If I have an early morning flight from Chennai Domestic Airport (at about 6), can I go to the airport some time around 11 PM on the previous night and stay in the lounge?
No you cannnot-- CISF posted at the gate will NOT allow you to enter before 4 hrs of flight departure be it domestic even for international. (+30-45 mins they might adjust)Lounges are there in both Domestic and INTL terminals- been using both .. CISF will only let you in when the Flight details show up on the screen kept near entrance- ( it usually will be 3 hrs prior to Departure.. i have had this occuring for early morning flights , tried to reason with CISF personnel that i have access to lounge but they declined politely but allowed me to get in 30 mins prior to the 4 hr timeline...You can get into lounges post checkin>Security/immigration(if INTL)> there are boards hanging to guide you.
How do I reach Pondicherry from Chennai Airport?
If you want to spend less than Rs.200,MTC buses are the best option at 1 or 2am. The bus timings from tambaram are given below. To catch the bus, step out of the airport and walk to the main road(half a kilometer distance). Add a 20 minutes for the bus arrival at airport stop. Night bus fare will be around Rs.30. You have non-AC buses only at such odd hours.Board the M70CNS bus to Koyambedu and get down at CMBT(it is next to MMDA colony stop). Stage wise stops are given below. Note that not all the stops are named as stage.From CMBT-Koyambedu, board either ECR or Thindivanam route govt. bus to Pondicherry which will cost less than Rs.150(Non-AC bus). Both the routes take around 3.5 hours excluding any halts.Prefer ECR route,In summer, as it will have cool sea breeze in most of the stretch.During festival season, to avoid traffic congestion(Thindivanam route is heavily congested as it is the only major road that connects chennai to the south tamilnadu)Prefer Thindivanam route,In non-summer, as it will not be cold like the ECR.Its a safe route as it has median barriers unlike the ECR.Sources:1.http://www.tn.gov.in/rti/proacti...2. http://www.mtcbus.org/BusTimeSch...
Are there Morning buses from Chennai to Pondicherry?
Yes, there are continuous buses from Chennai to Pondicherry. You can always catch a bus from CMBT ( A.k.a. Koyembedu bus terminus). There are even government run AC buses to Pondicherry at every 2 hour interval from CMBT starting from morning 6 AM (I think) to night 6 PM. You can always ask the help desk for more information. If you are looking to book online for your travel , please visit TNSTC.Hope the information is helpful for your travel!