Airport lounge experience set for a change
NEW DELHI: Soon, you won't need to queue up to access an airport lounge. To boost lounge experience, several operators and credit card-issuing banks are planning direct business, removing aggregators on whose machine a flyer swipes their credit card to enter a lounge, reports Saurabh Sinha.
They plan to launch an app where lounge access can be booked in advance. Then the passenger just needs to swipe their card at the lounge gate and be seated in a particular area as per their credit card status. "A flyer can log in with an OTP and link all his/her credit cards. The app will check whether he/she has lounge access available and then allow them to book a lounge at the airport they are flying out of," said an official.
"For banks, lounge access is among key features of premium credit cards, but the experience at present is not good. So hard-selling premium cards using this as a USP becomes difficult. Full-service airlines are also upset that their premium passengers have to queue up in the same line with a credit card," said a source.
However, many flyers have credit cards therefore the lounge use is no longer limited to those flying full-service airlines. Operators are planning to have separate areas for premium card, business, first class flyers to offer better experience at big lounges. However, two leading lounge operators said, "Aggregators have warned us of stopping lounge entry if they are removed from the business. We are taking legal steps to prevent that.
"
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gold price prediction today: What's the gold rate outlook for June 20, 2025; why a 'sell on rise' strategy makes sense?
LKP Securities says traders should follow a Sell on Rise approach as long as prices remain below the ₹99,150–₹99,350 resistance zone. (AI image) Gold price prediction today: Gold prices have shown a weak trend in the past few days. Where are gold rates headed in the near-term and what should investors of gold do? Here's the analysis from Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst - Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities: Gold prices opened with a significant gap-down in the June 20 session, reflecting prevailing weakness in COMEX Gold, and continue to trade with a bearish tone in domestic markets. The MCX Gold August Futures contract (05AUG2025) is currently quoting near ₹98,722 after touching an intraday low of ₹98,705, indicating persistent selling pressure at higher levels. Gold Price Outlook From a technical standpoint, the current setup favors a "Sell on Rise" strategy around the ₹99,000–₹99,150 levels. Here's why: 1. EMA Resistance Levels: The 8-period EMA is currently placed at ₹99,150, and the 21-period EMA is at ₹99,350. Prices are trading well below both averages, signaling a clear short-term downtrend. Any intraday pullback toward these levels is likely to attract fresh selling. 2. Bollinger Bands: The price action is hugging the lower Bollinger Band, a typical sign of trend continuation in strong bearish momentum. There's no indication of mean reversion yet, which suggests that rallies may be limited and short-lived. 3. Pivot Points: The previous day's pivot level near ₹99,200–₹99,350 now acts as a key resistance zone. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 가장 편안한 농장 게임. 설치 필요 없음 Taonga 플레이하기 Undo Failure to reclaim this zone reinforces the bearish outlook. 4. RSI (14): The Relative Strength Index is hovering near 32.75, which is close to the oversold region but not yet showing signs of bullish divergence. This supports the argument for further weakness before any meaningful reversal. 5. MACD: The MACD indicator is strongly negative with the MACD line at -34.71 and the histogram indicating increasing bearish momentum. The signal line remains far below zero, indicating a continuation of the downward trend. 6. Price Action & Gap Analysis: Today's gap-down open confirms a breakdown from the range-bound structure observed between June 17–19. This price gap indicates strong selling interest, likely due to pressure in international gold prices and a firmer dollar index. Conclusion: Traders are advised to follow a Sell on Rise approach as long as prices remain below the ₹99,150–₹99,350 resistance zone. The immediate downside targets lie near ₹98,300 and further lower toward ₹98,000 if the bearish sentiment intensifies. A stop loss can be considered above ₹99,500 to protect against unexpected short-covering rallies. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
25 minutes ago
- Mint
Air India cancels multiple international, domestic flights days after AI-171 crash: Check full list here
Livemint Published 20 Jun 2025, 10:03 AM IST Mint Image Air India cancels multiple international, domestic flights days after AI-171 crash: Check full list here
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India cancels 8 flights citing enhanced maintenance. Full list
Air India continues to grapple with a wave of flight disruptions as the airline cancelled at least eight more domestic and international flights, citing "enhanced maintenance and operational reasons" on Friday. This comes in the wake of heightened regulatory scrutiny and ongoing safety checks following the fatal crash of a Dreamliner on June 12 that resulted in the deaths of 270. Among the international routes affected on Friday were AI906 (Dubai–Chennai), AI308 (Delhi–Melbourne), AI309 (Melbourne–Delhi), and AI2204 (Dubai–Hyderabad). AI906: Dubai to Chennai AI308: Delhi to Melbourne AI309: Melbourne to Delhi AI2204: Dubai to Hyderabad AI874: Pune to Delhi AI456: Ahmedabad to Delhi AI2872: Hyderabad to Mumbai The cancellations are part of a broader operational crisis for the airline, which is still recovering from the Ahmedabad–London Gatwick Dreamliner crash that claimed 271 lives, including at least 30 on the ground. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered comprehensive safety inspections across Air India's Boeing 787 fleet. According to DGCA data, since the crash, 66 Dreamliner flights have been cancelled. On June 12 alone, six of the 50 Dreamliner-operated flights were grounded. The regulatory body confirmed that as of June 18, 24 of Air India's 33 Dreamliners had undergone checks, with more aircraft scheduled for review in the coming days. Two jets are currently listed as AOG (Aircraft on Ground) in Delhi due to maintenance issues. Today's cancellations add to a growing list of grounded flights this week. On Tuesday, at least 13 Dreamliner flights, including the newly designated AI-159 (formerly AI-171) on the Ahmedabad–London route, were cancelled. That particular aircraft had been expected to resume operations after the crash but was grounded due to 'unavailability of the aircraft.'
