PBAudit

In previous posts, I didn't see the hours the Domestic CIP lounge. The Domestic lounge is open from 5am to 1am. The lounge is closed from 1-5 am.

belize 1

Are there showers in the Domestic TK Lounge at IST ?

Is there a separate entrance for security clearance ?

Are they still bussing passengers to the plane directly from the lounge ?

Thanks in advance.

fezoff

To my knowledge there aren't any showers. I think the arrival lounge do have them, but it is for J or E+ only. The last two times I've been there it has been closed though.

Yes there is, when walking from International to Domestic you will see the signs, it is to your left as you get off the moving walkway

And yes, they still take you by bus to the plane.

pencereamelesi

Yes, there is one shower in Domestic CIP Lounge and most of time is empty.

shonamac

Is there a TK / Star Alliance lounge in the domestic terminal of IST? If so, how good or bad is it - in terms of food & drink available as well as Internet access?

Bjotr

Yes. Follow the signs when you come from International arrivals. It is an elevator on the left Hand side before you enter the domestic Terminal. Brings you down to the entrance. No alcohol, Food was also not very much but Internet was okay and they bring you from there directly with a Special Bus to your plane.

UAPremExecflyer

"Domestic lounge" = http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/turki...omestic+lounge

shuly

A quick report from the SAW domestic lounge: it is located in a separate "terminal"; after check-in, you leave the terminal, go down one floor to the arrivals level, and look for a shuttle with a sign that says "TK VIP lounge". It's a short ride to the lounge. Then, as in IST, there are two separate spaces, one for Elite+ and J and one for all the others. Surprisingly, both had the same catering but the "lower" lounge (left) was more spacious and better air-conditioned.

There's really nothing of interest there: very limited catering (sandwiches, soup, water, tea/coffee and some cookies), not much to do (but a nice view of the tarmac), comfortable seating. Flights are called (in Turkish only and they bus you to your aircraft.

I suppose it is possible to check in at the lounge (in other words, one may possibly show up there rather than to the main terminal) but I'm not sure. If you are already checked in and don't have checked luggage, it does give a feeling of "a separate VIP terminal". Poor man's LH First Terminal...

Shuly

CoweyB

I'm using the Domestic Lounge for the first time on Wednesday - I didn't know about the bus to the plane, that is a very impressive benefit.

How does it work presumably there are announcements? Are they also in English?

What if the plane is leaving from a normal gate and not a bus gate?

boosh

There are 5 dedicated J gates in a corridor connecting the two lounges. Disregard the gate number on the boards and when they switch to display your flight is boarding.

I can't actually remember if they do the boarding calls in English or not but boarding for business starts 20-30 min before departure.

Don't get to excited about the domestic lounge, especially if you are used to the arrivals or international lounge.

There are two lounges, one for E/*G and one for business/E+. I actually prefer the 'lesser' lounge as it is bigger and sometimes less crowded. The food options are pretty much the same and once you are past the lounge security you can walk between the two with no problem.

And there are definitely showers, I washed a cat in one of them once but that is a different story

erteke

In that case, the bus leaves you at the entrance to a staircase connecting the gate tunnel to the plane and you go up the stairs.

CoweyB

I didn't understand what you meant by 5 dedicated J gates but now that I'm in the J lounge I can see how the system works.

There is a small "bus station" between the two lounges with five bus stops. The announcement tells you when your bus is boarding (in Turkish and English) and what bus stop to get on at to take you to your plane. And the bus has lots of seats as well which is good for my knees.

The Business lounge is not as grand as international departures but it's fine - I've been in many far worse... but I agree entirely the Elite/Classic Plus lounge has a much nicer feel to it and is much less cramped. The only difference I detected was they served cheese börek in the Business section otherwise the food element was identical. Cheese and some salads but that wonderful lentil soup. No meat that I could see.

urww

I'll be flying domestically from IST for the first time soon. I took domestic flights from SAW and ADB previously, though never from IST. I love the TK setup for premium customers at SAW and ADB. After reading some comments it looks like something similar should be at IST as well, so CIP lounge has separate entrance, so you don't need to go to the main terminal, you need to get directly to the lounge to go through check point and drop your bag off. Is that correct? If so what's the best course of actions:
- if you arrive by Uber/taxi (so where to tell a drive to drop you off?)
- if you arrive by metro (where to go to get to the lounge directly?)

Any advice is highly appreciated.

axxoo25

Yes, it's correct.

The lounge is here: https://goo.gl/maps/Mn9o8A6oRHH2

urww

axxoo25, thanks, can you please explain how can I make my way from a subway station right into the lounge? Do I need to go first to the Domestic terminal and then to lounge or somehow straight to the lounge?