A well-traveled friend of mine flew Turkish Airlines earlier today for the first time. I had advised him that he was in for a treat while passing through Istanbul but instead, he sent me a series of pictures that makes me wonder why Turkish Airlines has let its lounge become a homeless shelter.
Turkish Airlines Lounge In Istanbul Becomes A Homeless Shelter
He arrived at 5:00 am and had a three-hour connection before his connecting flight. As he was flying in business class, he had access to the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, which I’ve reviewed here and enjoyed several times, including as recently as a few months ago.
But upon surveying the premises as he walked in, he texted me that he found it more like a bus station or homeless shelter than a premium cabin lounge:
I understand his disappointment.
Two problems are going on here. First, Turkish Airlines does not do flight banking very well (its massive flight schedule and questionable new airport make this difficult), meaning many connecting passengers wind up with very long layovers. Second, Turkish Airlines does not appear to enforce any sort of decorum in the lounge when it comes to sleeping.
Let me say that I am thankful that the Turkish Airlines lounge is 24-7 and I understand that Turkish cannot provide hundreds of sleeping rooms or even curtained chaise lounges (where I have spent a night a couple of years ago). Still, I would expect Turkish Airlines to advise passengers not to use the furniture to put their feet on or move couches and tables together to create beds. It’s rude and depending upon the personal hygiene of the passengers, disgusting.
CONCLUSION
My friend got up and left, spending the remainder of his layover at a “more civil” coffee shop in the terminal.
Guess who won’t be rushing to fly Turkish Airlines again, and he pays cash for business class? While flight schedules naturally lead to extended time in lounges, Turkish Airlines should do a much better job of not allowing passengers to create beds from lounge furniture not intended for that and stop them from putting their feet up on tables, chairs, and couches. After all, this is the flagship lounge…
This is what happens when there are no clear rules, or rules that are not enforced. All the blue states in the US have real homeless problems, again rules that are enforced. And of course two faced, hypocritical progressives, that will stand in the way of a solution because it is not perfect, but offer no solution of their own.
And this US-related politically-charged comment relates exactly how to the lounge issue described in the article? Or is this just another forum for your political views?
That’s what I was thinking. Also the fact that it is 5 am has something to do with that picture.
So it’s ok to flash mob a lounge, move furniture around to make beds, place feet all over lounge furniture (including tables people eat on), all because it’s 5AM? Hmm.
I agree with everything you say but “mob a lounge”. If they have business class tickets, Turkish Airlines gave them access to the lounge. This isnt a lounge you can access through a credit card.
What does 5am in IST have to do with anything?
Thank you! My sentiments exactly.
Please keep this space not political. Your diatribe is getting old.
Yep it looks just like a Democrat run city. Most people flying now look like a bunch of slobs going to a slumber party, sweatpants, PJ’s, slippers etc… Amazing that when I fly in Mexico everyone is dressed nice, and they are supposed to be “Poor”. Enjoy your Brandon everyone!
Grow up…..
Enjoying hom much better than the orange turd
I’m sure you are, amazing what haterd does to critical thinking
Who is Brandon?
Don’t you have an abortion clinic to picket?
Or Top Secret files to hide in some storage room?
This comment is HILARIOUS considering EVERY single Southern state is run by Republicans and EVERY single one takes in more in federal funds than they pay in federal taxes. Putting aside that that is the very definition of socialism (the irony is completely lost on the GQP goobers), it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that all of those states are at the very bottom of high school graduation rates and literacy rates. PRO TIP: Your whining about “blue” cities and states while ignoring the pathetic welfare queens of the red states keeping their populations under-educated and under-employable — states which the blue states end up heavily subsidizing — is pathetic and laughable. Nobody is buying your BS, so YOU enjoy YOUR Brandon, clown!
I would strongly encourage you to limit your travel to the red states you so clearly prefer.
LOL! Great response……I would add also ‘red countries’…..lots of empty hotel rooms in Moscow and Istanbul (clearly, from the pics above) these days…..lots of empty hotel rooms. They are just waiting for you and your moronic opinions ‘Frank’!
There is no scope for politics. I am just pointing out if the rules do not get enforced properly what can happen. Pretty soon we will have these homeless people shooting drugs, shitting on the sofas, gays having sex openly and fat women beating you up because you called them, she instead of her or they or whatever. And all the while people encouraging this deviant behavior. Your behavior is fine as long as it does not affect other people’s rights and conveniences. Some people don’t understand this.
This is a slippery slope and it’s better to nip it in the bud. Let’s hope the lounge managers are not corrupt like the blue state politicians. Please do not bring politics into this conversation.
