11. July 2025
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Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business at Istanbul Airport (IST)

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business at Istanbul Airport (IST)
4.5

Rating

 4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Huge lounge
  • Very nice design
  • Amazing food options

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Drink supply not ideal
  • Still feels to have a too small capacity

I am a transport and aviation nerd. Thus, it might not be too surprising that one of the key motivations of my May 2025 trip to Istanbul has actually been to explore the new Istanbul Airport (IST) and its facilities. I was especially curious about the flagship lounge product of local provider Turkish Airlines. The Turkish Airlines Lounge Business comes with a really good reputatation – but of course, I wanted to go for my own thoughts. Here is my lounge review.

 

 

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST) – Location & Access

The lounge is located in the international section of Istanbul Airport (IST). There are two entrances to the lounge. The one you might likely see first is within the shopping area. However, it is limited to passengers with mobility limitations. The in fact entrance is close to gate E1, where escalators take you to the upper level.

The lounge is open 24 hours, every day of the week. It is limited to business class passengers, either on Turkish Airlines themselves or on one of their Star Alliance partners. This includes First Class travelers for those airline partners who drive that experience. In case you have an eligible status at Turkish Airlines or fly on a first class ticket on a Star Alliance airline, you can bring a guest with you. Passengers having other Star Alliance eligibility, e.g. Star Alliance Gold members or certain credit card holders, may use the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Lounge.

 

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST) – Atmosphere

After passing the entrance gates, you run into a large screen with directions given next to it. This is absolutely necessary, as the lounge is huge. On the other hand, I have traveled there on Sunday noon and it felt quite packed as well. Finding a table – and keeping it – felt very difficult. The lounge features a main corridor, which already has some cooking stations. Additional rooms are next to the hallway. At one end, there is a major seating area. On the other end, there is an area to work. The design of the lounge coming with different areas is nice. Nonetheless, you just cannot deny a certain level of stress and hectic. There are a lot of special areas, like a TV / cinema-alike place and a playground for the younger visitors.

 

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST) – Food & Drink

If you are foodie, you will likely love the lounge. Practically all warm dishes, apart from soup are prepared fresh in live cooking stations. In addition, there are additional dish section. The salad buffet is huge, there is also a nice buffet of Turkish sweets and desserts. Thereby, there is a nice leverage of international dishes as well as local cuisine. An absolutely outstanding performance by Turkish Airlines.

The drink situation is a but more tricky. There are multiple open fridges throughout the lounge. Some just offer a few drinks like water and beer, some others have a wider range. There are also other alcoholic drinks available, but I could not find out how exactly it is working. This illustrates that even for a more experienced traveler, the lounge may be overwhelming.

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST) – Services

The staff in the lounge was very friendly. Cleaning tables, maintaining the buffets and similar services went very well during my visit. The lounge does offer WiFi. The login process at the airport, including the lounge, is a bit of bothering, though. Of course, the lounge offers toilets and showers. The lounge also offers luggage lockers right behind the reception desk. There are also two spots to hang out and have fun. One is a VR lying flight simulator. The other one is the legendary golf simulator, which was rather frequently used during my visit.

 

Turkish Airlines Museum

The Turkish Airlines Lounge Business at Istanbul (IST) also features a room, which illustrates the development of the airline. This is majorly done by advertisements and posters, but there are also more detailed information signs (in Turkish and English).  A really nice perk of this place is that you can take some of the exhibits with you as postcard prints for free.

 

Turkish Airlines Lounge Business Istanbul (IST) – My View

Wow, the Turkish Airlines Lounge Business at Istanbul Airport (IST) is impressing. The design is amazing and it offers a wide variety of seating options. Furthermore, I really liked the additional entertainment options and the small aviation museum. Unfortunately, the lounge still felt too small, despite its large size. Turkish Airlines more or less just have that hub for their international connections, so that even a large lounge might not be large enough.

 

The Best Lounge Reviews

Here are all my lounge reviews, having a rating better than 4.0, in descending order of the rating:

 

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