[vigsom]

Introduction

This is not a full blown review but some initial impressions and a quick showcase of the arrivals area of Bengaluru's newly set up Terminal2.

How did I get here

This terminal serves three airlines currently - Vistara, Air Asia and Star Air. I flew in from Mumbai by Vistara and was looking forward to the arrival experience; and wasn't disappointed at all!

Initial impressions

Likes

1. The novelty
2. Better looking signage
3. Peeping through the glass separating the arrivals walkway and a departure gate, I could see every seat having charging points
4. Gate waiting area looked impressive
5. Walkalators
6. Washrooms have Dyson sensor operated taps and dryers in one; should hopefully keep the basin clean and dry

Dislikes

1. Objects hanging from the ceiling could have been avoided
2. The brick pattern would invite divided opinions - I found it similar to IIMA and IIM Kashipur
2. A lot of walking to do like Delhi's T3 or Mumbai's T2

[vigsom]

Bengaluru's Terminal2 in pictures

Let the pictures do the talking now.

Exiting the airbridge




Views of the terminal



Ramp


Walkalator


Sample signage - love the purple background to distinguish wet areas from the rest




Peeping through the glass to get a shot of a gate waiting area


Some landscaping still W - I - P


Tap at the end of the fuselage and dryers on the wings


View of the upcoming international arrivals hall


Baggage Belt - nothing special


Exiting the terminal


The meet, greet cum cheat area


Go down the escalator or the stairway towards a covered pick up point


Summing it up

1. Given the long walk and the almost zero traffic at this terminal, I was out with my bag in less than 5 minutes after I reached the belt.
2. The terminal is very impressive except for those suspended objects and the brick pattern - these could have been avoided, in my view.

Overall, a very good effort which we should be proud about!

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Summing it up

...
Overall, a very good effort which we should be proud about!

I used T-2 a few weeks ago. A bit too much gaudy for my taste, but probably as the indoor plants grow it might provide a good color contrast.

The private car pickup is in the basement, accessible via an escalator. I am not sure if we can take baggage down this escalator. Otherwise, everybody would have to wait for the adjacent lift. This might turn out to be a bottleneck when traffic picks up.

[gnome]

I would avoid this terminal for another year. It is not easy to go to T-1, bus pick-up or cab pick-up from T-2. You have to wait for another tiny bus to move everyone and their baggage to T-1 area where all the facilities are.
I wish they prioritised connectivity over bling.

[subraiyr]

I had the opportunity to use T2 twice last week. Initial impressions are that it is great to look at and it does look awe-inspiring. On further analysis, there are some challenges

1. Food Court - The food variety is limited. The Indian food joint is small, and crowded, provides only 2 options (Dosa, Idli) and the taste sucks. The one in T1 is way way better and the presentation of food is also way better there (brass plates, cups, etc)

2. Amenities - The washrooms are not great. Soap dispensers do not dispense soap. Cleanliness is still not spot on. Some water was present on the floor both times (departures and arrivals). Waste bins are far fewer and one has to search for it

3. Distance - Walk you must. Even if the walkalators are present, they are not of much use. Short mostly. Esp when you arrive, you have to walk a lot to get to the baggage pick up.

4. Baggage claims - Very easy. The baggage drops from the center of the belt onto the belt. You can see it coming and plan pick-ups easily. No more crowding in the Beltway. There are people who stand near the belt exit to make sure bags don't fall and bags actually don't fall out. They land easily and more or less straight up

5. Security Checks - Still a bottleneck. The belts are not laid out well and there is quite a bit of traffic jam. I would say T1 is better, but I guess it's because it's been tried and tested for a long time now

6. Vehicular movement - Since traffic is less, dropping-off points are peaceful. Pick-up points in the basement area are a bit challenging. You have to take escalators, but as pointed out earlier, if you have luggage, you have only one elevator present at each end. Can hold 3 or 4 trolleys and 3 to 4 people in total. Also, some of the cab guys complain about the lack of network coverage. I am on Airtel and I had 3 bars active while waiting in the basement

Overall, quite big, very impersonal, and has a long way to go to make it purposeful

[Secretariat]

It all depends on what you want from an airport. Do you want architecture to brag about or do you want an efficient, cost effective people mover ?