1. This was Turkey. You have no clue.
2. People trying to get some sleep with their shoes off is not “deviant behavior.”
Good to see another of the chuds. Mass shooting is fine as long, kids dying is fine as long as its in the red states!
This comment is insane and completely irrelevant to anything. Why do so many readers here feel the need to insert their asinine political views into an apolitical travel article? These people are constantly triggered by nothing. Go somewhere else with your nonsense.
Merchants in san francisco are getting together and refusing to pay property taxes because of the homelessness problem and this exactly the kind of energy needed to get fast, lazy, overpaid progressives to take their jobs seriously.
How can we do something similar in this lounge so people behave themselves? Don’t let the homelessness problem take root in the lounge.
Agree…reminds me of San Fecescisco on a good day.
Another opportunity to rant about Democrats, huh? Stupidity often manifests as in repeating the same old tired content no what is currently being discussed in any setting. You illustrated this point beautifully.
I don’t have a clue where you were going with this, but it sounds like you’re trying to make a political statement about homelessness in the US when we’re talking about a business class lounge in Istanbul. Your statements are getting old and tired, go do something useful with your sad self.
Turkish Airlines run by islamic militants AKA AKP.
This is normal for them.
Silliness, homeless go to where the weather is best, California. I know you want to ask how do they get there if they’re homeless, the same way illegals get to the border, they walk, though Americans don’t get a sandwich and $20 for walking 3000 miles.
The pictures are awful. I passed through there multiples in the last two years and have noticed the same.
I have not been to the new lounge, but I’ve been to the old lounge several times over the years, and this was pretty much par for the course in my experience…
Not homeless, but the last time I used the lounge, all the rest and relax beds were claimed and covered by a huge group of entitled wealthy Asian passengers who I noticed were NOT there nor in the dining and drink area but using the rooms as free storage. I never figured out where they were but I was severely tempted to either pile all up and mix up all of their luggage.
In the scale of the TK operation at IST, some layovers will be long and in addition sometimes opting for a longer layover will reduce the price of their business class fares significantly and in the case of SE Asia to Europe, waiting for the second connection of the day rather than taking the first one can easily save you €500 per ticket so people do.
In times past at Ataturk you would have easily had time to go down town but at the new airport that’s not possible. There are also cultural differences about what is acceptable in different countries and if you are travelling with the airline of another country you should familiarise yourself with the culture of the country and not expect your own.
A solution may be, given the size of this lounge to dedicate some of it as a sleeping area because the same thing happens with evening departures, choose a longer layover and it’s cheaper.
It is though, an excellent lounge.
What culture deems it ok that business class passengers can put their dirty travel feet on tables in upscale flagship lounges? Not being confrontational, but that struck me as funny.
If you visit some third world countries (e.g. Pakistan, Afghanistan), you will quickly notice that people don’t really care about hygiene. Try flying from airports in those countries and you can see how people behave comparing to those in the Western world.
@ Peter, Yes, because Afghan travelers are all rushing to the Turkish business class lounge in droves with their tickets in hand. I mean, really?
I don’t think you’ve travelled widely enough to make that comment.
Is this the Business Lounge or Miles & Smiles?
Not that it really matters, but the Business is usually less crowded…..but they’ve been like this, sans COVID-19, pretty much since they moved the the new IST.
Business Lounge.
This is why I find using 9k Chase UR points worth it for the YotelAir. Their check-in and check-out times are ludicrous (8pm-6am) but it’s a much better place to chill, take a nap and have a shower.
TK is over scheduling this summer – the 330/777 short sector rotations to EU/TLV do not actually fit in the schedule and therefore the 2am eastbound long haul bank to Asia is routinely delayed 5-7 hours. Those flights get delayed because they have long ground times in Asia so the return flight is able to depart on time even though inbound aircraft is hours late. They cannot get slot dispensation in these Asian countries so have decided to just go rogue and deliberately operate off schedule. Therefore they have a massive amount of delayed passengers every day from 2-7am.
Looks like some dystopian image of first world refugees fleeing their homes and taking control of global airport lounges.
I was there very recently and I didn’t notice anything different from what I saw at other similar lounges. The only objection I had was the very high temperature inside the lounge and throughout most of the airport. Otherwise the lounge was great: exceptional food, exceptionally clean restrooms, decent Wi-Fi speeds, relatively quiet etc. I wouldn’t hesitate flying TK again.
Next week I’m flying through Amsterdam and I’m not looking forward to it.
