Ashneer Grover, the former managing director of BharatPe, has spoken on the exclusivity of airport lounges versus dining at airport restaurants, saying lounges are like free meal scheme canteens — with credit cards as redeeming vouchers. He also said there is more exclusivity in sitting in any airport restaurant and paying for your meal.
He said this while responding to a Twitter post by a parody account ‘Gabbar’ on the airport lounges.
In the tweet, ‘Gabbar’ had said, “Going to the Airport Lounge these days is basically rubbing shoulders with declasse deal hunters jostling to have that cold samosa. So I always prefer to stay in the common area.”
Responding to this, Grover in a Twitter reply said, “There is more exclusivity in sitting in any airport restaurant and paying for your meal. Lounges are like free meal scheme canteens – with credit card as redeeming voucher!”
In the same thread, ‘Gabbar’ replied to Grover: “And our mind works in mysterious ways. It interprets that the quality of a supposedly free meal must be inferior. And even a slight quibble in terms of taste is extrapolated to ruin your experience.”
The tweet quickly gained traction on social media platforms, with many users expressing their agreement or disagreement with Grover’s viewpoint. Many argued that paying for a meal in a restaurant gives a sense of exclusivity and control over the dining experience.
“What I don’t get is how some people arrive at the airport all hungry from their own homes for a 3am flight only to line up at the reception for 5 platefuls of low quality food,” wrote one user.
Another user said, “People who can afford the meal are given it free at lounges… people who cant afford to buy meal at airport have to pay for it… next level Doglapan.”
