A gigantic airport is being built at breakneck speed near Istanbul. On our way to Malaysia, we visited the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul and were impressed by its size and the wide range of facilities on offer. Why? Details in our lounge review.
Where is the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul located?
The distances at Istanbul International Airport are long. We noticed this as soon as our plane from Berlin landed, as we taxied over the tarmac for 20 minutes until we finally arrived at Gates D. The difficulty with long routes continues in 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 part of Istanbul Airport, opposite Gate E1. Since it is located on the upper floor, you can reach it either via an escalator or an elevator.
Who has access to the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul?
Die Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul ist für alle Passagiere mit einem Business Class Ticket zugänglich, die von Istanbul aus mit Turkish Airlines oder einer anderen Star Alliance Airline abfliegen. Star Alliance Gold Mitglieder haben Zugang zu einer separaten Miles&Smiles Lounge, die fast identisch in Bezug auf Ausstattung und Größe sein soll. Beide Lounges sind 24 Stunden geöffnet.
How is the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul equipped?
The size of the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul is truly impressive. But we quickly realized that despite its size, it was difficult to get a seat. Immediately after the entrance, you are greeted by a large LED wall showing Turkish Airlines advertising films. To the left are lockers, a work area with eight computers and three meeting rooms, each of which can accommodate 6 people. There is also a seating area with individual pods equipped with tables. You can also access the suites from here. These are available on a first come, first served basis once you have a flight ticket from Istanbul with a duration of at least 8 hours.
If you turn to the right after the entrance check, you come to 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. There are always seating areas spread out in between. Refrigerators with drinks are available at regular intervals. There is also a bay to the side of the dining area with 12 televisions and a small football-themed exhibition. Since we're not interested in football, the only interesting thing about the exhibition was the business class seat where you could play Playstation.
In the remaining part of the lounge there are two further smaller seating areas, which are very rustic and are more reminiscent of a library or a salon, as well as a large seating area. In the back of the large seating area there is also a beautifully designed children's corner. The highlight here is a climbing frame in the shape of an airplane and a car racing track. Unfortunately the car racing track didn't work. In general, the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul offers many technical gadgets. There is a golf simulation, a VR glasses flight experience over Istanbul and an interactive globe with all Turkish Airlines flights.
What 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 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. In the individual lounge areas there were smaller buffets with cakes, baklava and fruit.
The range of drinks on offer is also quite impressive, even if the selection on Turkish Airlines is nowhere near as large as when it comes to food. Everywhere in the individual lounge areas there are chilled drinks shelves with soft drinks, delicious lemonades, water and beer. Other alcoholic drinks such as wine and sparkling wine are distributed very discreetly in the lounge. I didn't find any spirits. In the back seating area of the lounge, near the dessert buffet, there is a barista corner where fresh coffee specialties are prepared.
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Review of Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul
- Food
- Beverages
- Service
- Seating
- Ambiance
- Cleanliness
Summary
The Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul is without a doubt one of the top 3 business class lounges we have visited worldwide. The range of food and drinks is really impressive. Although the size of the lounge is gigantic, we still had problems finding a seat. That was a bit of a shame!
