Apr 2, 2019, 3:31 am
Last edit by: starflyergold
Unlike like Atatürk Airport, at Istanbul Airport there is more than one international lounge. Eligibility depends on your travel of class and your frequent flyer card status. PLEASE READ THIS WIKI BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS.
For discussions and questions regarding outstation lounges ( Moscow, Nairobi, Washington DC ) and all other domestic lounges ( including SAW ) please refer to the respective forum.
For PriorityPass Lounges in Istanbul Airport (IST) please consult this thread in the Europe forum or the Istanbul Airport Master Thread for questions regarding contract lounges.
This thread covers TK Lounges at IST airport.
Chart of Eligibility for Lounges:
Thanks to DELLAS for sharing this chart.
International Lounges:
Miles&Smiles Lounge: This lounge is open to all Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Elite, Elite Plus card holders and Star Alliance Gold status holders along with one of their guests when flying Turkish Airlines or another Star Alliance member. Miles&Smiles Elite Plus members are also able to guest family members regardless of the number of people (spouse and children). Also Turkish Corporate Club members are allowed to access this lounge with one fellow guest who holds a valid boarding pass on Turkish Airlines.
To access this lounge take the elevators across gate C1 to the mezzanine level.
Business Lounge: This lounge would be open for all Business Class passengers on Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance partners. Unfortunately, no guests are allowed to this lounge.
To access this lounge take the elevators across gate E1 to the mezzanine level.
Both lounges are non-smoking. The nearest "terrace" (IST does not advertise smoking areas) is: For the business lounge: exit via the escalators, turn left and left again, past the public rest areas, and the terrace is on the right hand side. For the M&S lounge: exit via the escalators, turn right and right again, past the public rest areas, and the terrace is on the left hand side. In both cases a 3 minute walk.
Exclusive Lounge: No details, no plans as of yet
Arrivals Lounge: No details, no plans as of yet
Both the Business Lounge and the Miles&Smiles Lounge have showers, sleeping rooms and Turkish speciality food.
To use the sleeping rooms, you must have a connection time between 4h and 9h and the duration of one of your flights must be more than 8 hours. Unfortunately, Miles&Smiles Elite card holders and Star Alliance Gold card holders traveling in Economy Class are not eligible to use the sleeping room service. For sleeping room related issues please consult the this thread.
None of the international lounges have direct lounge access from the check-in hall; however, priority immigration and security checkpoint are available both for transfer passengers and passengers starting their journey in Istanbul.
Domestic Lounges:
The domestic lounge has two sections; one for Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Classic Plus and Elite card holders, Star Alliance Gold card holders and Turkish Corporate Club members (if they have a same day onward international connection); and the other one for Business Class passengers and Miles&Smiles Elite Plus card holders.
Miles&Smiles Elite passengers, Star Alliance Gold card holders and Turkish Corporate Club members can invite one guest into the lounge. Miles&Smiles Elite Plus passengers can also guest one passenger or their family members regardless of the number of people (spouse and children). Miles&Smiles Classic Plus card holders do not have the right to guest someone.
The lounge has a separate entrance and check-in lobby from the street, along with a special valet parking drop-off point. Transfer passengers and passengers who decide to use the main terminal building can also access this lounge by using the elevators across gates G6 and G7. Be aware that there are no lounge signs within the terminal so it's advised to follow signs for gates G6 and G7.
For discussions and questions regarding outstation lounges ( Moscow, Nairobi, Washington DC ) and all other domestic lounges ( including SAW ) please refer to the respective forum.
For PriorityPass Lounges in Istanbul Airport (IST) please consult this thread in the Europe forum or the Istanbul Airport Master Thread for questions regarding contract lounges.
This thread covers TK Lounges at IST airport.
Chart of Eligibility for Lounges:
Thanks to DELLAS for sharing this chart.
International Lounges:
Miles&Smiles Lounge: This lounge is open to all Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Elite, Elite Plus card holders and Star Alliance Gold status holders along with one of their guests when flying Turkish Airlines or another Star Alliance member. Miles&Smiles Elite Plus members are also able to guest family members regardless of the number of people (spouse and children). Also Turkish Corporate Club members are allowed to access this lounge with one fellow guest who holds a valid boarding pass on Turkish Airlines.
To access this lounge take the elevators across gate C1 to the mezzanine level.
Business Lounge: This lounge would be open for all Business Class passengers on Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance partners. Unfortunately, no guests are allowed to this lounge.
To access this lounge take the elevators across gate E1 to the mezzanine level.
