Air India is bringing its premium overhaul to San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) with the opening of its first signature lounge exterior India.
Formally opening on Could 23, the brand new Maharaja Lounge marks one other main funding within the airline’s ongoing transformation, bringing its up to date premium expertise to one in all its key worldwide gateways.
Situated close to the A Gates in SFO’s Worldwide Terminal, the lounge spans roughly 3,300 sq. toes and blends modern luxurious with design parts impressed by Indian tradition and crafts.
TPG obtained an early look inside forward of the official opening. This is what vacationers can anticipate.
The place is Air India’s Maharaja Lounge at SFO?
The Maharaja Lounge is situated postsecurity close to the A gates in SFO’s Worldwide Terminal.
After clearing safety, vacationers ought to flip left and stroll previous the Air France lounge earlier than taking the escalators up one stage. On the high, signage directs friends towards the lounge; from there, a brief stroll with a few proper turns leads on to the doorway on the right-hand facet.
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The lounge is anticipated to function each day from roughly 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., although hours could range primarily based on flight schedules.
A lounge designed to really feel like a gateway to India
Designed by hospitality agency Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), the Maharaja Lounge displays the airline’s up to date design philosophy, with a recent look that additionally pays homage to its founding again in 1932.
Heat champagne tones, ivory-hued accents and deep purple accent furnishings replicate Air India’s refreshed branding, whereas delicate motifs alluding to the airline’s “Vista” brand seem all through the partitions and furnishings. Works by native artists and installations crafted from upcycled plane parts add texture and factors of visible curiosity all through the lounge.
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A number of artwork installations close to the eating space had been sourced from India, together with one piece created with pigments derived from Indian spices and botanicals slightly than conventional paint. In response to the airline, the paintings incorporates colours derived from elements similar to turmeric, roses and cinnamon — a becoming complement to the lounge’s culinary focus (extra on that under).
Even smaller particulars, together with branded glassware and tableware that includes Maharaja motifs, reinforce the airline’s effort to create what it describes as a extra immersive “gateway to India” expertise earlier than boarding.
Giant home windows and plentiful pure mild assist the lounge really feel open and enjoyable, whereas comfy seating and plentiful energy retailers make it simple to settle in earlier than a long-haul flight. At occasions, it’s simple to overlook you’re inside an airport lounge in any respect — till plane taxi previous the tarmac-facing home windows.
The Aviator’s Bar
One of many lounge’s focal factors is the Aviator’s Bar, a separate speakeasy-inspired cocktail area distinct from the principle eating and buffet space.
This separation helps create a extra intimate environment, giving the lounge a number of zones for eating, socializing and enjoyable.
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The area was designed to replicate Air India’s historical past. The bar stools had been impressed by seating used on a few of the service’s earliest plane courting again to the Thirties, incorporating comparable stitching patterns, supplies and shade palettes.
Even the ceiling set up carries an aviation reference: Lighting parts had been modeled after the propeller shafts of early planes, meant to evoke the movement and vitality of flight earlier than the jet age.
The partitions of the bar additionally operate as a historic canvas, that includes archival imagery, classic postcards, plane drawings and mannequin plane that hint Air India’s evolution over time.
The bar includes a curated choice of wines and whiskies alongside signature cocktails, together with the Maharaja Manhattan — a twist on the basic cocktail that includes black pepper — and the Limitless, a gin-based drink infused with rose, hibiscus and saffron.
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Throughout my go to, I sampled the Combined Feelings mocktail, a refreshing drink made with cranberry juice, ardour fruit, lime juice, easy syrup and soda water, then completed with recent mint. I additionally tried the Maharaja Mule, an Indian-inspired tackle the basic Moscow Mule that blends lime, muddled mint and ginger.
The beverage program feels rigorously thought-about, balancing basic cocktails with drinks impressed by Indian flavors and elements.
And with views from the bar overlooking the tarmac, it makes for an particularly interesting spot for aviation fanatics and vacationers hoping to unwind earlier than a long-haul flight.
Eating and meals choices
The Maharaja Lounge consists of each Indian and worldwide eating choices with a self-serve buffet.
Menus will rotate on a recurring cycle that varies by mealtime in an effort to maintain the expertise fascinating for passengers who often fly between San Francisco and India.
Throughout my go to, the buffet leaned closely into Indian delicacies, with dishes together with dal Bukhara, rooster tikka masala, vegetable biryani, paneer moringa and beet-and-fig sham savera kofta alongside grilled salmon and greens.
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A chilly unfold featured recent fruit, crackers, cheeses and home specialty dips, together with tikka achari and mango habanero.
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Smaller bites included fish croquettes, paneer tossed in Szechuan sauce and a modernized tackle gajar ka halwa — a conventional North Indian carrot dessert slow-cooked with butter, milk and nuts — served in a tart-like bite-sized presentation.
The meals felt flavorful and thoughtfully ready, with dishes that leaned into daring spices and comforting regional flavors. Most gadgets hovered round a mild-to-moderate warmth stage, although further accompaniments had been obtainable for vacationers seeking to dial up the spice.
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A self-serve beverage station provides juices, comfortable drinks, espresso and tea, whereas the Aviator’s Bar handles cocktails, wine and spirits individually from the buffet space.
Non-public first-class space
Tucked right into a quieter nook of the lounge is a devoted Non-public Zone reserved solely for Air India first-class passengers.
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This area accommodates simply eight friends at a time and provides a noticeably extra serene and elevated expertise in comparison with the principle lounge, which seats roughly 75 vacationers.
First-class passengers even have entry to an a la carte eating menu and a reserved choice of cognac and whiskey, offering a extra personalised expertise past the buffet.
Facilities and sensible touches
The lounge consists of quick and free Wi-Fi, ample charging factors and accessible services all through.
AC retailers and USB-A and USB-C ports can be found throughout seating areas, and seating itself is each fashionable and comfy, making it simple to work or calm down earlier than departure.
One notable omission, nevertheless, is showers — one thing many premium worldwide lounges sometimes supply for long-haul passengers.
Nonetheless, the lounge’s design, pure mild and considerate format assist create a relaxed and polished preflight surroundings regardless of its comparatively compact footprint.
Who can entry Air India’s Maharaja Lounge at SFO?
Entry is out there to:
- Air India First Class passengers
- Air India Enterprise Class passengers
- Eligible Star Alliance premium passengers
- Maharaja Membership Gold and Platinum members touring on eligible flights
The Non-public Zone is reserved solely for first-class passengers.
Backside line
Moderately than aiming for scale or flash, Air India has created an area that feels polished and intentional. The lounge leans into the airline’s Indian heritage by means of its design, meals and cocktail program, whereas nonetheless providing the consolation and performance vacationers anticipate earlier than a long-haul flight.
Between the spice-inspired paintings, aviation heritage particulars, tarmac-facing bar and Indian-focused eating program, the lounge feels cohesive and thoughtfully designed.
And for vacationers flying Air India’s long-haul routes to India, it is a noticeable improve to the airline’s preflight expertise in San Francisco.
Associated: Air India Maharaja Club: How to earn and redeem points, get elite status and more
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