I’d totally be down to share this lounge for the actually homeless – it’d be a good use of space!
I think it’s reasonable to have different standards for paying passengers in the lounge though…
One person disgust is another person normal. And it is another country where their norms and our aren’t necessarily aligned.
None of this is acceptable in Turkish culture, which is no different than the rest of European culture in this regard
I was at IST last week, I found it to be a generally annoying airport with terrible wayfinding.
There is a perfectly fine (and not terribly expensive) airside Yotel not more than 400 yards from the lounge. If you have a long layover and want to sleep (as I did last year), get a room there.
Thank God I don’t transit through there at those times…
@Aaron, Yes, but remember those feet next time you are sitting at one of those tables, lol. Let’s hope they do a major scrubbing after these early morning bank of flights!
I’ll bring some extra wipes just in case…
I have been in the business class lounge in Istanbul a few times. There’s a miles and more lounge too. Agree 100% that people treat the place terribly. Feet on chairs and couches is the norm. Don’t go in the movie theatre because that’s where the deep sleeping and snoring is happening. Uncivil and unclean. No thank you Turkish.
You should not be posting close up pics of people without asking for permission.
Too bad.
lol @ Matthew. Best reply ever.
Too bad you have less class than the “homeless” people whose pictures you put up. This article is so arrogant and tone deaf it isn’t funny. Typical “ugly American.”
speak for yourself. I find Matthew’s comment spot on.
@Bubba. The premise of “Ugly American” is steeped in the idea of a lack of respect towards cultures in proper dress and behavior. Kind of like what you see at the lounge in this photo from many different cultures. So I guess Americans are not so uniquely “ugly” after all.
Hilarious… have you ever lived among the homeless? As a solo female traveler I desire not to be accosted or approached by anyone in the airport.
I am tired of romanticizing the noble homeless just like we used to do with the noble savage.
Actually, Matthew, he has a point. Using someone else’s image without permission for profit/income (which this blog turns through ads and sponsored links) may at some point and in certain cases run you into an issue. It has nothing to do with the expectation of privacy (or lack thereof) at the TK lounge (that may allow for someone to snap the pictures, depending on what the law in Turkey is – this legal test, while commonplace in Common Law jurisdictions, isn’t applicable in most Civil Law countries, which tend to that have stricter privacy standards even when in a “public” space), but with the commercial use of those people’s image by publishing them on the blog. At least you could pixelate their faces, the pics would still convey the same meaning.
Thank you for reciting your wikipedia legal research.
If it has nothing to do with privacy then why are you suggesting the solution is to pixelate people’s faces. With your logic I guess you would also think that every time news cameras take footage on the street they should blur everyone’s faces too. Get a grip
Like that attitude!
@Sunil…why not?
I wonder if part of this problem is due to the new airport location. Back when I was going to fly Turkish for the first time, I was excited about the possibility of taking advantage of a problem that if your layover was being something like 8 to 16 hours, they’d provide a tour of Istanbul for free. I’d rather enjoy that than pass out in the business class lounge. Have new communications/rail lines been put in place yet between the IST airport and Istanbul?
Metro line M11 is currently delayed till October and Turkish Airlines advise against going into Istanbul with less than 10 hours. I will be bringing extra sanitizing wipes when I travel through there next month.
It`s disgusting with feets and shoes on a table, agreed! and that has nothing to do with culture, but all to do with intitlement and bad manners.
When it comes to people having a lay down on a sofa at 5am, if space permits it and one does it with respect, I truly can`t see the problem.
To be honest I would choose Turkish Airlines Business lounge over nearly all North American lounges whitch grants acces to half the airport because of CC and other non travel related merits.
My last visit to JFK`s Terminal 4 Skyclub was more like entering a Zoo, with people restlesly wandering around looking for a place to sit and way over capacity. Or long lines outside Air Canada`s Maple leaf lounges for people to enter, the list goes on.
Agree and disagree. Not picking on a specific culture here but maybe the bad manners and horrible behavior of many people from the same culture ends up defining it. Very common to see people from a specific country spit on the floor and blow snots from their noses on streets and airports like that is nothing out of the ordinary. When most of them do that, it defines their culture or at least how people perceive it. Same as putting their bare feet on tables. Very common practice in some countries. Disgusting!!!
Matt, are you absolutely sure your friend didn’t go to the IGA lounge on accident?
Ha. I’m sure.
My wife and I visited the IGA lounge at IST twice during a trip last September and thought it was excellent. Looked nothing like this!
This was the Turkish Lounge. IGA lounge isn’t bad…different furniture.
