Turkish Lounge update: Food quality and variety is the same as pre-pandemic time.

Best of all Baklava is back :D


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Great update; thanks! I was definitely getting tired of the same items each time I visited last year.

Seems to me someone likes the baklava😀

Turkish Lounge

Stopped in Sunday from 1615-1645. Lounge was crowded. Food options pretty mediocre especially compared to a few years ago. Liquor situation is abysmal.

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On the upside, the food selection appears to be a vast improvement to what they have been offering the last year and a half. Looks to be much more to choose from.

Thanks for the update. While not ultra premium, the liquor selection doesn't strike me as "abysmal". Am I missing something?

In the past, the TK lounge has had Myanmar beer. A basic third world lager, but not the kind of thing you see very much in the US.

I don't think I'd use the word "abysmal", and I don't think it was ever top shelf, but it does look like a bit of a step down from previously. The primary thing I notice is no more actual Bourbon (formerly Wild Turkey). I am quite sure they had a nicer gin than Gordon's previously; maybe Bombay Sapphire? At least it's not Fleischmanns, though, eh? :p

Hope LH brings back liquor soon!

TK has less choices, but the bartenders have been awesome lately, and remember you now compared to before.

Agreed. Presentation aside, I'd be happy with the TK food pics above (and the liquor selection). It definitely looks pre-pandemic quality, based on my visits 6-12 months prior to the pandemic.

Haha. Yeah, I'll take Gordon's over Fleischmanns for sure. (I actually don't mind Gordon's at all for G&Ts, but not quite good enough to drink on its own).

I didn't notice the lack of a real bourbon.

Well I was missing something: a decent scotch, bourbon or vodka! Compare this to the selection at the VS Lounge which is accessible via Amex Platinum:

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And the last time I was there, the VS lounge champagne was Lanson Black Label. (AF, with PP, has Taittinger.) TK has at the most had prosecco, and sometimes not even that.

I'm nitpicking, but with respect to non-flavored vodka, those VS selections are just as "abysmal" (or good) as TK.

Do you need to be flying VS? or is any other airline permissible for entrance with a Platinum Card.. Never knew..

I was there on the 16th in the evening for a bit. My first time at the lounge so I have no comparison point. It was pretty crowded. The meatballs (I forget what the sauce was called) were delicious and that baklava was amazing. Definitely a worth detour from the 'food' at the United Club.

Any airline. It's applicable at JFK, EWR and SFO as well as all these lounges are now taken over by Plaza Premium. I got in with the same IAD-RDU BP I used to access the TK Lounge 10 minutes later.

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Currently chilling in TK lounge lounge, came around 2pm, it was practically empty. Food is very good, and booze is great. Definitely worth it. ​ ​​​​​​​​​​​

How far is the TK lounge from the C gates (roughly)?

It's in Terminal B, so you would have to take a train or shuttle. United App navigation says 30 minutes give or take.

Got it, thanks

I’d put it at 15-20min depending on where in C you are going/coming from. The fastest I’ve gotten to C is about 10min.

I did actually clocked myself, it took approximately 15-17 minutes for me to get to the beginning of terminal C, and 30 minutes to my gate D19.

What was your routing for that? I usually walk to A and take the moon buggy to D, takes 3-5 min longer than B to C on the train.

I actually went to the beginning of A, approximately A15, and took the train. It was some walk from train to C, but it was actually not that bad. ​​​

If you’re going to the D gates that’s the best way to go in my opinion especially if you’re going to the Air France lounge . If you’re at TK/LH I would take the train to C and walk

I was at TK lounge, and simply followed United App directions ​​​. I'll experiment next time ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

If you have the Amex Platinum card, use the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club lounge instead. It's much quieter, since it doesn't belong to Priority Pass

The AF / KLM lounge depends on capacity controls, for Priority Pass holders - I've visited in the evening and they've let me in, on numerous occassions

Im a fan of the Champagne at AF, the French Bread sandwiches are pretty good too.

Thanks for the tip on Virgin Atlantic, read that a month or so ago here in this thread.. Never knew

I figure in about 30 minutes from when boarding starts. I don't like to cut it too close. Incidentally, the train station elevator across from the BA lounge is faster than the escalator. Save 15 seconds!

That escalator is fun! Why skip it??

I typically leave TK/LH lounge at 40-50 min before the departure time of my UA flight on Concourse C/D, depending upon the exact gate. Since I need to arrive at gate at T-15 min or earlier, the travel time from the lounge to the gate is between 20-30 min (ideally, arrive at T-20 min, not T-15 min). If I take the train to any C gate and lower D gates, I walk to the Concourse B station from LH lounge, but Concourse A station from TK lounge. If the flight is on high D gates, take the train to the "Terminal" station and then shuttle to Concourse D.

NB: I am a fast walker, but some tall ladies may past me occasionally. :(.

I was coming back from DTW last week and the late IAD-RDU took an hour delay to 11:15 PM. The latest UC closes at 10 PM. Luckily the TK Lounge was open until 11 PM this week only.

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Food quality had noticeably improved since my last visit in February too.

What lounge would be best if arriving at the “Z” gates and departing from the “C” gates? 2 hour layover. Also, best routing from “Z” to C17?

Walk to Terminal station and one stop to Terminal B station, then walk to either LH or TK lounge or both.

Glad to see TK is improving. Any recent info on LH? Frankly, I was fairly happy with the UA Club at C17 last week. Finally some fresh food and the soup was OK. Always friendly bartenders at C7 also.

Wait a minute! Friendly Bartenders at IAD, especially at C7??

LH is only open till 4 or 6 pm.

I'd walk on the underground connector from Z/main to the midfield A/B. TK lounge is closer this way.

From TK to C gates you’re walking to the A gates to pick up the train to C. You probably need to budget 25-30 mins for that trip.

I've done AF/TK/LH on a 60min connection but I definitely got my heart rate up. This was usually going from D to A. I use to do the train but I've switched to taking the "shuttle" to get to B then walk across. Now this was back during the height of the pandemic where I could easily get upgraded on IAD-SEA even on an award ticket. (Ofcourse back then, an upgrade wasnt worth much as sometimes I'd just get pretzels and a stroopwafel for the entire flight). One time I lucked out and the UA flight arrived at B for some reason. The lounges were at their all time lows in terms of food, I'd just pop in to get something to eat and see if there was any improvement. Ofcourse things have greatly improved at the same time my upgrade chances have gone to nil. I haven't been through IAD lately unless flying intl and I've been going to the PL and restaurant across. I might swing past the lounges again. I typically have a very long layover at IAD because my connection choice is either a 1hr layer or a 5-6hr layover and I won't risk missing an intl flight on a 1hr layover. Luckily, the PL is comfortable enough to be able to get some work done or take a nap.