Dreamfolks restores access after lounge disruption across 34 airports

Airport lounges in 34 airports were abruptly closed on Sunday, affecting thousands of travellers who rely on debit and credit cards for access. Dreamfolks, the airport service aggregator managing these lounges, confirmed the shutdown was temporary. Today, Dreamfolks issued a statement announcing that it has resolved the lounge access disruption.

“Our team has successfully resolved the integration issue at Adani Airports, ensuring seamless acceptance of all eligible cards at the lounges moving forward,” Dreamfolks said via exchanges.

All eligible cards, including credit, debit, and membership cards, will now be accepted at the lounges, it said. “Through troubleshooting, we have implemented a robust solution that guarantees smooth transactions for passengers and stakeholders alike,” it adds.

In a statement, amid this disruption, Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), which operates seven airports, including Mumbai, stepped in to ease the situation by allowing passengers to access their lounges.

A passenger, Vaibhav Khandelwal, who departed from Chennai airport on Sunday, shared on X that he was denied access to the lounge using his SBI Vistara and ICICI Coral credit cards, due to an issue with Dreamfolks. He also expressed confusion over whether his Priority Pass would be charged for domestic lounge access.

Another passenger posted on X, “Denied access to airport lounge at Chennai airport on SBI Vistara and ICICI Coral credit card.”

Dreamfolks claims to hold 90% share of India’s domestic lounge access market for debit and credit cardholders and partners with major banks, airlines, and travel agencies to offer lounge services.

On Sunday, the company had acknowledged the disruption but emphasised that it was temporary. It said all contractual agreements remain intact, and was working with partners to resolve the issue.

“We recognise the critical role our services play in the airport ecosystem, and we are confident that the actions we are taking will lead to an even stronger and more reliable service framework in the future,” Dreamfolks spokesperson states.

Meanwhile, AAHL temporarily allowed passengers to access their lounges by accepting major debit and credit cards from other providers. AAHL confirmed that the disruptions were due to Dreamfolks' unexpected suspension of services, allegedly breaching its service agreements with the affected airports.