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 bought an early look inside forward of the official opening. Here is what vacationers can count on.
The place is Air India’s Maharaja Lounge at SFO?
The Maharaja Lounge is positioned 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 company towards the lounge; from there, a brief stroll with a few proper turns leads on to the doorway on the right-hand aspect.
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The lounge is predicted to function each day from roughly 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., although hours might differ based mostly 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 pink accent furnishings replicate Air India’s refreshed branding, whereas refined 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 elements 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 have been sourced from India, together with one piece created with pigments derived from Indian spices and botanicals quite than conventional paint. In response to the airline, the paintings incorporates colours derived from elements akin 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 ample pure mild assist the lounge really feel open and stress-free, whereas comfy seating and plentiful energy retailers make it straightforward to settle in earlier than a long-haul flight. At occasions, it’s straightforward 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 house distinct from the principle eating and buffet space.
This separation helps create a extra intimate ambiance, giving the lounge a number of zones for eating, socializing and stress-free.
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The house was designed to replicate Air India’s historical past. The bar stools have been impressed by seating used on among the provider’s earliest plane courting again to the Nineteen Thirties, incorporating related stitching patterns, supplies and coloration palettes.
Even the ceiling set up carries an aviation reference: Lighting parts have been modeled after the propeller shafts of early planes, supposed to evoke the movement and power of flight earlier than the jet age.
The partitions of the bar additionally perform 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 incorporates a curated choice of wines and whiskies alongside signature cocktails, together with the Maharaja Manhattan — a twist on the traditional 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 Blended 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 traditional Moscow Mule that blends lime, muddled mint and ginger.
The beverage program feels rigorously thought-about, balancing traditional 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 lovers 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 usually 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 objects hovered round a mild-to-moderate warmth stage, although extra accompaniments have been obtainable for vacationers seeking to dial up the spice.
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A self-serve beverage station presents juices, tender drinks, espresso and tea, whereas the Aviator’s Bar handles cocktails, wine and spirits individually from the buffet space.
Personal first-class space
Tucked right into a quieter nook of the lounge is a devoted Personal Zone reserved completely for Air India first-class passengers.
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This house accommodates simply eight company at a time and presents 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 amenities all through.
AC retailers and USB-A and USB-C ports can be found throughout seating areas, and seating itself is each trendy and cozy, making it straightforward to work or calm down earlier than departure.
One notable omission, nonetheless, is showers — one thing many premium worldwide lounges usually supply for long-haul passengers.
Nonetheless, the lounge’s design, pure mild and considerate structure assist create a relaxed and polished preflight setting regardless of its comparatively compact footprint.
Who can entry Air India’s Maharaja Lounge at SFO?
Entry is obtainable to:
Air India First Class passengersAir India Enterprise Class passengersEligible Star Alliance premium passengersMaharaja Membership Gold and Platinum members touring on eligible flights
The Personal Zone is reserved completely for first-class passengers.
Backside line
Relatively 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 count on 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 Membership: earn and redeem factors, get elite standing and extra
