The Chennai Airport domestic departures has 2 lounges, one being the TFS lounge which everyone might be aware of. Other one is the new lounge, which is less known to many and so less crowded comparatively. This review is about the new TFS lounge (Near Gate 1) which also accepts all cards, just like the other.
Overview
Type | Premium Airport Lounge |
Card accepted | Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club & many more |
Location | Take right after security (Near Gate 1, 3rd floor) |
Plug points | Yes, in plenty |
Ambiance | Amazing interiors & spacious |
Food options | Good, usually South Indian |
This is the best airport lounge at Chennai Airport domestic terminal. If you find this lounge crowded, you may also explore the other TFS lounge (Near Gate 5, 3rd floor) which also has same food menu but relatively average interiors.
Check-in
I’ve been to this lounge multiple times, got access once using the Business class ticket issued by Vistara and other time using an American Express Credit Card. Checkin was smooth and fast. I also saw an old lady get-in using Digital Priority Pass on her iPhone, which was validated in a blink of an eye.
Seating & interiors
The lounge has one of the best modern interiors with variety of seating options spread across the lounge. Its typically divided into 3 sections,
- As you enter, you see a straight comfy lounging area to sit and relax, with some drink by side.
- The middle area is primarily for dining and has dining tables and chairs spread across.
- The last area contains high stools which can also be used for dining and it overlooks the departure gates.
You would be lucky if your gate is nearby. So you can see when they start boarding and leave the lounge accordingly. The lounge anyways has the display if you want to know the flight status. It also has a silent TV with News being played on it. Have a look at the wonderful interiors:
Food & Service
I had been to this lounge both during breakfast and lunch hours. Breakfast options are decent, can have more options though and for lunch I was impressed to see soft chapattis and tasty curry.
The service is also good whenever you want it. That being said, expect some lounge guys to approach you for an Amex airport offer. They also have a bar area and you’ve an option to avail the alcoholic drinks on paid basis.
Filter Coffee
If you’re visiting the lounge, you shouldn’t miss the filter coffee served here. As Chennai and the nearby Kumbakonam is famous for the filter coffee, its good to see it in the lounge – an idea that needs great appreciation.
The taste is 10X better than the one we get from coffee machine, even the Starbucks coffee stands nowhere to this taste. I wish there is filter coffee in every lounge around the world. It just needs some marketing 🙂
Facilities
- Wifi: Yes
- Food: Yes, decent spread
- Recharge Station: Yes
- Dining: Separate dining area available
Bottomline
- Cardexpert Rating: 4.7/5
Overall, its a very nice lounge to spend your free time at Chennai airport to have a tasty filter coffee apart from decent food spread. I would rate it as one of the best airport lounge in the country, next to 080 lounge at Bangalore.
I fly in and out of Chennai quite often and this lounge helps me very much during my transit.
Have you been to this TFS Travel Club lounge and tried the Filter Coffee? Feel free to share your experiences in comments below.
Hi Siddharth,
I used to take my flights from Chennai Every Month, but I did not know about this lounge till now. Once a lounge executive told me abou a separate lounge for mastercard holders on the right side of the airport. But i did not want to go there since i thought it wouldn’t be a great lounge since he told it was specifically for all mastercard holders. Now i will try this out on my next visit to the airport.
Yes, they initially used to accept only Mastercard but now they accept all.
Hi Siddharth,
Do they charge for kids and children
Lounge food. Is it chargeable
Gorgeous lounge .
1. Is it bigger than Bangalore’s Above Ground Level lounge ?
2. You said ” expect some lounge guys to approach you for an Amex airport offer . ” So amex is also selling cards in lounges ?
1. No
2. Yes, Amex Airport offer is there for past many years. Usually they’ve a stall, though this is the first time i saw lounge staff sell the cards.
thats good. i have my travel plan this month. let me try this lounge.
Cool!
Hi Siddharth, is Mastercard cutting down on their lounge access programme in terms of number of lounges you can access. The new T&C in HDFC Regalia, effective April 2018 seems to suggest so. Will this affect other bank partnerships as well?
The said changes doesn’t seem to be live yet. Let me explore it this week and update if i notice any changes.
