Worst lounge experience - Got denied at Mumbai T2 despite valid card

by ishita.sen · 8 Nov 2025, 01:06 pm · 562 views · 20 replies

8 Nov 2025, 01:06 pm

I'm writing this while sitting at a Starbucks in Mumbai airport, absolutely frustrated after being denied entry to the lounge despite having a valid Priority Pass card.

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What Happened

Date: 29th January 2026
Airport: Mumbai T2 (International Terminal)
Lounge: GVK Lounge (Domestic side, near Gate 45)
Time: 2:15 PM
Card: HDFC Diners Black (has Priority Pass)

I reached the lounge after security, showed my physical Priority Pass card + boarding pass. The staff scanned the card and said:

"Sorry sir, lounge is at capacity. We cannot let you in."

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The Argument

Me: "But I have a valid card. There's no capacity limit mentioned in the terms."

Staff: "Sir, we have only 120 seats and all are occupied. Fire safety rules don't allow us to exceed capacity."

Me: "Can I wait? My flight is in 3 hours."

Staff: "No sir, we don't have a waiting list. You can try again in 30 minutes."

I asked to speak to the manager. Manager came, repeated the same thing - "capacity full, fire safety rules, sorry sir."

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Why I'm Frustrated

No transparency - When I looked inside (door was open), I could see PLENTY of empty seats. At least 15-20 seats were empty. The "at capacity" claim was BS.

Selective enforcement - While I was arguing, a family of 4 walked in with some premium card and got instant entry. How is lounge "full" for me but not for them?

Priority Pass failure - I pay ₹10,000 annual fee for Diners Black partly for the Priority Pass benefit. What's the point if I can't use it when I need it?

No alternative offered - They didn't offer voucher, didn't suggest another lounge, nothing. Just "sorry, try later."

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What I Did

Waited 30 mins, went back - same response
Tried the other GVK lounge on international side - same story
Called HDFC customer care - they said "lounge capacity is at lounge's discretion, we can't force them"
Tweeted at GVK Lounges - no response (yet)

Eventually gave up and went to Starbucks. Spending my own money on coffee while having a "free" lounge card. Ironic.

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Was I Actually Denied or Was Lounge Full?

Honestly, I think they were selectively denying Priority Pass users to prioritize paid customers or premium card holders.

I could see empty seats inside
That family got instant entry (probably had Amex or Infinia)
This is peak season (Jan-Feb) but 2 PM is not peak hour

I've used this exact lounge 5 times before with the same card - never had this issue.

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Similar Experiences?

Has anyone else faced this? Especially at Mumbai T2?

I'm seeing a pattern where DreamFolks/Priority Pass users are being deprioritized vs. direct bank card users (Infinia, Magnus, Amex). Is this the new norm?

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What Should I Do Now?

Escalate to HDFC? - Will they even care?
File complaint with Priority Pass? - Does that work?
Avoid GVK lounges? - Which other lounges are better at BOM?
Switch to Amex? - I've heard Amex lounge access is more reliable

I'm genuinely considering downgrading my Diners Black because if I can't use the lounge benefit, what's the point of paying ₹10k/year?

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The Bigger Issue

This highlights a problem with credit card lounge access in India:

No guaranteed entry - Cards promise lounge access but lounges can deny you
Capacity games - Lounges play favorites between card networks
Zero accountability - Banks say "talk to lounge", lounges say "talk to bank"
Overcrowding - Too many cards offer lounge access now, infrastructure hasn't scaled

Premium cards are becoming less "premium" every month.

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Has this happened to you? How did you handle it?

Feeling cheated and angry right now. This ruins the whole "premium card" experience.