Did the IGA lounge last year at IST…everything was great — except the food was terrible.
Liked the piano playing. Based on these photos…I’m glad I don’t have an IST connection with Turkish.
It’s a big, wonderful lounge w great food and amenities (golf, Xbox, slot cars, showers, sleep pods, etc). Clearly, at 5am people want to sleep. That said, keep your feet off the furniture.
Oh god, please tell me it clears out a bit by mid-late morning.
Yes, it will.
Singapore Airlines lounges at Changi look much the same – flip flops, sports bras, elephant pants and swimsuits. I remember when everyone had to wear long pants (not elephant pants) or they would be denied entry.
I don’t mind people wearing sports bra in airport lounges. :DDDD
Thanks for saying people instead of hot girls, now I can’t get the picture of some fat dude with moobs wearing a sports bra out of my mind.
Having only accessed ‘standard’ airline lines internationally over years of travel, I’d rate the Turkish Airlines flagship lounge as just about the best lounge experience I’ve had. It’s sad to see this happen there, perhaps partly a result of travel during the pandemic.
Come to think of it, the quality and service of American and United Airlines lines in the US had dropped so much, using them as homeless shelters is a good idea!
There was a time when I would have agreed on this complaint. Now, in our dystopia of COVID-19 masks, wherin both overly-sensitive persons and identity-hiding thieves wear masks, I shockingly, actually agree with M. Klint’s too bad response.
I like the term EMOTIONALLY FRAGILE.
No one wonders why….look out for those microplastics in plastic tea bags…..endocrine disruptors…
heat & plastic….that’s one vector. Atrazine is another. And then there’s EMF weakening the system….
I’ve been in that lounge many many times as well as business lounges all over the world. In a lot of them that are open 24 hours the staff will allow folks to try and get some sleep to accommodate extraordinarily long layovers and flight arrivals quite different than those experience in the US or Europe. I find it a bit snobby that the commenter comes in at 5am on the tail end of a long night from exhausted passengers with limited options and took pictures of them trying to make the best of the situation. Had he returned a couple hours later during “business hours” the scene would have been a lot different.
This is the whole ugly American thing, where you think your standards and worldview must be accepted by others because you are just so superior. It’s pretty tactless.
I agree.
Most “business” lounges come complete with two or three homeless passengers with their feet up on the furniture.
This year, I have only seen tourists in baggy shorts and dirty tee-shirts and no persons in tradional business attire in “business”lounges. Is all business now on Zoom and avoiding air travel?
The bar and liquor corner of these “business” lounges offer no escape from one or two families with loud toddlers who strangely decide to set up camp right next to the hard liquor dispensary.
The few exceptional business lounges prove the rule of how polloi lounges.
I travel weekly for business. I also travel regularly for leisure. I live in a warm climate. 100% of the time when I’m in a lounge, I am wearing shorts and a T-shirt with flip flops. If I’m coming straight from a meeting, I change once I get to the airport. Dressing up to fly simply isn’t an expectation anymore.
I tend to think the only real way to avoid this problem is for the lounge to close for a bit overnight — even just an hour or two.
That prevents the most egregious instances of this sort of “camping” behavior and enables them to fully clean the lounge every day (come to think of it, how is Turkish cleaning the lounge if it is like this overnight?). Otherwise, this seems like the inevitable result of human nature if you’re going to have large number of passengers overnighting in the terminal.
This 24-hour schedule seems to mainly be a feature of the Middle East + Turkish carriers, and I’m not really sure it is that much of a selling point.
I agree that Turkiye Airlines is one of the best airlines and it’s staff exceptionally polite and courteous. I have noticed that the Business class passengers lounge has indeed changed, as described in the photos. I believe that out of the well known characters of Turkiye people being hospitable, passengers are misusing the courtesy given to them. There are in terminal airports which such passengers can use if they intend to find a bed to sleep on. On the other hand, I think it may be worthwhile informing passengers of the etiquette of using a lounge.
it’s called TURKISH and it sucks
Admit it. It’s all about race and culture.
The photos of the sleeping passengers includes Asians AND Caucasians. Admit it, race and culture have nothing to do with it at all.
I always laugh when I read these. Your friend was horrified that some of his entitlement was taken away.
It was 5am after all. What are most people doing at that hour anyway.