Both lounges are non-smoking. The nearest "terrace" (IST does not advertise smoking areas) is: For the business lounge: exit via the escalators, turn left and left again, past the public rest areas, and the terrace is on the right hand side. For the M&S lounge: exit via the escalators, turn right and right again, past the public rest areas, and the terrace is on the left hand side. In both cases a 3 minute walk.
Exclusive Lounge: No details, no plans as of yet
Arrivals Lounge: No details, no plans as of yet
Both the Business Lounge and the Miles&Smiles Lounge have showers, sleeping rooms and Turkish speciality food.
To use the sleeping rooms, you must have a connection time between 4h and 9h and the duration of one of your flights must be more than 8 hours. Unfortunately, Miles&Smiles Elite card holders and Star Alliance Gold card holders traveling in Economy Class are not eligible to use the sleeping room service. For sleeping room related issues please consult the this thread.
None of the international lounges have direct lounge access from the check-in hall; however, priority immigration and security checkpoint are available both for transfer passengers and passengers starting their journey in Istanbul.
Domestic Lounges:
The domestic lounge has two sections; one for Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Classic Plus and Elite card holders, Star Alliance Gold card holders and Turkish Corporate Club members (if they have a same day onward international connection); and the other one for Business Class passengers and Miles&Smiles Elite Plus card holders.
Miles&Smiles Elite passengers, Star Alliance Gold card holders and Turkish Corporate Club members can invite one guest into the lounge. Miles&Smiles Elite Plus passengers can also guest one passenger or their family members regardless of the number of people (spouse and children). Miles&Smiles Classic Plus card holders do not have the right to guest someone.
The lounge has a separate entrance and check-in lobby from the street, along with a special valet parking drop-off point. Transfer passengers and passengers who decide to use the main terminal building can also access this lounge by using the elevators across gates G6 and G7. Be aware that there are no lounge signs within the terminal so it's advised to follow signs for gates G6 and G7.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #2 - Lounges
May 16, 2019, 10:58 pm
#181
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Luxembourg/Europe
Programs: Marriott, Lufthansa Miles&More, Accor
Posts: 24
I am very disappointed that Priority Pass has no lounge yet at the biggest airport. Had to pay 62€ at the IGA lounge, the 59€ entrance fee showed almost 62€ on my credit card slip. As the 4 scheduled layover hours turned into 6 additional hours, due to flight delay, this was my only comfortable alternative. For my return flight on Saturday, I can' t make use of my Priority Pass membership either. So won't probably renew my paid membership.
May 16, 2019, 11:03 pm
#182
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
I am very disappointed that Priority Pass has no lounge yet at the biggest airport. Had to pay 62€ at the IGA lounge, the 59€ entrance fee showed almost 62€ on my credit card slip. As the 4 scheduled layover hours turned into 6 additional hours, due to flight delay, this was my only comfortable alternative. For my return flight on Saturday, I can' t make use of my Priority Pass membership either. So won't probably renew my paid membership.
May 16, 2019, 11:08 pm
#183
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: TK M&S, LH MM, Global Entry, Hertz Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,087
May 22, 2019, 1:07 pm
#184
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
Just for those who wonder about the differences between the two different sections of the domestic lounge, I would share them with you.
For those who don't know, the domestic lounges have two rooms ( one for Classic Plus, Elite pax, Star Gold members and Corporate Club members and the other one for Elite Plus pax, and those traveling in Business Class );
Last week, I have visited the Classic Plus, Elite & Star Gold section of the lounge for the first time. Before the movement, only the Elite Plus & Business section was open so passengers were directed over there regardless of their status.
To compare both sections
- I could tell that both sections had nearly the same food offerings and the furniture was the same at all. However, the salad bar in the Elite section has slightly fewer options than the business section
- However, the Elite section had fewer drink options compared to the Business section. The business section has a large variety of soft drinks while the Elite section only had machine pressed Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and a freshly squeezed orange juice. By the way, I haven't seen the freshly squeezed orange juice in the Business section during my visit in January. The refrigerators around the lounge only have bottled water in the Elite section.
- Tea&coffee is self-service in the Elite section while there is a manned coffee bar in the business section.
- There were 3 computers in the Elite section while there were around 10 in the business section.
- There are no conference rooms in the Elite section while there are two in the business section.
- There is no kids zone or PlayStation consoles in the Elite section while they have a kids zone and game consoles in the business section.
- There are more TV's ( more TV channels ) available in the business section of the lounge compared to the Elite section of the lounge.
For those who don't know, the domestic lounges have two rooms ( one for Classic Plus, Elite pax, Star Gold members and Corporate Club members and the other one for Elite Plus pax, and those traveling in Business Class );
Last week, I have visited the Classic Plus, Elite & Star Gold section of the lounge for the first time. Before the movement, only the Elite Plus & Business section was open so passengers were directed over there regardless of their status.
