Bengaluru launched Terminal 2 operations on the Domestic side in January 2023. However, the sole lounge at the airport was still under construction. The lounge situation was a work in progress through most of 2023 and early 2024. Very recently, though, as of June 2024, the fully finished up 080 Lounge, Bengaluru Domestic at Terminal 2, was opened and made available to customers eligible for the lounge. Since then, I’ve been over to the lounge a few times, and this would be a review basis of those trips. Eligible Air India customers have access to the Air India Lounge at Bengaluru Terminal 2, while Vistara customers and those who access lounges via credit cards go to the main 080 Lounge.

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 080 Lounge Domestic Departures

The Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 080 Lounge is in Terminal 2 Departures, a little beyond the security inspection area. It is on your left side after you pass a few shops, such as Boss and Tim Hortons. On the ground floor, you have a bunch of elevators that take you to the mezzanine floor, where the lounge is. For those who would use a Credit Card/Debit Card to access this lounge, on the ground floor, there are many machines installed by Dreamfolks, the lounge access management company, to validate your access. If you want to meet a human and validate with them, you head to the mezzanine floor, where someone will swipe you in at the reception. 

It is important to note that 080 Lounge became one of the first lounges in India to match your name against the boarding pass and the credit/debit card, so, from here on, it is not about getting in friends and family who do not have a credit card in their name. You can use the Axis Bank Atlas Credit Card, though, which allows you to use up to 18 domestic lounge access per membership year, which can be used for your own access or guest access on this lounge.

The lounge has many sections, all of which are intended to display a bit of Bengaluru to those passing through. As you enter, on your left, you will witness the section that you’ve seen open since day 1: a small lounge area where you can either eat, work, or wait with your co-travellers. I am told that in the future, one could pre-reserve a spot here using the BLRPulse App, which is the Bengaluru Airport’s official App.

A self-service machine is installed as you enter this lounge in this area if you need a chit with a Wi-Fi connection code. You need to do some authentication before you get the code. For most Indian users, though, you should be able to use your cellular phone to authenticate your connection to the airport Wi-Fi.

Right behind this part of the lounge is the Kodagu Cafe, which is intended to be a rotating display of Bengaluru’s cafe culture. This setup is intended for in-transit lounge passengers to experience some of the coffee that is unique to Bengaluru. For now, Hatti Kappi is being hosted here, but in the future, it could be hosted by another coffee establishment as well. This part of the lounge is not free; you must pay for your coffee. It’s also a great place to take away some tidbits while departing from Bengaluru.

Adjacent to the cafe and the lounge area is the Music Tree, intricately crafted from Lantana wood by tribal artisans from the Nilgiris. It symbolises the region’s artistic talent. Over the weekends, the airport intends to organise local bands’ performances here, something I’m yet to witness personally, though.

Heading along the cafe, as you enter the right side of the lounge, you will see the “Courtyard Club” section. This is a magnificent, quiet area of the lounge, which is not accessible to everyone. Per some reports from readers, I gather that HDFC Bank Credit Card members and ICICI Bank Emeralde customers are currently allowed here.

The Club is the most exclusive part of the lounge and also good for avgeeks who can look at the runway operations from here. Too bad I don’t have a picture.

The Club has its own bar with an excellent wine and spirits collection, although all of the alcobevs are to be paid for separately and are not included in the primary lounge access.

Seating for the “Club” area also spreads outside, and a tribute is made to The Bangalore Club, the oldest club in Bengaluru, and is the inspiration behind this section.

As we go further, the entrepreneurial culture and the hustle of Bengaluru are commended, in an area right in the corner, tucked behind the Club section. It is a sort of coworking space, with electrical plug points and a vast labyrinth of hot desks to open your laptop and work for a bit, complete those emails or those phone calls before you head on the plane.

On the edges of the “Business Connect” area are some pods, which you can score to work out of in complete privacy. These are usually in hot demand, and you will find a bag or a handkerchief or something for people who have reserved them and then gone for a bite in another part of the lounge.