It is indeed true. ABL denied entry to Regalia on 31st March stating, from that day its effective.
The HDFC terms and conditions say specific to Regalia. Dont know if it is common for all mastercard variants.
The new list of mastercard lounges for Regalia includes only Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkatta, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Only Plaza premium lounge, just lie Visa
Ok, will make a point to visit this lounge – if nothing else, just for the filter coffee.
Nice review, and great snaps.
Thanks! Happy lounging with filter coffee. 🙂
I will visit this week and share my experience about Coffee.
Ah cool!
Hi , I’m traveling to Chennai tomorrow. Could you tell me whether the lounge accepts debit cards as well or only credit cards?
Do they accept Rupay platinum still as the offer seems to have ended on 31st march and via helpline it is still not clear if they are renewing it, can you please confirm the same
Will be travelling this week. Will keep you posted, meanwhile, you may call to lounge directly for current scenario.
Hello.. I am going to travel from chennai airport. I just have my debit card. Is that okay? Is that accepted now?
I visited this lounge last Friday and they compared my name in Credit Card and Boarding pass, First time I am seeing this comparison in Domestic Lounge.
Menu is same in both the lounges near Gate 3 and this one
Nice! You finally made it to this lounge.
Yes,Courtesy Sid
Cool. My pleasure.
Siddharth,
In the Gate 3 TFS Lounge also they market Amex cards. One lounge staff approached me by asking which Airline am i taking and he proceeded by informing me about Jet Platinum and Platinum Travel Card.
Yes, they do in intl terminal too.
Siddharth,
I travelled to Chennai extensively for past 7 months (every week in and out of Chennai) and I was one of the few customers who visited this Lounge from its opening.
However, my experience regarding this Lounge is far from pleasant as described by you, mostly related to food and service. The food was pathetic and the spread was minimal at the most.
Hence I used to always go to the TFS Lounge on the left as it had delicious food (although they don’t change the menu for 15 days!).
Last month I visited this lounge (TFS Right) and was pleasantly surprised to see the same quality of food being served has matched its sister concern.
The TFS Left has become so congested, it was a breath of fresh air when the TFS Right has matched it in terms of space and food quality
Thanks for sharing your experience with this lounge. Yes, the food spread is the only thing they need to focus on, to get 5/5 rating 🙂
And this is the only less crowded lounge i’ve seen in recent times.
I have visited on last week, It was less crowded (visited @ 6AM) when compare with plaza premium lounge t3 delhi (visited last Sunday @5PM).
Both tfs and plaza premium lounge are just OK in terms of food option and taste. I had pan to go AMEX lounge in t3 delhi but no time.
Yes, plaza premium lounge t3 is more crowded/noisy than airport area itself. Bad for lounging. Just good if you wanna have some snacks, then leave.
Important Update:
Now they started comparing the name in the credit card and boarding pass in domestic lounge also , only if it matches they are allowing inside the lounge for free access
When I visited the new TFS lounge last time (April 6th) they did this check for the first time in Domestic lounge
Yesterday my friend visited the lounge in Chennai and they did the check and denied access to his wife and he finally paid to his wife
This check is implemented recently (within a month) so now domestic lounge is like a international lounge and henceforth you cant use Friends , Family members card for lounge access.
Plz update regarding other domestic lounge regarding the same
Will they accept Amex Travel Platinum Card?
HDFC Regalia First and Regalia card Master card variants can now access only lounges in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad only. This is updated in the List of lounges in HDFC website, respective card details
Hi guys
Does anyone know the Timings of this lounge.
Have a flight out at 7am coming up. Will reach airport around 5am.. Was hoping to get some rest and food…
Visited this lounge in the morning couple of days ago and it was a pleasant experience. Breakfast was nice with plenty of options, and yes, the filter coffee was amazing. Thanks Siddharth for writing the review.
A good post as always. I recently had a chance to fly out of Chennai and used this lounge. I think the elevator to this lounge is closer to gate 3 than it is to gate 1. But that been said, this is definitely better than the old lounge opposite gate 5.The lounge functions 24 hours a day. It costs around 1000 rupees if you don’t have access through your cards. They check for the name in the card . You cannot use one of your cards to give access to other guests. The food was decent but the filter coffee that I badly wanted to taste wasn’t available. Maybe I went in the wrong time. Overall, it was a great experience.Also, if you get in using your card, you are allowed to use the lounge for a maximum of 2 hours instead of 3.
