As an Air India business class passenger flying from Hyderabad to Delhi, I was given access to the Encalm Lounge at Hyderabad Airport, located on the domestic side of the terminal. The lounge is situated past security in the departures area, accessible via an escalator near the main food court. It is positioned on the mezzanine level, offering a partial view of the terminal below. Instead of simply scanning my boarding pass, I was handed a handwritten lounge invitation at check-in, which felt rather odd, as digital verification should have been sufficient.
This lounge was incredibly crowded right from the start. Fortunately, there was a separate queue for business class passengers, located on the far right-hand side, which helped streamline entry.
Check in was fairly swift and we were directed to walk all the way to the back of the lounge and turn left where there would be a special business class section. Just for reference: if you see seating near the bar, probably best to take it. This is the best looking part of the lounge and was the only place with seating throughout our stay (outside the business class section).
It’s a good thing they had this section because there wasn’t a seat in sight in the lounge otuside of the few at the bar. Even the cordoned off section wasn’t being manned so there were a lot of people walking in and grabbing a seat here.
There was also a reserved area inside the business class lounge area which I suppose is for VIPs (probably movie stars and politicians).
This area of the lounge doesn’t have much to offer so you have to head back into the main lounge for pretty much everything outside of coffee and water.
The main area of the lounge was extremely busy, making it quite challenging to take photos. A wide variety of food was available, including several live stations, such as a dosa and quesadilla station.
Perhaps on a less busy day, the lounge would maintain better sanitation. However, on this particular occasion, the plates were not clean, and many guests reused their buffet plates after eating. The food area was overwhelmingly crowded, making it difficult to even find room to breathe as people piled their plates. Line-cutting was the least of the concerns.
Bottom Line:
The Encalm Lounge at Hyderabad Airport’s domestic terminal is overcrowded, with long lines, questionable sanitation, and a chaotic dining area. While business class passengers have a separate entry line, the experience inside is far from premium. If the queue at the entrance is long, you’re likely better off heading to the main food hall, where you might find a more comfortable dining experience.
