressive, even at 5 am in the morning. There were 5 hot dishes, salads, fruits, fresh juices, sandwiches and finger food, and a live kitchen. The lounge crew encouraged me to try their live kitchen options, but I passed since it was too early in the morning to eat a large helping.

The beverages refrigerator was well stocked as well.

On the other side, there is a small business centre setup with 2 Mac computers and a printer.

The lounge is pretty spacious and can hold about a 100 passengers together. However, I won’t be surprised if it becomes noisier as the day gets busy.

The lounge is only accessible for airline elites at the moment, and business class passengers. This is in line with the GVK group’s thinking where they only accept airline’s own passengers (elites and premium cabins) in their own operated lounge such as the GVK Lounge (Business and First) on the international level. I also know that there is another lounge to be opened in Terminal 2’s domestic level.

I have updated the Mumbai Lounge access page to reflect this lounge and the access policies as well.

Have you visited this lounge? What are your views about this new lounge at Mumbai Airport Terminal 2?

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Pros

+ Individual seating with lighting
+ All seats have access to power
+ Large number & good quality F&B options
+ Only airlines are allowed to invite pax to this lounge

Cons

- May become too crowded during busy hours
- No natural lighting

Rating