On my 30-hour whirlwind trip to try out the Airbus A350 of Air India, I’d flown from Delhi to Bengaluru on the Business Class section of the flight. There is only one flight a day on the A350 from Delhi (two days a week, for now), so it was the only fit for my requirements. The following day, I was booked to fly the A350 between Bengaluru and Chennai (via Mumbai), so I did not want to go far from the airport. I wanted to stay at the Transit Hotel, operated by 080; however, as it turned out, the only transit hotel operational was at Terminal 1 (with Terminal 2 yet to be operationalised). To access the T1 hotel, I needed a flight departing from BLR Terminal 1.

The Taj Hotel, the only hotel within walking distance from Terminal 1 of Bengaluru Airport, quoted a very premium rate, which was not worth it for just a few hours at the airport. Eventually, I discovered an arrival lounge in Bengaluru, which I’d never heard of before. It only showed up on the Priority Pass website and then on the Diners Club website. So, I decided to try my luck at the lounge and hope for an empty couch for the few hours I had at the airport.

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Lounge

The Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 arrival lounge is in Terminal 2 Arrivals, inside the secure zone at the ground level, common arrival hall, and before the exit gates. You come close to the exit gates and follow the arrows from the 080 Cafe towards the right. If you’ve left the airport terminal building, you won’t be able to enter again to access the lounge, so please be careful.

It was a couple of minutes’ walk, and at the dead end of the alley was the 080 Arrival Lounge gate. I walked into the reception and asked them if they had a spot for me at about 10:30 PM in the night. It was empty, with three staff members just waiting for a customer. Of course, they came over to open the door to let me in.

I told them I would be around for a while, and they informed me that the visit was valid for only two hours or so. So, I offered them a swipe each on my Priority Pass and HDFC Bank Diners Club Black card so that I could get 4-5 hours at a stretch. You can also buy access to this lounge for cash or use your Visa or MasterCard Credit/Debit Cards.

The lounge is divided into two parts, the bigger one having about fifty seats for public consumption. There are some seats with restaurant-style seating and mostly couches.

As you go left from the reception, there is also a separate section, a 20-seater section that is more exclusive and more expensive when access is bought in cash. The Lounge also allows you to pay half the charges in cash, with the rest adjusted against your card-based lounge access.

I parked myself on a couch in the bigger section of the lounge. At the hour I arrived, there was only one passenger in the lounge besides me.

The seats were all equipped with power charging, and USB-A and USB-C chargers were provided on all seats and wall outlets.

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Lounge Food & Beverages

The lounge displayed a tea/coffee machine and a beverage fridge. You could get a beverage or ask the crew to make you one.

There was also a bar, which was paid for separately (not included in the access to the lounge) and was operational only till midnight. I was asked if I wanted a beverage from there, and I declined.

There is an a-la-carte approach to meals, at least in the evenings and through the night. I was presented with a menu and asked if I was interested in partaking in something from it. It is not a lavish menu, but it is not bad either. Note the segregation of the various options as per the stages of flight.

There was also a breakfast menu, which was served from 4:30 am onwards through 11 am.

I requested some fries and a salad. I was informed that the fries were not available, so I went with something else. Here is what I ordered.

I was working through most of the night, and the foot traffic only increased from the time I walked in. A famous Indian TV Chef hung around the lounge at a point in time, chatting up with the chef and his team, and at other times there were 5-7 people. The little time I had to catch a nap, someone very loud got on a video call trying to impress someone in another part of the world at three am with no headphones.

I was feeling peckish at this time, so I ordered a bit more grub to break the monotony of the hour than because I was hungry at about 3 AM.

The food was largely good, except for the cheesecake, which I took one bite of, and I knew it was not for me. I was under the assumption that it would be a cheesecake with Mysore Pak flavours. However, it was a meh cheesecake with a piece of Mysore Pak on top. Oops!

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Lounge Other Amenities

The lounge had separate lavatories for both sexes and a shower area. I did not specifically enquire about the shower, but I think it is a paid service that is not included in the basic package.

Besides, there were also many reading materials on a stand by the reception.

Eventually, since I could not catch a nap and got a few hours of work done, I decided to exit the lounge to get some fresh air after a few hours. After getting a filter coffee outside, I returned to the departure gates to get on my next flight.

Bottomline

The 080 Arrival Lounge at Bengaluru Terminal 2 is a perfect pit stop if you have a few hours between your flights passing through Bengaluru Terminal 2. You have to ensure you don’t exit the gates because then you can’t get back in. The food is largely good, and the lounge never gets full (even at the 3 AM hour when many international flights land), and overall works well.

Have you visited the 080 Lounge in the Arrivals Section of Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2?

---

Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.

(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)

We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.

Pros

+ Located in the Terminal with International Arrivals
+ Good F&B Offering
+ Showers
+ Accessible with Priority Pass and many Card networks

Cons

None really!

Rating