Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul

A gigantic airport was being built at a rapid pace near Istanbul. On our way to Malaysia, we visited the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge in Istanbul and were impressed by its size and variety of offerings. Why? Find out more in our lounge review.

Where is the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul?

The routes at Istanbul International Airport are long. We noticed this immediately after our plane landed from Berlin, when we taxied across the tarmac for 20 minutes until we finally arrived at Gate D. The difficulty with the long distances continues inside the airport. We had to walk about ten minutes from the gate to the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul. The lounge is located in the international section of Istanbul Airport, opposite Gate E1. Since it's on the upper floor, it can be reached either by escalator or elevator.

Who has access to the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul?

The Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul is accessible to all passengers with a Business Class ticket departing from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines or another Star Alliance airline. Star Alliance Gold members have access to a separate Miles&Smiles Lounge, which is said to be almost identical in terms of amenities and size. Both lounges are open 24 hours.

What is the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul like?

The size of the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge in Istanbul is truly impressive. However, we quickly realized that despite its size, it was difficult to get a seat. Immediately upon entering, you're greeted by a large LED screen showing Turkish Airlines commercials. To the left of this are lockers, a work area with eight computers, and three meeting rooms, each with a capacity of six people. There's also a seating area with individual pods equipped with tables. Suites are also accessible from here. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis, provided you have a flight departing from Istanbul with a duration of at least eight hours.

Turning right after the entrance check, you enter the tubular central area, which begins with a self-playing piano. This is where the majority of the culinary offerings are located. Various Turkish dishes are prepared at several live cooking stations depending on the time of day. Seating is scattered throughout. Refrigerators with drinks are available at regular intervals. There's also a bay to the side of the dining area with 12 TVs and a small football-themed exhibit. Since we're not interested in football, the only interesting part of the exhibit was the business class seat where you could play PlayStation.

The rest of the lounge features two smaller seating areas, each very rustic and reminiscent of a library or lounge, as well as a large seating area. At the rear of the large seating area is a beautifully designed children's corner. Highlights include an airplane-shaped climbing frame and a car racing track. Unfortunately, the car racing track wasn't working. The Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul offers many technological features. There's a golf simulation, a VR headset flight experience over Istanbul, and an interactive globe featuring all Turkish Airlines flights.

What is available to eat and drink in the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul?

The variety and quality of the food in the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge in Istanbul was impressive. As mentioned in the previous section, there were several live kitchens preparing Turkish specialties. There was also a large cold salad buffet. Smaller buffets with cakes, baklava, and fruit were available in the individual lounge areas.

The drinks selection is also quite impressive, even if the selection on Turkish Airlines is nowhere near as extensive as the food. There are refrigerated drinks shelves throughout the individual lounge areas, offering soft drinks, delicious lemonades, water, and beer. Other alcoholic beverages such as wine and sparkling wine are very discreetly distributed throughout the lounge. I didn't find any spirits. In the rear seating area of the lounge, near the dessert buffet, there is also a barista corner where fresh coffee specialties are prepared.

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