Problems of the 1%.
stfu a lounge like that is disgusting and absolutely disgraceful and appaling… BITCH
The whole airport is like that. After I finally found the marginal contract lounge (flying back to the U.S on BA via LHR) I found my first available seat. I’m a disabled veteran, mobile but obviously working at it, with major repairs to my right leg including several bone grafts and metal plates. Hoping to stop for a short rest enroute to the lounge, I asked a couple of sprawled bodies occupying more than one spot if I could sit there. If looks could kill, I’d have been a goner. I’ll make sure I skip IST on future travels,
If you spent time with the US military, I am sure you are used to seeing infinitely worse things than people sleeping in a luxury lounge. How about showering together ? I hear that goes on in the US military.
At least these people are inside the lounge. At each Delta Sky Lounge in Atlanta, there’s a horde in line trying to get in.
Elitist much? Only answer: yes. Yes you are. There is nothing pleasant anymore about travel. It is an exhausting free for all. And no most airports do not have sleeping facilities anymore. So this is the consequence. Create the ability to have rest spaces we pay for where you can lay down like nap cubes behind security in Munich. Or spaces within the club that allow you to lay down. Don’t get mad at exhausted people for sleeping. The pearl clutching is ridiculous. This just says no one commenting here knows what it means to actually be homeless. Because it doesn’t really look anything like that. The only one that was a bad photo was the bare feet. Otherwise so what. Non story.
I’ve never heard this phrase “pearl clutching” before — but I find it humorous. Thanks for the laugh!
My experience says it has more to do with timing than IST itself.
I’ve seen pretty much the same pictures in early hours (6-7 am) in BA LHR lounges, KLM AMS lounge and other places. It’s totally disgusting, but it’s kinda widespread. I understand why staffs don’t want to deal with it. That would quickly escalate to a fight (hopefully verbal). If you think a simple note would work for someone putting bare dirty feet on a table you’re being naive.
It’s worse in IST because:
– lounge being open at night
– disproportionally large number of passengers coming from certain regions
Airlines can totally deal with it. First of all they need to offer massive dark “relaxation” areas for napping. Of course they won’t, real estate. So we’ve got what we’ve got.
I remember dark relaxing room in old KLM non shengen lounge. It was a good idea and there were always people loudly snoring inside. Comes to the new lounge. They’ve got a couple pay per use nap room. Voi la.
The nap rooms at KLM non-Schengen (52) lounge is “only” 75€ for 5 hour. Not even free or discounted for Flying blue Platinum members, as me. I really don`t think that statuates anuthing positive at that price.
I`m also Elite plus with Turkish Airlines which contrary to KLM grants me free access to a really nice sleeping room in both the Business and Miles & Smiles lounges for free, if my connection is under 9 hours. (or a free hotel if it`s over 9 hours) Thats Voi la in my book.
Totally agree with the dark relaxing room in the old KLM non shengen lounge. It shall be missed 🙂
I love the KLM napping room! It’s quiet and private!! It’s worth spending 75 euros!!
Are you Elite with Flying Blue?
This absolutely not my experience with the Turkish business lounge. I always look forward to my visit there. It is clean, quiet, spacious and offers great services and food.
One exception: when there is a meltdown with multiple flight cancellations, then the lounge is flooded with hundreds ho stranded passangers that stay there for very long times. Then it’s every man for himself.
I’ve seen the lounge crowded, but never like this – it has also not been my personal expreience.
and YES (someone mentioned that before). TK routinely price convenient short connections much higher than long and overnight ones.
I don’t think they do it with the aim of charging more for a shorter connection, it’s just that the morning flights to business destinations are easier to fill than the ones during the middle of the day. You would still pay more for that morning flight if you were originating from IST.
I am totally fine with this, indeed I commend TK for having a 24-hour lounge. Every so often, I find myself doing overnight connections for travel within Europe (most of my travel is personal/leisure and I don’t want to lose a day’s annual leave to a short haul trip) and I always get worked up by the Swiss policy of selling overnight connections then barring you from entering the lounge for a quick snack and a glass of wine when you arrive at ZRH at 21:00 (when connecting to the UK, the flights are super early, too, which means there’s no point paying for a hotel and you barely have time for a coffee between lounge opening and boarding time).
I can understand that someone may find the scene somewhat distasteful, but to me this is one of the silliest reasons for avoiding an airline. Had I been avoiding airlines that use underwhelming lounges, I would probably end up achieving elite status with Flixbus/Eurolines.
Looks like a nice part of downtown Seattle on a Tuesday.
The solution is to Americanize this lounge so that it is uncomfortable and unpleasant enough that the pax leave and go elsewhere.
I agree 100% with this post. Many people using this lounge engage in disgusting, selfish behavior: feet up, using multiple seats etc. This should be better controlled and more, proper rest space should be provided.
