VIP lounge and VIP terminal

A lounge and a VIP terminal: two different services

Both are often called "VIP", but the difference between them is large. A lounge is a room after security where you wait for boarding; queues, check-in and control all happen as normal beforehand.

A VIP terminal replaces all of that. You never enter the general hall: a separate entrance, formalities in a room and a separate route to the aircraft. It costs far more, and far fewer people need it.

Who a lounge is worth it for

A lounge pays off when the wait is long - more than an hour - or when you need to work, eat or rest before the flight. For a forty-minute wait it rarely makes sense: by the time you have settled in, boarding has started.

The people who choose a lounge most often are night-flight passengers, families and business travellers. All three have one thing in common: waiting at the gate is hardest for them.

What is actually in a lounge

Soft armchairs, a buffet, hot and cold drinks, usually alcohol as well, Wi-Fi and sockets. That is the standard, and it holds almost everywhere.

What is not everywhere: a shower, a sleeping pod, a separate children's corner, proper hot dishes from a menu. That depends on the lounge, and if any of it matters to you, we check in advance.

One thing to know: a lounge buffet is not a restaurant. It is good for a snack and a coffee, but if you are hoping for a good dinner, you are better off eating in town.

Watch out: boarding is often not announced

Many lounges are "quiet" - boarding is not called out loud. The flight shows on the screen, but you have to keep an eye on the time yourself. Every year someone stays in a lounge while their aircraft leaves.

So we send you a short message twenty minutes before boarding opens. It is a small thing, but it is exactly what a passenger relaxing in a lounge needs most often.

Allow for the walk from the lounge to the gate as well. In a large terminal that can be ten minutes, and the door closes when boarding ends, not at departure.

Entry time and the waiting limit

You can usually enter a lounge about three hours before departure. Arriving earlier often means an extra charge or is not possible at all.

If your flight is delayed, a lounge will usually let you stay - the limit is rarely enforced then. On long delays the airline often hands out vouchers, and the lounge becomes an additional comfort.

On a night flight what matters is whether the lounge is open at that hour. That is not the same at every airport, and we check it when you book.

Priority Pass and bank cards

Many travellers already have lounge access and do not know it. Loyalty programmes, Priority Pass-type services and premium bank cards often include several free visits a year.

Before booking we ask which cards you hold and check whether that particular lounge accepts them. If it does, we tell you - and you will not need to buy lounge access at all.

One nuance: a card usually admits only the holder free of charge. For a companion, even a child, a separate fee often applies - worth knowing in advance too.

With children in a lounge

Children are allowed in lounges, and entry for small children is often free or reduced. The exact age depends on the lounge, and we will tell you when you book.

For a family the main advantage of a lounge is space: a child can sit, eat and walk about a bit without the crowd at the gate. There is room for a pushchair, and the toilets are close by.

Do remember, though, that other people are resting in a lounge and some are working. A children's corner is not everywhere, so bring a book or a tablet with headphones.

The VIP terminal: how it works

In a VIP terminal you do not enter the general hall. The car stops at a separate entrance, you sit down in a room, and a member of staff takes your passport and ticket and handles check-in and bag drop for you.

Security and passport control still happen - just separately, without the crowd. That is the law, and a VIP terminal does not set it aside.

Where the airport offers it, you go to the aircraft by separate transport and stay in the room until the last minute. The availability of this format depends on the airport, and before you book we will tell you exactly what it includes.

VIP on arrival

On arrival VIP saves the most, because the longest queue is at arrivals control. A member of staff meets you as you step off the aircraft and takes you to a separate zone.

The formalities happen in a room, and your bags are collected from the belt and brought to you. Meanwhile you are having a coffee - this is the part that is normally the most tiring.

The car waits at the VIP exit and you never pass through the public hall. That is why this format is often bought for privacy and not only for time.

A business meeting at the airport

Sometimes going into town for a meeting is unnecessary: a partner is flying through on a two-hour connection and you are nearby. In that case a private room at the airport is the most logical place.

A room usually holds several people and has a table, a screen and good internet. It is booked by the hour, and we order food and drinks in advance.

The main limitation is the zone: if your partner is in transit and stays airside while you are landside, a meeting is only possible where both of you have access. We confirm that in advance.