To compare both sections
- I could tell that both sections had nearly the same food offerings and the furniture was the same at all. However, the salad bar in the Elite section has slightly fewer options than the business section
- However, the Elite section had fewer drink options compared to the Business section. The business section has a large variety of soft drinks while the Elite section only had machine pressed Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and a freshly squeezed orange juice. By the way, I haven't seen the freshly squeezed orange juice in the Business section during my visit in January. The refrigerators around the lounge only have bottled water in the Elite section.
- Tea&coffee is self-service in the Elite section while there is a manned coffee bar in the business section.
- There were 3 computers in the Elite section while there were around 10 in the business section.
- There are no conference rooms in the Elite section while there are two in the business section.
- There is no kids zone or PlayStation consoles in the Elite section while they have a kids zone and game consoles in the business section.
- There are more TV's ( more TV channels ) available in the business section of the lounge compared to the Elite section of the lounge.
May 23, 2019, 1:16 am
#185
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: TK Elite +, HHonors Gold
Posts: 38
See post #22 in this thread. Turkish Airlines defines family as a partner and children of the main cardholder so this could be confusing. E+ passengers could only benefit guesting their family at Turkish Airlines Lounges in Turkey when flying with Turkish Airlines.
However, last June when I was traveling to Greece on Aegean Airlines, back in Atatürk, someone in our party managed to enter the lounge with additional 2 family members alongside himself. In this situation, the main cardholder was an Elite Plus member.
However, last June when I was traveling to Greece on Aegean Airlines, back in Atatürk, someone in our party managed to enter the lounge with additional 2 family members alongside himself. In this situation, the main cardholder was an Elite Plus member.
Turkish Airlines Economy Class passengers, Miles&Smiles Elite, Elite Plus members with extra allowance of 1 guest or family member (partner or child)
Thanks in advance!
May 23, 2019, 1:53 am
#186
Moderator, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles & Accor ALL
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: BRU
Programs: TK*G, Accor ALL Platinum
Posts: 7,581
More details on the "exclusive" and arrivals lounge, though the access policy appears to be confused. https://www.businesstraveller.com/bu...rport-lounges/
May 23, 2019, 6:14 am
#188
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
@ISTFlyer I know we have established that Elite+ members can take their family into the Miles & Smiles lounge as well as the Domestic Lounge at IST Airport. Previously at Ataturk this benefit was also available to Elite members. Can you confirm that this benefit has been discontinued for Elite members? Per the Turkish airline website regarding access rules following is stated (https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-u...s/index.html):
Turkish Airlines Economy Class passengers, Miles&Smiles Elite, Elite Plus members with extra allowance of 1 guest or family member (partner or child)
Thanks in advance!
Turkish Airlines Economy Class passengers, Miles&Smiles Elite, Elite Plus members with extra allowance of 1 guest or family member (partner or child)
Thanks in advance!
The link that you have shared clearly indicates that Elite pax could guest their family.
However, you should manually register the boarding passes of your family at the front desk before entering the lounge.
May 24, 2019, 2:14 am
#190
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Jerusalem
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,281
Went through the new airport yesterday for the first time. A pleasant experience and I really liked the M&S lounge; for me a real improvement over the old one and the food as always outstanding. Without any doubt the most vegetarian / vegan friendly lounge in the world (and I have been in quite a few 
)
)
May 25, 2019, 1:10 am
#191
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: TK Elite +, HHonors Gold
Posts: 38
If your flight departs from Istanbul Airport and not an outstation, it's T-24.
I think you would be fine guesting your family members to the Miles&Smiles Lounge or the Domestic Lounge when you're Elite.
The link that you have shared clearly indicates that Elite pax could guest their family.
However, you should manually register the boarding passes of your family at the front desk before entering the lounge.
I think you would be fine guesting your family members to the Miles&Smiles Lounge or the Domestic Lounge when you're Elite.
The link that you have shared clearly indicates that Elite pax could guest their family.
However, you should manually register the boarding passes of your family at the front desk before entering the lounge.
May 27, 2019, 7:23 am
#193
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
For those who wonder, the image that cloudzocker has shared with us is from the Business, Elite Plus section of the domestic lounge.
May 31, 2019, 10:55 am
#195
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
@ISTFlyer do you know what sort of breakfast items are they serving in the Elite Plus/Business section of the domestic lounge? What about lunch items?
- Soup selections
- A salad bar with some mezzes
- Cake selections
- Simit with butter
- Bread selections
