uastarflyer

I last went through in 2017 and it was yes really nice! Even included a free 15min massage.

I hope it has maintained its high quality. The food offerings easily exceeded what I get at SFO Polaris lounge. Hope that is still the case! And that Polaris lounge ups its game...

findark

It depends on the lounge. Some are under contract to *A, others to individual carriers to just serve as Business lounges.

azfanboy

I was at this lounge 3 weeks ago and have to say the food and alcohol offerings exceeded those of the EWR Polaris lounge IMO. It is a really nice lounge but I think the UA49 flight timings coincide with a lot of domestic flights resulting in a very crowded lounge, as I believe the lounge is also open to domestic business class passengers.

emcampbe

GVK lounge is basically the only one there - GVK is the company that runs the airport. When they opened the new terminal (IIRC), that was 2013 or 2014, they didn’t allow individual airline lounges, and basically the GVK lounge is on contract for everyone. I think there is a different Mastercard Lounge that is small, forget who runs that. But all the airlines who had lounges in the old terminal (LH, EK, AI, etc.) all couldn’t rebuild and just use GVK.

in my experience, *G will get an invite at check in - I used to get one without asking, and flying multiple different carriers (UA, LX, TG, SQ, TK are my experience) - I don’t think I’ve ever had to ask. Unless UA has moved gates, it’s also quite close to the gate UA uses for the EWR flight. There’s a buffet with both Indian and western food options (western options are blah), deserts, bar, etc. it can be busy at the time before the UA flight, as many (non-AI, especially) mid-long hails leave between, say, 11pm - 3am. But never super-crowded, IME.

PVDtoDEL

BOM has phenomenal lounges - the GVK lounge in the domestic concourse is my favorite domestic lounge in the world (accessible with a $50 AI ticket ) and the international concourse lounge is also fantastic. *A carriers usually provide invites at checkin, and I usually try to check in on the early side (3-4 hours prior to departure) to get a little extra lounge time.

fotographer

The contract lounges are in my opinion on par with most if not all the lounges around the world (except Cathy F in Hong kong)
They basically have 3 levels.. Business/First and First dinning.
Depending on Status.. you will at least get in to the Business lounge.. (which looks about the same as the First, except you will take a life to the lower level()

The lounge can get busy.. but have never had a problem getting a seat, and most times.
drink service can be done by the staff walking around. there is at least 2 bars there, that have their fair share of decent stuff.

I, usually have the Chocolate Mocha... its some of the best I have ever had.

Enjoy yourself.. oh yeah.. food choices are great too (but I tend not to eat at 12 midnight)

Ps. was there 3 days ago.

LordHamster

If traveling in United Polaris, even as a Global Services I only ever get access to the "Business" Lounge. I've been in the first lounge as well, and other than how busy it is, the two floors of the lounge are identical. The buffet offering is pretty decent and the bar isn't half bad. I prefer the US based Polaris lounges however.

One perk of the GVK lounge is the "free" 15 min massage. Go there to sign up the second you get to the lounge as there is often a long wait. Pro-tip. Buy one of their 45 min massage packages to tack onto the 15 free minutes. This will also bump you up in the queue. Have the bartender send your drinks to the spa. Nothing beats sipping a martini during a 1 hour pre-flight foot massage.

skidooman

The domestic passengers cannot get to it AFAIK. But it is the lounge for all airlines, so yes it tends to be crowded, especially at times when most of the international flights to Europe, NA and East Asia take off (which means, in Mumbai, after 10PM or so).

fotographer

One of the reasons why you can only access the Business lounge is that United may not want to pay up for the First lounge.
When I fly out of BOM with BA, I get First Dinning... when I fly with Malaysia , they will only pay for the Business lounge.

acader

I am reaching BOM at about 7:00 pm and my next flight is UK the next morning at 5:00 AM. Is there a lounge and does anybody know if it is open? Thank you.

oliver2002

You have book a room in the Niranta or find a place in one of the airport hotels. Security won't let you enter the domestic departure concourse before 1am. That area has two contract lounges you can use.

ahchiu

Will be having a short layover in India, going from AUH to SIN. I have a choice of BLR or HYD or BOM. If layover is 4 hours, which would be the best choice?

frmnj

Assuming you are flying on a single ticket, it really doesn’t matter, I would choose based on cost and schedule. All three have similar lounges with similar food and drink choices, and the lounges are generally busy if you enter during the overnight / early morning international flight banks. BOM has more shops, eateries and pretty elaborate and beautiful wall murals and artwork that will keep you occupied if you don’t have lounge access.

marks88

+1 for BOM, there are more options (both for food/lounge and for flights, in case of cancellation). There are also some fun restaurants in BKC ~15 min from BOM, in case you have a longer layover.