Jan 10, 2015, 2:41 am
Last edit by: starflyergold
Lounge Location
IST International Terminal. Near Gate 220
Video walkthrough of the lounge made on 2016-05-25
IST TK Lounge Walkthrough - YouTube
Getting In
Opening Hours: 24 hrs per day
Entrances: 2 entrances - one in the main terminal, another from the far-left side of the check-in area of the airport with separate passport control, Only for TK Business Class passengers or TK Elite Plus in Y, but not Elite or other *G cards, you need to go through main passport control and enter from airside). Entry in the main terminal is done by automated gates. You need a boarding pass with your status on it, if that is not present, please ask the lounge matrons and they'll manually let you in. It is also necessary to consult the front desk if you're bringing a guest(s).
Dedicated entry from the check in area (far left side as you face security/immigration) is only open from 5am to 12am midnight, outside of those hours you must enter the main terminal first and use that entrance.
Prior noted in this wiki, was that there was three entrances, however that one is an exit only that can be found in the lower level of the lounge.
Bag Storage: There are lockers right next to the main entrance on both floors. Lockers are emptied at night.
Eligibility:
Business Class travellers on international flights operated by Turkish Airlines,
Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members (they may invite their families or one guest),
Star Alliance Gold members (they may invite one guest),
First and Business Class travellers on flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines.
Must travel on Turkish Airlines or Star Alliance
The lounge cannot be accessed through Priority Pass or by paying at the entrance. There are many other pay lounges at IST.
Multiple Entries:
If you're connecting and want to visit Istanbul, you can enter the lounge with your connecting BP, enjoy the lounge then go back to Immigration, enter Turkey, and come back to the lounge after your visit.
To go landside from the lounge: leave the lounge on the upper level and walk straight toward the food court. Just before the food court there is a set of stairs on the left (look for signs to the mosque) that takes you down to the arrival level, and then to the immigration counters.
Facilities
Working
Free Wi-Fi (you get the code by scanning your boarding pass at machines dotted around the lounge)
Showers
Printers and computers
Eating
Extensive Food and Drink Areas
Upstairs:
Turkish desserts, ie baklava
Nut station
Coffee station + Demel cakes
Kofte/grill station
Pasta
Mezze
Beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic)
Fresh fruits
Fresh pide
Olive bar
Nut bar
Downstairs:
Turkish "special of the month"/chef's station
Coffee station + Demel cakes
Simit cart
Kofte/grill station
Pasta
Mezze
Make-your-own-tea/wellness tea station
Beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), stands throughout the lounge
Fresh fruits
Fresh pide
Olive bar
Nut bar
Early morning food differences
"Turkish special of the month" chef's station serving breakfast foods instead (e.g. gozleme)
Kofte station replaced by made-to-order omelette bar/breakfast items
Mini-simits, croissants, and other breakfast pastries
Demel cakes not taken out until ~ 8am
Turkish desserts not taken out until after 8am
Mezze station replaced by muesli, yogurt station
Smoking
This is a non smoking lounge, smoking area is upstairs at the far end of the terminal.
Relaxing
Relaxation Rooms (see below)
Ironing service
Newspapers and Library
Media wall
Pool Table
Golf simulator
RC car track
Self-playing piano
2x Xbox systems with FIFA and NBA
Sleeping in the Lounge
There are 5-7 relaxation rooms.
Eligibility:
4-7 hour layover for TK Business and Elite Plus customers in Economy Class.
International to International connections only
Couches throughout the lounge.
You may be eligible for a free hotel outside the airport.
IST International Terminal. Near Gate 220
Video walkthrough of the lounge made on 2016-05-25
IST TK Lounge Walkthrough - YouTube
Getting In
Opening Hours: 24 hrs per day
Entrances: 2 entrances - one in the main terminal, another from the far-left side of the check-in area of the airport with separate passport control, Only for TK Business Class passengers or TK Elite Plus in Y, but not Elite or other *G cards, you need to go through main passport control and enter from airside). Entry in the main terminal is done by automated gates. You need a boarding pass with your status on it, if that is not present, please ask the lounge matrons and they'll manually let you in. It is also necessary to consult the front desk if you're bringing a guest(s).