That said I am usually able to find a quiet seating area (in what I call the library area). The food is good, the wine is ok and my spot is usually quiet.
On my last transit in June I took advantage of TK’s free hotel option for travelers with a layover exceeding 9 hours. I spent 4-5 hours in a hotel room and it was refreshing and made the layover time pass quicker.
But doesn’t Turkish offer hotel rooms for layovers longer than 9hrs? I’ll be traveling through IST in a couple weeks with a 19hr layover. I had a hotel booked downtown (~40 mins away) but cancelled because someone told me that they offer hotel rooms for free for those traveling on long layovers flying Turkish? I definitely don’t want to be stuck in a lounge like this for that long. Should I rebook my hotel?
For business class travellers the TK free hotel is available if the layover exceeds 9 hours. I used the service in June. It was good.
Yes, but only if the connection is necessitated by the schedule. If you book a longer connection to save money, you generally don’t qualify.
For business class travellers the TK free hotel is available if the layover exceeds 9 hours. I used the service in June. It was good.
Low class trash ,what else can u call someone who does something like that?
Tired, frustrated, fed up, stuck.
Any way to tell if this is normal? I flew Turkish in early 2020 (pre-Covid) and the lounge was not overly full. If this really is the new normal, I need to start hunting for award space for alternatives later this year.
Hopefuly we will get some more feedback from other readers. I was there in the late-aftenroon a few months back and it was not crowded at all.
I was there twice earlier this month including one long layover which started at around 0530.
Yes, that section of the lounge with the white sofas has a good number of people sleeping but there were plenty of other areas with different types of seating arrangements and I had no difficulty finding anywhere to sit, although the lounge was busy.
You do raise a fair point about having a cordoned off sleeping area, though.
I been traveling with Turkish airlines since 2015 going to the middle east but guess what I just came last month of course I got round trip ticket , their service is very bad passenger’s have to go to the kitchen to get water they don’t serve any anything only dinner and breakfast nothing else in between they’re discussting they are very rude , I asked one the workers front the plane gate he said NO English if you don’t speak English why are you working in international terminal, anyway Turkish airline I’m done with it not anymore.
I see nothing wrong with these photos at all. If people want to use sofas to sleep, let them do so. Live and let live.
Looks good to me I had to pay 14$×2 a beer to sleep in a pub as cost to much in that comfy lounge
Okay, so while I understand where you’re coming from, I believe that this article is a bit tone deaf and inconsiderate, not to mention the comment section.
Let me tell a little bit you about the journey that I performed in July and August 2022, flying turkish airlines business class with my family. We departed Dammam at around 2 am and arrived at Istanbul at 6am. We had a 12 hour transit, and were denied a room in the lounge, because according to their rules, you are only eligible for a room if your transit time is 4-9 hours. We also couldn’t leave the airport, because we travelled a week after Eid Al Adha (Muslim celebration). This meant that most offices and stores were closed for 10-15 working days, including some embassies and consulates. So, we were unable to obtain visas to leave the airport. According to this article and many people in the comment section, you are supposed to follow decorum, and not sleep on the couches as it ruins the image of the premium lounge. Try having a 12 hour lay over. My family and I were absolutely exhausted and had no choice but to sleep on those couches. There’s no way you can argue your case that nobody else in our position would do the exact SAME. This lay over was followed by another 8 hour flight to Ouagadougou with a 2 hour lay over, and then a 3 hour journey to Freetown.
The return journey was more or less the same, with a 9 hour transit. So fortunately, we were able to get rooms. I’m not sure if y’all are aware of this, but as someone who is an avid traveller and has travelled to over 20 countries, it is safe to say that in airports ALL over the world, you will encounter tired passengers, who tend to sleep on the airport chairs, couches, floors and even tables. Flying business doesn’t make you any less tired. If you mean to say that even with impossibly long lay overs, you’re still supposed to sit upright and dignified on couches just because you’re in a premium airport lounge, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed and you will hardly ever see this.
That’s why there are transit hotels, including at IST. The Yotel would have offered you a perfect solution. Business class lounges are not there for you to rearrange the furniture, put your dirty feet on tables, create makeshift beds, and the rest. It’s meant to be a comfortable place to have a snack, wait in a nicer atmosphere, work, and relax in proper fashion. If there are sleep pods, great, if they are booked, it does not give you the right to make your own.
An example, I had a 13 hour layover in Muscat two months ago. I arrived, went to the lounge for a snack and to do a bit of work, after I checked into the transit hotel and sleep for 8 hours, returning to the lounge for breakfast. That’s how it’s done.