Next to the Business Connect area is the Reading Nook called Snug, which you might have already seen in the Terminal 1 080 Lounge. If you read books a lot or like to spend your time around them, this is the part of the lounge you go to.

You can swap a book around here or donate one under the lounge’s exchange programme. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have more details than I remember, but there are placards around this library, so if you have any details, do fill them up in the comments section.

There is also a “Sanctuary Trail,” a designated quiet area at the back of the lounge, which hosts the “Oasis Lounge.” The Oasis Lounge instantly reminds me of the pods created at Mumbai Terminal 2 to process premium cabin check-ins at both ends of the Terminal.

Here are the protocols you are expected to follow when you arrive in the Oasis Lounge section, basically telling you to be gentlemanly and not talk loudly.

Small chairs and tables are also dotted right outside the Oasis if you want to dine here.

Heading on, you enter the pub area, a tribute to Bengaluru’s pub culture. They call it the Radio House retro bar, and inside, good music piping through while you grab a drink.

Finally, you come to the part of the lounge where all the food is. They call it Garden Dining, which is a tribute to the gardens of Bengaluru.

You don’t have to go through the Oasis Lounge, the Business Connect or the Club to get here. There is a small sort of overbridge right as you enter the lounge, and you can cross over to the food immediately.

And right at the other end of the lounge, beyond the garden dining area, is another bunch of high chairs for you to work and grab a plate of food together.

The lounge is made for hundreds of people, so there should be a spot to find somewhere around this lounge at all parts of the day, even at peak hours. I’ve never had a problem finding a spot here in the year or so I’ve been coming here.

Right at the end is “The Flight,” an artwork commissioned specially for this lounge by the Bengaluru International Airport.

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 080 Lounge Domestic Departures Food & Beverages

There are four meal changes around here: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and then a midnight spread open until around four a.m. when breakfast is back. I’ve been around 3-4 pm here most of the time on a flight out of Bengaluru Terminal 2, and here are some of the things you have on offer to eat and drink around that hour.

At one end of the lounge, a bunch of live stations are always on, offering different things at different times of the day. I’ve seen Pasta, Dosas, Eggs and similar stuff being dished out from here to varying parts of the day.

The lounge has a variety of offerings at all times. Here is the fruit and salad bar.

And here are the breads on offer.

The sweets—well, this lounge offers many desserts, including local delicacies such as Mysore Pak.

Juices and buttermilk are on offer at all times of the day as well.

The lounge has several hot casseroles available at all times, including Biryanis, Pasta, Onion Bhajis, Sandwiches, and so on. It’s usually all very delicious.

Tea, coffee, and canned beverages are available as a part of your inclusion for lounge access. The lounge usually hands out uncorked cans so that you can consume them at the lounge rather than take them along to your plane or even further.

Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Lounge Other Amenities

The lounge also has a salon and spa, managed by Tattva Spa for the airport lounge. Services here are not free, but you can get a haircut, a blowdry, a beard trim or a massage before you take off.

Overall, there isn’t a better domestic lounge available across India at the moment, or for that matter, globally. In 2024, the lounge won the FAB Airport Lounge of the Year award for Domestic Lounges. Also, with the airport being so far from the city centre, people departing from Bengaluru usually have to plan their trip and arrive a bit early, so this is a great way to spend time and wait before you join the boarding queue for your flight.

Bottomline

The 080 Departure Lounge at Bengaluru Terminal 2 is a perfect pit stop if you have a few hours between your flights passing through. There are seven zones, including a club, a workspace, a retro bar, a large dining area, a salon/spa and other amenities for you to partake in the lounge before your flight.

Have you visited the 080 Lounge in the Departures Section (Domestic) of Bengaluru Airport Terminal 2?

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Pros

+ Located in the Terminal
+ Good F&B Offering
+ Accessible with Priority Pass and many Card networks
+ Vast & Spacious

Cons

None really!

Rating