I am clearly in the latter camp. I don't want to spend a minute more than absolutely necessary at an airport and don't care if it is bamboo themed or willow themed. All I want is

- A clean place
- A zillion check in counters and security lines to minimise waiting
- Plenty of places to sit while you wait for your flight
- A snack or coffee without having to shell out a fortune (Rs 200 for a tea from a machine; really ?)
- Lots of loos instead of having to peer over the shoulder of the guy in front to see if he has finished.

I don't get any of this. Instead I get designers who want to win architectural awards and ensure that we poor users are saddled with ridiculous costs. That's why they have to let out space to shops galore selling the likes of Rolex or Prada (does anybody really buy a Rolex at an airport shop) ? There is more retail space than sitting area. There isn't a Food Court. Instead there are 3 or 4 food joints whose names I cannot pronounce peddling Spanish tapas, Waffles with syrup, French baguette and God knows what else. The Idly joint is in a tiny nook unseen. And I am taking a flight to Jhumri Talaiya.

I am not even going to talk about pick up points in a dinghy basement or needing a supercomputer to find your way out of the tiny car park.

I am no fan of T2. If only the powers that be stopped for a minute to really understand who the consumer is, they would have built something different.

[dragonfire]

Originally Posted by Secretariat

does anybody really buy a Rolex at an airport shop

OT: With all the fake watches that get sold around, and no way to find out, I think the airport duty free is a safer place to buy a watch than a regular/discount shop.

[sachinayak]

I was at T2 yesterday night to pick up my family - quick observation on the arrivals passenger pickup. The concept is fine, picking up in the basement, with folks shielded from the weather, but the lane is very narrow. There are 2 lanes, but if any driver parks a little off the pavement, it blocks the entire lane behind. Happened with me yesterday, as I had to wait for a taxi driver who was picking up his passengers and had parked bang in the middle. Not an issue currently, but would when the volume of traffic picks up, this would be a major bottleneck.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

... this would be a major bottleneck.

T1 is the same, bottleneck fed by one and into another. It's bottleneck-ception.

I've recently resorted to being picked up (and picking people up) from the departure/drop-off area of T1 instead. Far more space and moving traffic, even when crowded. Better than the arrivals area mess, anyday.

[Bhodrolok]

It looks quite impressive but much like the "expressway" some major design flaws. T2 got flooded with one evening of heavy downpour. Also the basement pick up should have been thought through more.

Other things are teething issues which will get sorted out with time.

[Sebring]

I was happy to spot my favourite Johnny Rockets there

Originally Posted by subraiyr

1. Food Court - The food variety is limited. The Indian food joint is small, and crowded, provides only 2 options (Dosa, Idli) and the taste sucks. The one in T1 is way way better and the presentation of food is also way better there (brass plates, cups, etc)

[Rajeevraj]

I arrived one time into T2. While the positives are all called out, 2-3 issues stood out for me in that one visit.

• The walking: While there is a lot of walking to do in large airports, somehow I felt in T2, the lot of the walking could be avoided. Not sure if it is because there are still some construction zones and the current walking path attempts to avoid it, but somehow felt a lot of lefts and rights before exiting.
  
• The pickup lanes: A big bottleneck always in T1. Not enough bays coupled with indiscipline from both drivers and passengers. Seems the same situation in T2. The pick up lane is underground and covered, but it is still single/1.5 line road. It is ok now as the volume is not high. But will become congested and crowded soon.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by vigsom

[
3. Peeping through the glass separating the arrivals walkway and a departure gate, I could see every seat having charging points

Here is my micro-review from April end - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post5539022 (Bengaluru International Airport)

The charging ports did not work. Tried at three different points. Clearly there are teething issues.

But since the terminal is working way below capacity, it was an overall smooth experience for me. Let’s see how does it scale up in busier times.

[neerajku]

I took air vistara flight twice this week. Decor is really out of this world. Looks so different and pleasant. What I didn't like was the long walk out, very small escalators. Felt like asking for a EV or a wheel chair.
The one which will be a real challenge is the pick up and exit for cars and cabs. Too, too small. This is not designed for the hundreds of vehicles which descend every waking hours in the busy airports in India. Do not know what into their thinking, small. has just two lanes and just about space for 10 odd vehicles to park. And only two lanes. Will be a nightmare though hope not.