Just sharing my quick one-day trip from Cochin to Bangalore and back. I booked my onward journey on Air India Express using NeuCoins—didn’t pay anything extra as the taxes were also covered. It was nice that the earned coins appeared directly on the AIX website, so I didn’t have to transfer them. AIX offers four types of fares, and I went with the Lite fare, which only includes 7kg hand baggage. It's the cheapest and works best for solo travelers without checked luggage. For the return flight, I partly used my pending NeuCoins and paid the remaining amount with my Neu Card.
At Cochin airport, I used a Dreamfolks lounge voucher from my Tata Neu Infinity card to enter the lounge and spent around 2-3 hours there. The flight itself was on time and not crowded at all. I landed at Bangalore T2 around 1:45 am and went straight to the arrival lounge. They usually allow one lounge swipe for 2-3 hours, but I asked if I could swipe twice and stay until morning. They agreed, and I used my Federal Celesta card to enter at 2 am. There were no beds, just long sofas, so I caught some sleep there.
I woke up around 4:30 am, freshened up, and swiped in again using the same card to get some breakfast. The lounge served à la carte food, and I ordered idiyappam, lemon rice, and had coffee. Left the lounge by 6 am and spent the day in Bangalore. For the return journey, I reached the airport around 11:30 pm. Security was smooth—only took 5-10 minutes as it’s the least crowded time. I planned to stay in the lounge till my 5:30 am flight, so I swiped in using both a Dreamfolks voucher and HDFC Marriott Bonvoy card. In short, I used both lounge vouchers from my Tata Neu card for this quarter.
Unfortunately, the T2 lounge has only three recliners and they were all occupied. I pushed two sofa seats together and tried to sleep till about 2:30 am. Later, one recliner freed up, and I managed a short nap till 4:30 am. After freshening up, I headed to the departure gate. The return flight was also on time and smooth. Overall, the trip went well, but I learned an important lesson—midnight and early morning flights may save money, but they totally mess up your sleep and leave you exhausted the next day.
At Cochin airport, I used a Dreamfolks lounge voucher from my Tata Neu Infinity card to enter the lounge and spent around 2-3 hours there. The flight itself was on time and not crowded at all. I landed at Bangalore T2 around 1:45 am and went straight to the arrival lounge. They usually allow one lounge swipe for 2-3 hours, but I asked if I could swipe twice and stay until morning. They agreed, and I used my Federal Celesta card to enter at 2 am. There were no beds, just long sofas, so I caught some sleep there.
I woke up around 4:30 am, freshened up, and swiped in again using the same card to get some breakfast. The lounge served à la carte food, and I ordered idiyappam, lemon rice, and had coffee. Left the lounge by 6 am and spent the day in Bangalore. For the return journey, I reached the airport around 11:30 pm. Security was smooth—only took 5-10 minutes as it’s the least crowded time. I planned to stay in the lounge till my 5:30 am flight, so I swiped in using both a Dreamfolks voucher and HDFC Marriott Bonvoy card. In short, I used both lounge vouchers from my Tata Neu card for this quarter.
Unfortunately, the T2 lounge has only three recliners and they were all occupied. I pushed two sofa seats together and tried to sleep till about 2:30 am. Later, one recliner freed up, and I managed a short nap till 4:30 am. After freshening up, I headed to the departure gate. The return flight was also on time and smooth. Overall, the trip went well, but I learned an important lesson—midnight and early morning flights may save money, but they totally mess up your sleep and leave you exhausted the next day.