Well put.
There are sleeping rooms as well. But in that exceptional exhausting hour I could see they have been tolerant to the passengers pls not an exaggerated term of using homeless shelter. That is a ridiculous term. Also it is good that it exists that you can use. I am sure in the normal hours should be again very decent. I haven’t seen any good lounges and great food in any other airports as well. I do not understand if this news is that important to put as headline in abnormal hours of waiting/sleeping.
I know I’m in the minority, but Turkish is my least favorite of the Star Alliance group. I avoid them like the plague.
I have a choice of TK, Air China (not right now) and Air Canada. TK is much better than those two for me.
Looks like the typical UA Club but with better food. Actually, I was in this lounge a little over a year ago also early morning and saw none of this. Same in the IGA lounge. Btw, IGA offers sleep pods but you have to have PP for IGA.
Also, there are worse things than a group of people quietly sleeping. All US lounges have people loudly talking in speakerphone calls. I was at the BRU Loft lounge last month and it was infested with fruit flies.
I used the Istanbul lounge few times in the past two years & had a wonderful experience,
Strong rules must be in place to weed out the trash…
Turkish airlines have 2 lounges at Istanbul airport.
1st Lounge- Business class passangers only ( paid and miles booked) only for business class passangers.
2nd Lounge-Star allince Gold Lounge ( business class passangers, star alliancegold members etc..)
I think,The photos on this article is showing the second lounge! Star allince gold lounge. If I am wrong correct me please.thanks.
You are correct and I’ve reviewed them both:
https://liveandletsfly.com/turkish-miles-smiles-lounge-istanbul-review/
https://liveandletsfly.com/turkish-airlines-business-lounge-istanbul-review/
But this was the businss lounge.
Interestingly, the Miles and Smiles Lounge and the Business Class lounge are virtually identical. And next to each other. Both tend to suffer from this problem.
It must be so frustrating for the privileged class to be forced to deal with those who lack decorum and the same level of personal hygiene they’ve become accustomed to.
TA is taking on many extra passengers from other airlines due to shortages. It’s possible that quite a few of the people in these lounges that day were given access because their fights were changed/canceled. I’d be willing to bet no airline is sticking to their lounge policies right now.
You should feel ashamed of yourself to call it a homeless shelter. Have you ever worked with unhoused people? Have you ever had a meaningful conversation with an unhoused HUMAN? Do you know anyone who is unhoused? Clearly you judge and speak from your ivory Tower. Unhoused people would be the luckiest and most blessed if they would have a few mins in a luxury lounge with a shower and a warm meal. Shame on you!
Yes, I have.
Next question?
Ever seen the business cabin after a long haul flight to/from Europe?Newspapers,blankets,pillows,etc.thrown all over seats,floor,like a college dorm.But definitely bare feet in a lounge ,propped up no less,is disgusting,and something the airline, if concerned about if not the aesthetics, then the bacteria,should forbid..
Did you check to see if a flight or flights were Canceled or Delayed the night or hours before you friend’s arrival? These passengers look like they are completely out of it, Over and DONE! The only time I have ever seen it like this was because of a major Off-Schedule-Operation causing a cancelation or major delay.
FYI….Homelessness is a CRIME in American Red States.
I knew that USA is the greatest country in the world! No kidding! Your friend just confirmed that.
US homeless people look like a business class travelers in Europe and Asia. They both have “luggages”., richest have their own carts.
US homeless shelters and bus stations have same kind of furniture where ” free people of US” do not have to sleep in the beds but can sleep in the chairs and couches with foot on the table, barefoot or with shoes on.
US homeless shelters and bus stations do have food similar to TK business lounge and in every shelter barista makes coffee.
> Second, Turkish Airlines does not appear to enforce any sort of decorum in the lounge when it comes to sleeping.
Funnily enough they do as poor a job enforcing decorum in the lounge as the LALF team does in the comments sections, at least based on the repeat offenders spotted here.
The airport in Addis Ababa has dozens of lounge chairs for sleeping. They are comfortable and attractive. I wonder that other airports don’t have them.
Matthew Klint, I do not believe your ‘friend’ took the pictures. For you to take your time to write this entitled and silly article,you might have taken the pictures yourself. You are the stereotypical arrogant American the world talks about.
Oh honey, I wish I was in IST but I’ve been in LA for weeks.
My last Turkish Airlines business class experience from Panama to Vietnam was also disgusting.
Paying 2.800 USD for a one way ticket I expected a professional crew and decent catering.
