Plaza Premium Lounge: Delhi Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP Section) Experience

With the American Express lounge open and shut as per the pandemic waves, the Plaza Premium Lounge remains one of the only lounges in Delhi Terminal 3, which operated through the pandemic. I’ve written about one section of the Lounge earlier. However, the newer part of the lounge used to be closed almost every time I was at the airport in my past few visits. This was not the case on my last trip out of Delhi Airport, and I used this opportunity to try out the new section, which is co-located with the older lounge, on the Mezzanine floor of the Delhi Airport Terminal 3.

a sign on a wall

Plaza Premium Lounge: Delhi Terminal 3 (VIP Section) Experience

Delhi’s Plaza Premium team has now set out a clear distinction at the Lounge for the premium and the (less!) premium experience. While the masses who access the Plaza Premium Lounge Delhi T3 Domestic with their Visa/MasterCard/Rupay Cards are sent to the older section, which you can read more about here, the American Express, Diners Club and Priority Pass Cardmembers, apart from Vistara lounge invitations are sent to the newer section where we were today.

a sign in a lobby

On arriving at the lounge, we presented our Vistara Business Class boarding passes to the reception, of which they made scans and directed us to the VIP section of the lounge. I don’t know if this is the name, but I’ve always thought of it as the VIP section, given the slightly more premium feel this section has.

The lounge has three sorts of seating, together accomodating approximately fifty people by my count. As you enter, there are some restaurant-style seats and a long community table in front of a bar in front of the bar. The bar was closed when we visited.

people sitting at a table

Seating adjacent to the entrance of the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

a black marble counter with a black counter and a red flower

The bar opposite the entrance of the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

Right across, there are individual couches, with two seats sharing a plug point, a table/armrest of sorts to eat or work. This is the classic look that Plaza Premium Lounges across the globe usually go for.

a group of people sitting in chairs in a lounge

Seating of the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

a room with chairs and a large wall

Seating of the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

There were also some workstations right at the back, where you could sit down and work with your laptop set up.

a room with a few tables and chairs

Workstations at the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

a booth with chairs and tables in a restaurant

Workstations at the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

Third, there was a small restaurant at the back with tables of two and four organised and some dining booths.

a room with tables and chairs

Restaurant set up at the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

a booth seating in a restaurant

Dining Booths at the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

We would only spend about thirty minutes at the lounge this morning, and since we had started very early from home, we were hungry. We wanted to catch some breakfast, and a wait staff quickly came by and brought us the menus. Our options today were (South Indian) Vegetarian or (Continental) Non-Vegetarian in a set menu.

a menu on a table

Buffet dining was still closed at the lounge (opened early August 2021). I opted for the non-vegetarian spread, which was brought along with a croissant which I requested separately. Everything was served on a disposable platter.

a tray of food with a couple of utensils

The food was warm when served, and the lounge staff was very efficient, something that the other side loses out on when there is rush hour at the lounge. Also, the food was very, very delicious, although I was perhaps eating the same selection every time I visited this particular lounge.

The lounge was open-air, and the air-conditioning was off as well when we visited. Mask discipline was not the best, but with a not very crowded lounge, at least we could keep our distance from everyone else.

We had our flight called, and from there, we headed on to one of the furthest gates of the domestic piers that could be offered, so we rushed out with reasonable time to spare.

a large airport terminal with people walking and a large window

View as you exit the Plaza Premium Lounge, Terminal 3 Domestic (VIP)

Bottomline

The expanded section of the Plaza Premium Lounge Delhi Terminal 3 was better than the older section of the lounge, and I would prefer to visit this section when possible. The dining options are all the same, and if I intended to grab a bite before our flight, given meal service on flights less than two hours is not allowed at the moment, I’d head to whichever one with the space.

Have you visited the Plaza Premium Lounge Delhi Airport Terminal 3 Domestic VIP Section? What has been your experience here?


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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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Comments

  1. Is this lounge operational? And how has the recent experience been if there is any reference?

  2. Thank you for sharing your visit to the lounge. It made for an interesting read.
    The last time I was at the lounge was on 15-8-21. I had flown into DEL & had more than three hours of a layover. Because I was flying Vistara, I made use of the complimentary lounge access to relax a bit and grab some lunch before heading to the gate. I’d visited the lounge in the past and had really good experiences. However, my experience at the lounge this time wasn’t the best. The first flaw in the service was that my boarding pass (which I’d given to the staff for scanning) was about to be handed over to another passenger who was not even standing close to where I was (across the reception desk). It seemed like the staff was overworked and had something on their mind. Nevertheless, I took my boarding pass, albeit without an apology and headed inside. The lounge was more than half full & passengers not travelling together were seated close to each other. The tiny tent cards (suggesting people to leave the seat vacant) were just there for show. Not all were following the rule. And even the staff didn’t seem to care that much. The buffet was open to all and patrons were moving around without their masks. The food wasn’t that great this time around. So I just helped myself to a bowl of dal. Other dishes included palak paneer, steamed rice with carrot & peas (not a pulao) & rotis.
    Had the lounge been a little peaceful, masking & distancing protocols followed, I’d have liked it.

  3. This is a good idea and I hope other lounges in India remain suit. The lounges have become just too crowded with poor experiences delivered. I have had two situations (pre-COVID) where I sat on a table with my stuff, went to get some food and came back to find my stuff moved and someone else occupying my table. During both times there was a lady sitting at the table who then refused to budge. Not a great lounge experience!

    • I have visited 5-6 lounges in India, I can say that Above Ground Level lounge at the Bengaluru Airport is the best. Hope you’ll review it someday. Food options at AGL are way better than any Premium Plaza (have tried in HYD, DEL T1, T3, and BLR).

  4. Hi Ajay.. Thanks to bring this lounge update to LFAL community. Can we use priority pass provided with HDFC Infinia for VIP section as earlier we access lounges in India through swiping our Visa enabled Infinia CC. Thanks in advance.

      • It does allow , in fact , 3 times this year i used the infinia PP and infinia card to get my co travellers into the lounge , they insisted on matching PP names with boarding passes , but CCs they didnt bother (just were happy to get more people) , at GVK (now adani) lounge , mumbai… only problem , they can never authenticate via swiping , they always end up inserting the details manually

        • Be careful and check your statements. Most PP incl courtesy AmEx have now restricted complimentary visits to lounges outside India – and domestic is charged.

          • I am well aware about this , i have been using infinia PP donestically(now citi prestige PP also) , not been charges yet , Amex specifically mentions this in the welcome ketter that PP used domestically will be charged

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