Dedicated entry from the check in area (far left side as you face security/immigration) is only open from 5am to 12am midnight, outside of those hours you must enter the main terminal first and use that entrance.
Prior noted in this wiki, was that there was three entrances, however that one is an exit only that can be found in the lower level of the lounge.
Bag Storage: There are lockers right next to the main entrance on both floors. Lockers are emptied at night.
Eligibility:
Business Class travellers on international flights operated by Turkish Airlines,
Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members (they may invite their families or one guest),
Star Alliance Gold members (they may invite one guest),
First and Business Class travellers on flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines.
Must travel on Turkish Airlines or Star Alliance
The lounge cannot be accessed through Priority Pass or by paying at the entrance. There are many other pay lounges at IST.
Multiple Entries:
If you're connecting and want to visit Istanbul, you can enter the lounge with your connecting BP, enjoy the lounge then go back to Immigration, enter Turkey, and come back to the lounge after your visit.
To go landside from the lounge: leave the lounge on the upper level and walk straight toward the food court. Just before the food court there is a set of stairs on the left (look for signs to the mosque) that takes you down to the arrival level, and then to the immigration counters.
Facilities
Working
Free Wi-Fi (you get the code by scanning your boarding pass at machines dotted around the lounge)
Showers
Printers and computers
Eating
Extensive Food and Drink Areas
Upstairs:
Turkish desserts, ie baklava
Nut station
Coffee station + Demel cakes
Kofte/grill station
Pasta
Mezze
Beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic)
Fresh fruits
Fresh pide
Olive bar
Nut bar
Downstairs:
Turkish "special of the month"/chef's station
Coffee station + Demel cakes
Simit cart
Kofte/grill station
Pasta
Mezze
Make-your-own-tea/wellness tea station
Beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic), stands throughout the lounge
Fresh fruits
Fresh pide
Olive bar
Nut bar
Early morning food differences
"Turkish special of the month" chef's station serving breakfast foods instead (e.g. gozleme)
Kofte station replaced by made-to-order omelette bar/breakfast items
Mini-simits, croissants, and other breakfast pastries
Demel cakes not taken out until ~ 8am
Turkish desserts not taken out until after 8am
Mezze station replaced by muesli, yogurt station
Smoking
This is a non smoking lounge, smoking area is upstairs at the far end of the terminal.
Relaxing
Relaxation Rooms (see below)
Ironing service
Newspapers and Library
Media wall
Pool Table
Golf simulator
RC car track
Self-playing piano
2x Xbox systems with FIFA and NBA
Sleeping in the Lounge
There are 5-7 relaxation rooms.
Eligibility:
4-7 hour layover for TK Business and Elite Plus customers in Economy Class.
International to International connections only
You can only use them only if you are connecting to/from a longhaul Turkish Airlines flight (8+ hours) AND your layover is between 4 and 7 hours.
You may be eligible for a free hotel outside the airport.
TK's Flagship IST *G Lounge [2015 onwards Master Thread]
May 29, 2017, 6:26 pm
#527
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 11,464
Is the rotation weekly, something else, or unpredictable?
Jun 21, 2017, 8:38 am
#528
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
A little review from my last visit at the lounge:
There is direct immigration/security checkpoint to get from landside directly into the lounge. The line on this checkpoint was around 30 people long. As there is only on security belt and one immigration officer, the line did move very slowly.
Around 100 m away is the immigration/security checkpoint for all pax. It was possible to get through it within less than 2 minutes. One has to walk 100 m to the lounge, but it's certainly a better option than the direct access line.
The lounge was very crowded. It was 5.30am - no surprise there with a big arrival wave from Asia and a big departure wave to Europe.
The lines at the food bars were very long. No much point to queue up there for 10 minutes or more. Hence, I stayed more hungry and just had some rolls.
I remember the lounge offering a very large cake selection - even at 5.30am. It's gone.
There is direct immigration/security checkpoint to get from landside directly into the lounge. The line on this checkpoint was around 30 people long. As there is only on security belt and one immigration officer, the line did move very slowly.