I couldn’t have been more disappointed.
When I followed up with pictures of the inedible parts of catering and complaints about a non present cabin crew I consistently got emails using templates telling you to fuxx off.
The article was interesting, as a Turkish myvself, I was most suprised by the pictures. There was a nasty weather few days ago, many flights were cancelled. I thought the pictures were taken at that time, but when I read other comments that lounge is generally like those pictıres. Please do not forget Turkish Airlines carries more than %92 transit passengers, so these are people from all over the world, this is what world is becoming. It is me and my comfort, I do not care what you think, I paid for it and they are gonna shout and fight for it.
We were there a few days ago for a couple of hours and agree with this. The lounge would do well to add some showers because it also smelled like a homeless shelter.
I did see some enforcement of rules while we were there. A family of three had basically combined two different seating areas into a mini walled city for some reason. They had twice as many seats and places to lay down and got very upset when the lounge staff came by and moved a seating area back to where it belonged. I don’t know why they were upset considering they still had more than enough seating for the three of them.
It is so sad to realize where the USA has drifted to in the last 5 or 6 years. How come comments on a (great) travel website even deal with politics?? That is disturbing, sick and inappropriate. Hope you guys realize what type of show you give to the rest of the world… One out of place comment triggered a crazy chain reaction with comments that do not belong here either. Just reflect on that for a minute.
Since I am here, I may as well share that my favorite lounge used to be TK in Istanbul. Now I tend to prefer LX lounge in Zurich or LH lounge in Munich.
How many of you who finds shoes on the sofa disgusting also thinks walking into someone’s home with shoes on is uncivil?
How many of you who thinks bare feet on the sofa if offensive knows about culture where touching olders feet is a sign of respect?
I remove my shoes and carry slippers with me to every home I enter. Including my own. And if TK starts imposing that we touch an elders feet in their business class lounge I am out.
Have these people in the pictures provided consent to have their images published? If not I’d advise you remove them.
Thanks for your advice. I’ll file it accordingly.
I love this lounge but at 3 am it looks like a disaster zone.
TK should post some guidelines, and perhaps offer some screens.
It should be noted that. If you have a substantial layover in IST, you can get a free overnight room, quality depends on the class you fly but even coach you can have the likes of holiday inn, with a choice of either close to the airport or downtown so you can sample some culture and cuisine. Of course this applies to folks who are able to exit thee airport, which doesn’t apply to some folks. Afternoons and evenings it doesn’t look like the morning after Jonestown.
I hope TK steps in here.
Good points.
Ok there are a lot of comments and I don’t have the time and patience to check if anyone else mentioned this but I just came through IST and the problem is not long layovers and cheap business class tickets.
The problem is overbooking.
We flew staff standby so we excpected to have _some_ trouble but the 100s of people who got standby boarding passes had no idea what awaited them.
We finally got space on the 6th attempt and there was a gentleman on my flight who had spent 3 days in IST airport.
The airside hotel cannot accommodate the number of passengers being offloaded due to the overbooking (some flights by over 40 passengers) and the downside to not running EU business on feeders to EU is that you cannot expand the cabin.
It’s not _just_ the lounge that looks like a refugee camp, it’s the entire airport. Nap zones became dormitories, the chairs at the gates too, even the benches around the shopping section.
This was, hands down, the worst standby experience I have ever had and I still have heart for the TK geound staff who had so much patience for the 100s of angry, upset and weary passengers coming at them all day
I think your lounge will go back to it’s former glory as soon as the summer holiday chaos is over and hopefully TK will learn from this for the next peak.
I agree with your last sentence! (I sure hope so, at least)
Obviously flying will never be the same again. Delays flying International are a nightmare…period.
It really does not matter which class you fly in anymore. Slobs in first class, what happened to smart suit, dress ect.. flying was fancy.
Airlines have cut back to extreme levels. Frankly, it looks no different with humans exhausted from delays..
Who cares?
I do not
Not surprised at all. Only a couple years old and already in November last year we saw dirty lounges, no clean ups done, awful smell, so this lounge access is a money making scam and sorry to say it’s the way people are growing these days with no self discipline and very selfish behaviour, 1 person hovering over 4 chairs, lines at food station being pushed, and food shortage). It is def. Iike a homeless shelter. This is the way to go up!
So money def. does not buy you decency or civility.
I usually love TK, but honestly the lounge in IST always disappoints me. Whether it be no seating, lacking food or behaviour like this I just really don’t like it. I recall the beautiful old lounge in Ataturk… Wish we could have that back.