IXD · Domestic Bamrauli and Prayagraj gateway with carrier service and inconsistent lounge information, so no definitive lounge is recorded.
VNS · AAI’s Babatpur gateway for Kashi — one integrated hall 18 km from Varanasi Railway Station, DigiYatra since the 1 Dec 2022 first wave, and a Priority Pass / LoungeKey restaurant pin (Take Off near Gate 2, 05:00–21:00) instead of a classic soft lounge. Prepaid-taxi hop, Route 101 e-bus to Cantt until 21:00, single 09/27 strip, winter fog and pilgrimage banks still need real buffers; the 75,000 m² expansion hall is still a worksite.
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
IXD5.0
VNS5.6+0.6
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
IXD5.2
VNS6.6+1.4
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
IXD6.2+0.2
VNS6.0
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
IXD4.0
VNS4.6+0.6
Pilgrimage and leisure trips into Varanasi / Sarnath that want the local AAI airport instead of a Lucknow connectionDomestic DigiYatra users who can clear the compact integrated hallPriority Pass or LoungeKey holders who can use Take Off as a daytime buffet stop (05:00–21:00)Connections that stay mostly domestic rather than depending on thin international banks
Assuming the new 75,000 m² terminal is already open for boarding
Aggregator lounge directories inventing Plaza Premium soft pins — live PP / LoungeKey = Take Off restaurant only
Inventing a Varanasi Metro stop inside the terminal, or treating Route 101 as a red-eye
Red-eyes / late departures outside Take Off’s published 05:00–21:00 window
Winter fog and festival / Dev Deepavali road barricades on the single 09/27 strip
Integrated domestic + international terminal
Electric bus Route 101 to Cantt
Prepaid taxi (U.P. Traffic Police)
Landside F&B / sealed water
DigiYatra helps domestically — still budget one strip and pilgrimage banks
DigiYatra and a compact hall help; one runway plus festival banks still need real buffers.
One integrated hall today — the 75,000 m² shell is still a worksite
Single passenger hall today; CGIs are not boarding gates.
Take Off buffet if entitled — otherwise landside sealed water before CISF
One live PP / LoungeKey restaurant pin; landside bottles still beat airside pricing.
