Inside Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge At The New $12 Billion Istanbul Airport

On a recent layover, I spent 8 hours at Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge at the brand-new, $12 billion dollar Istanbul Airport. Naturally, I did a Youtube video to take you inside for a Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul Airport Review.

The new $12 billion dollar Istanbul Airport opened last year, and it will be the largest airport in the world by 2025 with 20 million annual passengers. In my video, I walk you through the 18,900 acre airport and of course the over-the-top lounge. It’s massive, and it has some faults many passengers are pointing out. For instance, there’s no train and there’s little moving sidewalks, so it can take you a while to get through if you have a connecting flight.

On the plus side, it’s incredibly spacious, has plenty of restaurants and shops (240 stores!) and feels clean and modern. I love that there was the Old Bazaar, one of the best features of the old airport, selling Turkish souvenirs, and the airport has 14 outdoor terraces. Yes, smokers have smoking lounges at Istanbul Airport, and for non-smokers, it’s a great way to get fresh air.

The most over-the-top feature of Istanbul Airport is the 60,000 square-foot Turkish Airlines business class lounge, which takes up the entire upper level of the main concourse.

It’s a whole other world. In fact, I’ve been to all the best business class lounges in the world, whether Cathay Pacific or Qatar, and this lounge is one of my favorites, inspiring me to do a Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge Istanbul Airport Review.

The lounge, which has the famous self-playing piano from the former lounge, is massive, with high ceilings and amazing views of the main concourse. There are self-serve bars, multiple seating areas, a golf simulator, Carrera car racing track and even private suites (mini-hotel rooms) with private showers. And can we take a moment to talk about how posh the bathrooms are? Click on my Youtube video to check it out.

There are nearly 12 food stations, mostly authentic Turkish food, and most of which are cooked and prepared right before your eyes. The lounge honestly felt like a fancy food hall. It was some of the best Turkish food I’ve had in the country! I was a huge fan of the Simit, freshly baked Turkish bagel and the countryside butter, and there was a dessert station serving all your favorite Turkish sweets like baklava and lokma. We’re talking Turkish delights. The food was insane.

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Take a look inside the new Istanbul Airport and Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge review in my new video!

Remember, if you plan on traveling, definitely book through TripAdvisor. You can actually book hotels through the site, and I found they offer the best rates.

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Jimmy Im has traveled to 113 countries, stayed in over 600 hotels and has flown a million airmiles. He lives in New York City.

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