19 Comments

tanmay.deshpande · 11 Nov 2025, 08:29 am

This happens A LOT with DreamFolks access. Lounges hate DreamFolks because the reimbursement rate is lower. They prioritize direct bank cards (Infinia, Amex, Magnus) over DreamFolks/Priority Pass users. It's an open secret.

arjun.mehta · 27 Nov 2025, 06:49 am

The DreamFolks vs direct access discrimination is REAL. I have both Axis Magnus (direct access) and an old card with DreamFolks. Same lounge, same time - Magnus gets me in instantly, DreamFolks gets me "sorry, full" response.

priya.sharma · 14 Nov 2025, 12:37 am

I've been denied at Chennai airport lounge twice with the exact same excuse - "at capacity". Both times I could see empty seats. It's selective denial. They want you to go away.

aditya.singh · 3 Dec 2025, 05:33 pm

This is exactly why I moved to Amex Platinum Travel. Amex has contract terms with lounges that GUARANTEE entry (up to certain visit limits). I've never been denied with Amex access. Worth considering.

aditya.singh · 16 Nov 2025, 01:50 pm

Pro tip that worked for me: Always carry your PHYSICAL credit card, not just Priority Pass card. When they deny you, show the actual credit card (Diners Black in your case) and say "this is a premium card, I need to speak to your supervisor". The premium card itself sometimes gets more respect than Priority Pass.

rahul.joshi · 15 Dec 2025, 08:29 pm

At least you got a polite "sorry". I was denied at Kolkata lounge and the staff was RUDE. Literally said "too many people with cards, lounge not for everyone". I was shocked.

riya.choudhury · 20 Nov 2025, 07:00 am

GVK lounges at Mumbai are the worst for this. I've had better luck with Adani lounges at T2. Try those next time - they're usually less crowded and more professional.

kavya.krishnan · 23 Nov 2025, 04:46 am

File a complaint with Priority Pass through their website. I did this when I was denied in Bangalore, Priority Pass followed up with the lounge, and I got a ₹500 voucher as apology. Not much but better than nothing.

nikhil.rao · 30 Nov 2025, 06:49 am

What you experienced is called "capacity management" which is code for "we don't like your card network". Lounges make more money from direct bank partnerships than from DreamFolks/Priority Pass, so they deny the latter when they can get away with it.

amit.verma · 24 Dec 2025, 01:04 am

This is why I downgraded from Diners Black to Regalia. If I'm going to get denied at lounges anyway, why pay ₹10k annual fee? Regalia has lower fee and same (unreliable) lounge access.

rahul.joshi · 2 Dec 2025, 05:09 pm

HDFC won't help. I escalated a similar issue to HDFC Diners customer care, they gave me a generic response about "lounge terms and conditions". Banks don't care because they've already collected your annual fee.

tanmay.deshpande · 4 Dec 2025, 03:44 am

Happened to me at Delhi T3. "At capacity" denial with empty seats visible. I insisted on speaking to manager, showed him the empty seats, he got embarrassed and let me in. Sometimes you have to be firm and not back down.

priya.sharma · 4 Dec 2025, 05:33 am

The family that got in probably had Infinia or Magnus. Those cards have premium partnerships where lounges HAVE to let them in. Priority Pass is treated as second-class.

rajesh.nambiar · 5 Dec 2025, 10:26 pm

I tweeted at the lounge tagging HDFC and Priority Pass. Got a call within 2 hours, they apologized and gave me 2 complimentary lounge vouchers. Social media shaming works.

neha.gupta · 9 Dec 2025, 04:35 am

Alternative suggestion: Download the Dreamfolks app and check lounge occupancy in real-time before going. Sometimes it shows how crowded a lounge is. Not 100% accurate but gives you an idea.

siddharth.patel · 11 Dec 2025, 04:29 pm

Mumbai T2 specifically has this issue because there are too many lounges and they compete for paid customers. Your Priority Pass reimbursement is like ₹400 per visit, but a walk-in customer pays ₹1500-2000. They'll prioritize the ₹1500 customer.

rohan.kapoor · 19 Dec 2025, 06:36 am

The 4-person family that got in - did they flash Amex Platinum? That card has some kind of VIP access that overrides capacity limits. I've seen this happen multiple times.

amit.verma · 23 Dec 2025, 05:31 am

File complaint on Twitter tagging @DreamFolks_IN, @HDFCBank, and the lounge. Public complaints get faster responses than customer care calls.

arjun.mehta · 24 Dec 2025, 06:13 am

The "fire safety capacity" excuse is legal cover. Lounges use it to avoid discrimination accusations. Reality is they're making a business decision to prioritize profitable customers (direct bank cards) over low-margin ones (DreamFolks).

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