Hi Siddharth, Milind here from Pune
We had RBL signature world mastercard card…how this card is operated in Chennai airport lounge….is it really complementary ? Is snacks free at lounge and how many of us can enter on single card please be kind to reply…is it really Free of cost?
hi,
I dont have any credit cards with me , but I want to access this lounge, to try it and see….May i know what will be the price to be paid per person for entry..??
Can somebody let me know about the price info..!!
THanks
I am now writing this message sitting at this lounge. Really enjoying the food here. All thanks to Siddharth for the info 🙂
Cool. Visited this lounge again a week back. Its still good with less crowd!
Yeah. Less crowd even in peak time and I was also approached by 3 amex guys!
Missed the filter coffee though 🙁 it wasn’t available during my visit.
What kind of offers do the amex guys provide in airport? is it LTF cards?
Offer varies from time to time. FYF for those who’re new to Amex. LTF (sometimes) for 12L+ income criteria.
Yes. I have been to this lounge last month and i have been approached by an AMEX guy for CC.
He has mentioned the Amex Rewards Card is LTF i believe and its an exclusive offer, If we sign at the Airport Lounge.
For Amex Plat Travel Card , he mentioned Flight Vouchers can be redeemed for any Flight not Just Indigo.
Hi,
Just wanted to Know that for icici and hdfc credit/debit card access is free ?
and the food inside is chargeable or not? since I have 14hrs of layover in chennai for my upcoming journey.
Thanks
What Variant of ICICI/HDFC card you have?
Food is free if your card is giving you complimentary lounge access
Did you say 14 hrs? Lounges I think allow a stay of 4hrs.
14 hrs in the lounge may be possible if you have multiple cards and swipe it after every 4 hours
With one card,you wont be allowed to stay in the lounge for 14 hours
Hi it’s nice lounge, i have been 3 times.
I would like to know which all card is accepted here.
Regards,
Dhivansh
Dear Friends,
Can we use our multiple credit cards to give access to our friends?
I am flying tomorrow 9th nov with 2 Friends from chennai to bangaluru. I have regalia visa sig, indusind legend visa sig and flipkart axis mastercard cc.
As my friends doesnt have any credit cards Can i use those cards to give them access.
Frequent users pls reply.
Thanks,
Bala
What is the cover charge at Chennai domestic airport TFS lounge for people who do not have a valid card ?
Hi
Is it possible to access this lounge with HDFC Bank Millennia Debit Card?? My card has 4 lounge access every year….
Hdfc Dinner club privilege credit card accepted lounge service on travel club lounge
I have to travel to Chennai every month back and forth, is there a way I can get access to Lounge access for free? I am ready to have new credit card if required?
or any other ways to get it for the least possible price?
Thanks for the thorough review.
Hi good morning,
My name is ARUNKESAVAKUMAR.what type debit card i have to use this lounge.
I have sbi and union Bank depit cards.it is possible to use that cards.
Thankyou
SBI Platinum Debit Card and Above Variant Accepted
Hi , I have my domestic arrival at MAA at 10pm . Can I use the Lounge for Retiring purpose only for 4-5hrs to catch up with my other frnds in morning. I do have debit as well credit cards but don’t have connecting flight. Please tell if it’s free or if not then the charges for the same.
Accessible only for departures.
Hi, is it for 24/7… ?? I early morning flight actually..
The temporary Travel Club Lounge at T2 Terminal of Chennai Intl Airport is a relief to passengers who await the finished and final product.
However, the Lounge is lit up by staff like Ms Sanjana Kumari who give an exceptionally hospitable and warm service to all passengers, with a smile always. Kudos to the spirit of such staff members
Lounge experience for me has been very bad chennai domestic airport rs 2006 even after paying there was nothing except idli and sambhar I felt like I feeling better eating steet food better then chennai domestic airport launge 09 sep early morning 2:00