Turkish Airlines Business Lounge in Istanbul (IST)-Overnight Review
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As the flagship lounge for Turkish Airlines, passengers from all over the world transit through Istanbul Airport and look up longingly at it on the upper floor. This is your inside scoop on what it is like to spend the night in the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge in Istanbul. Fresh food, plentiful seating, and special amenities, make it a treat to visit.
Arriving at Istanbul Airport & Finding Lounge
My arriving flight was a domestic one so it was a bit of a walk over to the main international terminal. The Turkish Airlines Business Lounge is located near Gate E1. Signs were easy to follow and once I made it over, I followed the signs for the lounge.
The first entrance I went to was the accessible entrance so I was told to go around to the main entrance. The main entrance is not directly in the duty free hallway, rather it is just to the side of it. Once there, you’ll see the escalator and attendant.
Entry Requirements
The attendant at the bottom of the escalators will ask if you are in business and then let you go up. You may enter the lounge if you have a business class ticket with Turkish Airlines or any Star Alliance Airline. Star Alliance Gold members also have access to the lounge and but may only bring a guest into the Miles & Smiles lounge.
While I had arrived on an economy class flight from Cappadocia (NAV), my next flight was in business class with Turkish Airlines to Zurich.
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At the top of the escalators you’ll see a row of agents at a desk to assist with transfers and access. I stopped here to ask about the availability of the sleeping rooms, but they let me know the it is the agents that are inside the lounge that will check on that.
TIP: Sleeping rooms may be available to business class passengers transiting from 4 to 9 hours on Turkish Airlines, arriving on an international flight, and departing on a long haul (8+ hours) international flight.
To enter the lounge, simply scan your boarding pass at the automated gates. I was able to enter without any problems and was greeted by the spacious modern interior. The lounge is large enough that there is signage to direct you to its various amenities.
Most of the amenities and seating are to the right. To the left is the computer center, lockers, more private seating, and the shower suites.
Food at the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge (Early Morning)
As you walk down the spacious hall you’ll find two live cooking stations. These had pretty much wrapped up operations for the night when I arrived at around 1 am, but the lounge was still quite busy. A little later in the morning, probably around 4:30, the cooking stations opened back up serving eggs. The eggs were made to order omelets at one station and done in another style at the other.
Towards the end of the lounge is a huge mezze bar that remained open all night. It is easy to put together a nice salad or variety of dips from the selection here. At the very back they bake fresh bread and do pressed sandwiches.
The croissant and omelet were very good. I imagine the sandwiches were as well, since I had one quite similar on one of my flights.
As you continue towards the back of the lounge you’ll find a barista there all night making coffee drinks. The cappuccino was excellent! There are also traditional Turkish drinks available and even one of the little bread carts that you’ll see all over Istanbul.
Near the barista station is the dessert table, with lots of cake and baklava options. There are several cold beverage fridges where you are free to grab water and soda.
For alcoholic drinks there is only a small bar cart of wines available that are self serve. This is a major point where offerings can be improved, but not inconsistent with my experience throughout the country.
Seating in the Turkish Airlines Lounge
I spent most of my night in one of these cocoon chairs once the lounge started emptying out. When I first arrived, most of the seats everywhere were taken so I sat at a table. I didn’t find any of the seats very comfortable, but I probably should have tried a few of the other spaces.
This room is has a tea station and more elegant seating, while the room just past it has dimmer lighting and is meant to be more like a lounge. Overall, there is tons of seating everywhere, so take a walk around to find your favorite.
Entertainment
There are a few activities here to pass the time including a golf simulator, flight simulator, and a small museum. There is also a kid’s play area. I did not try either simulator, preferring to relax, but they were popular when I first arrived.
The museum was a nice little stroll, as I appreciate the various campaigns and graphic design used for Turkish Airlines advertising over the decades.
Lockers
As a solo traveler, it was so awesome to have lockers! Securely store your belongings while walking around the lounge or hitting up the buffet. No more dragging your bag with you or looking over your shoulder.
The lockers are secured using your fingerprint, which is such a cool modern touch. There were plenty of these pretty glass boxes available, even when the lounge was busy.
Shower Cabins
If you would like to take a shower during your time at the lounge, check with the customer service agents to the left once entering. There may be a queue to get one. When I was there, they were all full, so I was put on the list and handed a buzzer that would go off once it was my turn.
It took around an hour to become available, but was well worth the wait. The shower cabins are beautifully finished in marble like stone with lots of lighting and mirrors. They wherever clean and had every amenity you could want.
Amenities in the shower cabins included a robe, slippers, towels, blow dryer, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. I definitely needed a shower after spending the day hiking before boarding my flight, so it was especially appreciated.
After I came out of the shower, it was back to waiting in the lounge. I grabbed breakfast and watched the airport ebb back to life as the night ended.
Overall Impressions
The Turkish Airlines Business Lounge is an entire floor worth of seating with fresh food available at nearly any hour. Superb showers and fun entertainment options make this lounge stand out from the crowd. However, alcoholic beverage options could be improved with an actual counter (not just a cart) and more variety. Besides that it was an excellent visit, and I was so grateful to have a nice place to eat, relax, and freshen up before my next flight.