Around 100 m away is the immigration/security checkpoint for all pax. It was possible to get through it within less than 2 minutes. One has to walk 100 m to the lounge, but it's certainly a better option than the direct access line.
The lounge was very crowded. It was 5.30am - no surprise there with a big arrival wave from Asia and a big departure wave to Europe.
The lines at the food bars were very long. No much point to queue up there for 10 minutes or more. Hence, I stayed more hungry and just had some rolls.
I remember the lounge offering a very large cake selection - even at 5.30am. It's gone.
Jun 22, 2017, 10:57 am
#529
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,455
Dessert starts 1hr after breakfast. Always have been that way. I never experienced queues that long.
Jun 22, 2017, 11:50 am
#530
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: TK M&S, LH MM, Global Entry, Hertz Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,087
Jun 24, 2017, 1:53 am
#531
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NRT / HND
Programs: AA EXP, NH Plat, Former UA 1K
Posts: 5,666
How late at night is the VIP entrance to the lounge open (Security and Immigration for TK Business class & TK Elite Plus pax)?
I will be on one of the after midnight flights to Asia soon, so coming into the international terminal a bit late in the evening. I think last time I was there we got into the terminal around 11pm and the VIP entrance was already closed down. Also the main immigration control that normally has a VIP lane was closed, we had to use the normal line which was incredibly slow. Would like to avoid that this time if possible.
I will be on one of the after midnight flights to Asia soon, so coming into the international terminal a bit late in the evening. I think last time I was there we got into the terminal around 11pm and the VIP entrance was already closed down. Also the main immigration control that normally has a VIP lane was closed, we had to use the normal line which was incredibly slow. Would like to avoid that this time if possible.
Jun 26, 2017, 9:23 am
#532
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
Dessert starts 1hr after breakfast. Always have been that way. I never experienced queues that long.
It's not there yet.
If the cakes had been there before at 6.30am, why "was it always that way"?
Jun 26, 2017, 3:54 pm
#533
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 576
Apologies if this is the wrong thread but I have an access question. We're flying in from ZRH-IST on a J reward flight connecting to A3 in Economy (it's a DH4 - so no business class). Will I have any issues accessing the lounge?
Jun 26, 2017, 8:20 pm
#534
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
If you're not *G, then you technically do not have access per the rules. If you are arriving in TK J, the gates may open if you scan the arrival boarding pass, but it is not guaranteed. If arriving on LX or another airline, you will not be able to access.
Jun 27, 2017, 10:11 am
#535
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,663
If it's on the same ticket and Y was only available on your A3 connection, then you technically should have access but the staff might not be aware of it.
Jun 27, 2017, 12:26 pm
#536
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Jun 27, 2017, 3:02 pm
#537
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 576
Thanks (to you and previous poster). Same ticket, no J class on the plane to Athens. Will try my luck, if not will use some other lounge with my PP. No status though!
Jun 28, 2017, 11:50 am
#538
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
That's only true if the underlying fare basis is J on both legs of the ticket. However, I've noticed that many*A award issuers have been splitting the fare basis (presumably as a cost-saving measure), so I definitely wouldn't count on that.
Jun 29, 2017, 10:50 am
#539
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
A little review from my last visit at the lounge:
There is direct immigration/security checkpoint to get from landside directly into the lounge. The line on this checkpoint was around 30 people long. As there is only on security belt and one immigration officer, the line did move very slowly.
Around 100 m away is the immigration/security checkpoint for all pax. It was possible to get through it within less than 2 minutes. One has to walk 100 m to the lounge, but it's certainly a better option than the direct access line.
There is direct immigration/security checkpoint to get from landside directly into the lounge. The line on this checkpoint was around 30 people long. As there is only on security belt and one immigration officer, the line did move very slowly.
Around 100 m away is the immigration/security checkpoint for all pax. It was possible to get through it within less than 2 minutes. One has to walk 100 m to the lounge, but it's certainly a better option than the direct access line.
Jul 31, 2017, 1:29 pm
#540
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: PNW
Programs: AS 100K
Posts: 1,551
just to confirm, I would have access to this lounge if I have an incoming TK J flight (BUD-IST) and then departing on an Egyptair J flight (IST-CAI), right?