A long connection: lounge or town

If there are six hours or more between flights, you can reach central Tbilisi in thirty minutes and fit in a short walk through the old town. That is often better than sitting in a lounge.

But to go into town you have to clear passport control, and Georgia's entry rules apply. If your nationality needs a visa, we must know before we put the plan together.

On a connection of less than four hours we do not advise the town - control twice, the drive twice and the traffic push the risk too high. A lounge is the better choice then.

A night flight: lounge or a late check-out

With a departure at three or four in the morning, many people spend the night in a lounge. It is not the worst option, but it is rarely the best - sleeping in a lounge armchair does not really work.

It is often better to book a late check-out at the hotel or keep the room until midnight. A few hours in a real bed and a shower give you far more than three hours in a lounge.

We work out both options and offer them to you. For some people the lounge is still better - for example, if the hotel is far away or you would rather not cross town at night.

Halal, kosher and dietary restrictions

A lounge buffet is usually general, and it does not guarantee halal or kosher dishes. Often the staff do not even have information about where the meat in a dish came from.

If this is a matter of principle for you, we will tell you honestly: eating in town before the flight or bringing sealed food is more reliable. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are more common, but we check those in advance too.

In a private room, food can often be ordered in advance, and requirements are easier to meet there. We confirm this when you book.

Privacy: where it exists and where it does not

A business lounge is a public space, just a less crowded one. Phone conversations there are heard by everyone, and a well-known face is recognised there too.

If privacy matters, there are two answers: the VIP terminal, where you never enter the general zone, or a private room inside the lounge. Both need to be booked in advance.

With a VIP terminal even the fact that you are flying is less visible - nobody can take your photo in the public hall. That is often the main reason for choosing this format.

Luggage and large items

A business lounge is after security, so a large suitcase has to be checked in first. Only cabin baggage comes into the lounge, and there is usually no storage for large items there.

If you have a lot of luggage, the VIP terminal solves this itself - the bags are taken at the entrance and checked in for you. You do not have to trail suitcases through the halls.

Special items - skis, a bicycle, a musical instrument - are a separate question in both cases. We check the airline's rules in advance so that size or weight does not spring a surprise on you at the airport.

Three airports, different choices

Tbilisi has the widest choice: a business lounge, VIP service and private rooms. Every format works most reliably here, because this is also where the flow of passengers is heaviest.

In Kutaisi and Batumi the terminals are smaller and the choice is narrower accordingly. Some formats may exist there only on request, or not at all.

So when you book, we always talk about a specific airport and a specific hour. A blanket promise that "VIP is everywhere" would not be true.

When it is not worth it

If the wait is under an hour, a lounge rarely pays off. By the time you have found it, gone in and settled down, there are twenty minutes left before boarding.

It is not worth it either when the lounge is far from your gate and the walk back needs a tight margin. In that case a café near the gate is the calmer choice.

And finally: if you already have access with a card, you will not buy a lounge from us - we will tell you so ourselves. Our job is what you actually need.

Quiet and work

Working in a lounge is easy: sockets, tables and a stable connection. Finishing emails or reviewing a document before the flight is far more comfortable there than on your knees at the gate.

A video call is another matter. In a shared lounge a call disturbs others, and a confidential conversation is not possible there. A private room, or the lounge's phone booth where there is one, is better for that.

If you have an important call before the flight, tell us when you book. We will choose the time and the place so that boarding does not start in the middle of the call.

What we need for the booking

The name as in the passport, flight number, date and number of passengers, including children's ages. For the VIP terminal, passport details too, because the formalities are completed on your behalf.

If you have a loyalty programme or a premium card, tell us that as well. It is how we check whether buying anything is necessary at all.

A lounge needs 48 hours' notice, the VIP terminal and a private room 72. In summer and over holidays earlier is better, because places are limited.

Who can go into the lounge

Only passengers with a boarding pass go into a business lounge. Whoever is seeing you off - a family member, a friend, a colleague - cannot pass into the security zone and so cannot come into the lounge with you either.

So if you want to say goodbye, it has to happen before security: in a café on the departures level. We allow an extra half hour for this, so the farewell does not turn into a rush.

In a VIP terminal the rule may be different - in some places a companion may wait in the room until the passenger leaves. That depends on the airport, and we confirm it before booking.