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 1, 2022, 12:56 am
#946
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,652
The last time I was there (February), there were pieces of baklava packed individually, but no cake (consisting of layers of cream and cake). Baklava was there in the afternoon and in the evening. They offer some sort of turkish cake, which is a sponge cake soaked in sugar syrup. I didn’t see any reporting here on flyertalk that the proper cakes have returned.
May 1, 2022, 1:39 am
#947
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
May 9, 2022, 12:29 am
#948
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle
Programs: UA MM Platinum, HH Diamond
Posts: 226
Flew IST-SFO and visited the Business class lounge Sat morning. An overall great experience and enjoyed both the breakfast and lunch offerings. They brought out baklava towers (not wrapped) and quite a few more food stations opened up for lunch around 11:30.
We found the lounge impressive, although my basis of comparison is mostly with UA's lounges in the US which pale in comparison...
Thanks ISTFlyer and others for all the great info and insights!
We found the lounge impressive, although my basis of comparison is mostly with UA's lounges in the US which pale in comparison...
Thanks ISTFlyer and others for all the great info and insights!
May 11, 2022, 1:55 pm
#949
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, VS Red, HH Gold, IHG Gold, Marriott Gold, SPG Basic, Alitalia Status Match
Posts: 1,173
My other favourite thing is the bowls of lokum at the tea stations!!!
May 11, 2022, 1:57 pm
#950
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: got2flyfar (YouTube)
Programs: FB Silver, TK Elite/*G, ITA Premium, Hilton Gold; BW Diamond Select; Radisson Premium
Posts: 513
Flew IST-SFO and visited the Business class lounge Sat morning. An overall great experience and enjoyed both the breakfast and lunch offerings. They brought out baklava towers (not wrapped) and quite a few more food stations opened up for lunch around 11:30.
We found the lounge impressive, although my basis of comparison is mostly with UA's lounges in the US which pale in comparison...
Thanks ISTFlyer and others for all the great info and insights!
We found the lounge impressive, although my basis of comparison is mostly with UA's lounges in the US which pale in comparison...
Thanks ISTFlyer and others for all the great info and insights!
May 12, 2022, 2:03 pm
#951
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle
Programs: UA MM Platinum, HH Diamond
Posts: 226
May 13, 2022, 7:11 pm
#955
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 701
We also have an early morning flight IST - ATH l(economy) eaving at 7:40 am. It's such a short flight, but we'll have to leave our hotel in Sultanahmet around 4:30 am.
Despite the short flight, would it be worth it to upgrade ourselves to J so we can use the lounge? We also have Priority Pass so if there's a different lounge we could use, we wouldn't have to upgrade our flight to J.
Despite the short flight, would it be worth it to upgrade ourselves to J so we can use the lounge? We also have Priority Pass so if there's a different lounge we could use, we wouldn't have to upgrade our flight to J.
May 13, 2022, 8:32 pm
#956
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,477
If you do get an upgrade, keep in mind that every TK flight I took, however short (even less than 1 hr), had catering in J. I personally find current catering in the air to be of much higher caliber (pun intended) than in the lounges.
May 14, 2022, 1:30 am
#957
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: got2flyfar (YouTube)
Programs: FB Silver, TK Elite/*G, ITA Premium, Hilton Gold; BW Diamond Select; Radisson Premium
Posts: 513
You will need to be at the gate 40 mins prior to your flight. So that would mean leaving the lounge at 6:10 or 6:15. The last time I was there in February, they started making hot breakfast options at or after 6:30
May 14, 2022, 1:33 am
#958
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: got2flyfar (YouTube)
Programs: FB Silver, TK Elite/*G, ITA Premium, Hilton Gold; BW Diamond Select; Radisson Premium
Posts: 513
IGA Lounge at IST accepts Priority Pass. If you search this thread, you'll find it mentioned a few times. When the TK lounges were overcrowded, the IGA lounge was often an oasis of calm.
If you do get an upgrade, keep in mind that every TK flight I took, however short (even less than 1 hr), had catering in J. I personally find current catering in the air to be of much higher caliber (pun intended) than in the lounges.
If you do get an upgrade, keep in mind that every TK flight I took, however short (even less than 1 hr), had catering in J. I personally find current catering in the air to be of much higher caliber (pun intended) than in the lounges.
May 19, 2022, 9:24 am
#960
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: M&S Elite+
Posts: 3,652