Review : Turkish Airlines Business Lounge international in Istanbul

Turkish Airlines has 4 lounges at the new Istanbul airport. For domestic flights there is an Elite Lounge and a Business Lounge and for international flights there is a Miles&Smiles Lounge and a Business Lounge. It was the latter that I visited recently.

Who has access to the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul?
Where is the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul located?
The layout of the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul
Catering at the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul
The staff and service at the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul
My opinion

Who has access to the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul?

It is reserved for passengers travelling in business on Turkish Airlines and other Star Alliance airlines from Istanbul. Status passengers travelling in eco will go to the Miles&Smiles lounge.

Where is the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul located?

It overlooks the duty free area and is accessed by an escalator at gate E1. It faces the Miles&Smiles lounge which is in C1.

It overlooks the duty free area and is accessed by an escalator at gate E1. It faces the Miles&Smiles lounge which is in C1.

When departing from Istanbul it is close to the police/security control area and is easily accessible. On the other hand – and this is the only common criticism of this airport – to get to your boarding gate, and even more so when you have a connecting flight and have to get to the lounge from one gate and then return to another gate, you may have to walk a lot.

The round trip may well take you 40 minutes.

The layout of the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul

If you’ve read my report on the Miles&Smiles lounge, this one is a perfect clone of it except for two or three details.

A few figures to start with. It measures ^{5,600 m2} and can seat 765 people, exactly the same size and capacity as its twin.

Once the access control is passed, you arrive in a huge space where you find different stations where cooks prepare dishes on demand…but we’ll talk about that later.

A large number of lockers allow you to leave your luggage in order to avoid being overcrowded.

A large working area.

So in this large central space there are cooking stations and tables to sit at.

Turkish specialities, paninis, burgers, pizzas… there is something for everyone.

All around are rooms with a quieter atmosphere, each with its own decor and theme.

Overlooking the duty free area there are still large areas with sofas and armchairs.

Something you won’t find in the other lounge if I remember correctly: a golf simulator.

But video game fans are not left out.

Small rooms with bunks provide privacy along the corridor that overlooks the duty free area.

And we can’t close the subject without the view from the lounge…

Oh, I almost forgot. Another distinctive feature compared to the Miles&Smiles lounge is a modern art exhibition in partnership with a museum, in a 130m2 space.

My opinion? It is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best business lounge in Europe. Especially when you consider that it is also used for medium-haul flights.

Afterwards, since I have to be picky, it is not without reproaches. Its location has been discussed, but distance is a recurrent problem at this airport anyway…perhaps the only one.

Then there’s the size. So yes, things have been done rather well, with a division that cuts the spaces and doesn’t give an impression of immensity in which one gets lost. But even so, there are very few quiet or secluded areas. There is little space for one or two people in proportion to the rest.

At rush hour all this can make it tiring with the people, the noise, the “station hall” feel.

But apart from these few criticisms it is superb.

Catering at the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul

The least we can say is that it is very varied. The specificity of the Turkish Airlines lounges in Istanbul is that this offer is very “decentralised”: no single buffet but a host of small specialised stations where you can serve yourself or have the dish of your choice prepared.

So of course there is the traditional buffet.

Then there are stations scattered along the central aisle of the lounge where you will find Turkish specialities but also an excellent panini stand and…well almost everything you could want.

Drinks are also available at small stations throughout the lounge. The offer is very comprehensive but the absence of champagne is regrettable.

The staff and service at the Turkish Airlines Business lounge in Istanbul

I have not had to test the customer service due to any incidents, delays or cancellations and I am happy with it.

At the various cooking stations the service is fast and smiling.

In the lounge, the tables are cleared and cleaned fairly quickly, even very quickly if you consider its size.

If you look closely, the staff is omnipresent in the lounge and knows how to be very discreet.

My opinion

The Turkish Airlines Business Lounge is undoubtedly one of the best lounges in Europe. Its setting is superb, the restaurant offer is rich… at the very most, it can be criticised for a certain gigantism which sometimes results in a real lack of intimacy and a station hall feel.