Opening 5 years ago, Istanbul Airport (IST) is one of the largest and most visually impressive airports in the world. So it makes sense that it also has a very impressive lounge, which I’ll be covering today in my IGA Lounge Review (specifically the International area lounge). This lounge costs a gobsmacking EUR 75 per person to enter, one of the most expensive lounges I’ve seen. But it can thankfully also be accessed by flying Business Class with several airlines, or through a lounge membership such as Priority Pass (how I entered). So in this review I’ll go over everything there is to do here, and whether it’s worth a visit.

Istanbul Airport

The title of Europe’s busiest airport goes back and forth between Istanbul Airport and London Heathrow, and in December 2023 London Heathrow just won according to OAG. But what’s impressive is that whilst Heathrow is split between 4 terminals, all flights at Istanbul Airport are from just one mega-terminal. The scale of the airport building is just ridiculous and kind of breathtaking. You really have to see it to believe it and just from a sheer feat of engineering it’s easily one of the best airports in the world.

However, there are some big issues. Mainly the fact that getting around the airport (and to it) is a massive pain. It’s so big that it can take about half an hour to work from the furthest gate to another. So transfers here have the potential to be a lot of effort. Luckily I’m not reviewing the airport itself today though, but the lounge instead.

The IGA Lounge

The lounge’s name “IGA” actually reflects the airport operate also called IGA, which stands for Istanbul Grand Airport. So in effect this lounge is operated by the airport authorities. As such they’ve made an effort to compete with the very impressive Turkish Airlines Lounges also found in the airport. And whilst the IGA lounge is impressive, I think the Turkish Airlines Lounge is definitely better based on this review from Off the Beaten Points. After all it has a golf driving range of all things, plus private rest/shower rooms and more generous food offerings.

Unfortunately you have to be travelling with Turkish Airlines in Business (or hold Star Alliance status) to get in there. Hence why I’m reviewing the IGA Lounge today. Which gives me the chance to briefly cover how you can enter this lounge:

• By paying the massive entrance fee: EUR 75.00 for 4 hours for people 12 years+, EUR 37.50 for children aged 7-12 and free for ages 0-6.
• Through a lounge membership scheme such as Priority Pass, Dragon Pass, LoungeMe, High Pass
• Flying Business with Partner Airlines (not sure the full list, but British Airways is one of them)

***by the way, if you want free Priority Pass membership and a load of other benefits, consider the American Express Platinum Card and using my signup link here***

Also note it is open 24 hours a day so everything is always available, with the slight exception of the massage service which is only available 08:00-17:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

First of all, the Lounge is massive. So big that they have a map by the entrance (unfortunately it’s a bit hard to make out in the picture. Anyway, there are too many features to list out individually but highlights include: showers, pool table, massage parlour, and a pita bread oven. Check out their website for a full list of everything on offer.

The lounge is very nicely decorated with attractive wordwork and plenty of greenery making it a pleasant place to be. Thanks to how huge this lounge is everything is nicely spaced out so, even though it was very busy, you don’t feel like you’re sitting on top of other people. That’s much better than say, The British Airways Galleries Club Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5, which feels incredibly cramped.

Seating

There is a good range of seating on offer at the IGA lounge. From dining chairs and tables in the main food area to standard lounge chairs and some high-backed seats for privacy. There is even a private rest area. The lounge is also divided up well with walls and plants breaking it up into smaller sections. Overall it’s an impressive lounge with loads of seating available. Though it was very busy when we visited so we had to walk quite far from the entrance to actually find some good seats.

My main issue with the lounge as a whole is just how dirty and messy everything was. Throughout our stay here staff were extremely slow to clean any dirty dishes. So most of the empty chairs would have people’s used plates and cups on for 20+ minutes after people left. Not only does that just make it feel a bit grimy, but it’s also annoying for people just arriving who probably don’t want to seat on people’s crumbs and used dishes.

Many parts of the lounge were just a bit tatty too. I’m sure it all looked fantastic when it opened 5 years ago, but now all of the carpets and fabric furniture just has loads of stains, which isn’t great. Overall, the cleaners here definitely need to be doing a better job. Which is surprising, because there were loads of cleaning staff just standing around or walking from one place to another. They just didn’t seem to be doing much cleaning.

Food

The food area of the IGA lounge is one of the largest I’ve seen in an airport lounge. Unfortunately, the selection was surprisingly limited. They have a massive buffet area literally the only thing in the buffet when I visited were rows and rows of the same ham, cheese and olives. Basically just take the image below and replicate it for the whole buffet, that’s all they had. But big disclaimer, I think they usually have a better selection, as looking at other reviews they usually have actual mains and starters, rather than this sorry selection.

So not sure why it was so limited when I visited, but I’ll be basing my review on that anyway. Not a huge issue for me at least as my upcoming Turkish Airlines flight had some good food. But if I was here on a long layover then I wouldn’t trust this lounge to keep me well fed.

Lastly, there was a pide station, where a chef will make fresh pide (kind of like a Turkish version of pizza). I tried some of this in Istanbul and it was delicious. Though I can’t comment on the quality at the IGA lounge as the queue was about 10 min long and I couldn’t be bothered to wait.

So in the end I didn’t actually get a proper meal. Instead, I just got two bottles of water, a coffee (which you can conveniently choose a paper cup to takeaway) and a little heart shaped cookie. I’m not sure if it’s just the time I visited, but the food was disappointing and very limited. Unless you were ready to queue for 10 minutes for some made to order stuff, then the only options were cold meats, cheese and olives.

Drink

The drink situation is happily much better than the food situation at the IGA Lounge. There are 2 bars (the one below was closed but another one (with a pool table) was open and doing complimentary drinks. There are also coffee machines and fridges full of cans/bottles throughout the lounge. I didn’t get a look at the bar menu but they definitely have wine and beer plus a few spirits.

The cold drinks are basically what you would see in any lounge. Water bottles, Coke, Fanta, Sprite and a few more Turkish brands. Very helpful as you can take stuff away for your upcoming flight.

There are plenty of coffee machines throughout the lounge too, and tea if you fancy it. Another good thing is that they also provide paper cups and caps. So very helpful if you want to bring a coffee with you after leaving the lounge.

Everything Else

If you couldn’t tell already from the pictures this is a very opulent lounge. There’s artwork along the entrance hallway (like this weird metal monkey below). There’s even a grand piano, though I’m unsure if they let people play it as it’s roped off. The decor is also very grand. That combined with the very high ceilings and views overlooking the rest of the terminal do make this lounge impressive.

In terms of amenities, there are showers, prayer areas, an outdoor smoking terrace, quiet rest areas, and even free massages on offer. And there’s a small duty free shop, kids play area and a pool table. Overall, a very well equipped lounge so I can’t really complain there. That’s pretty much it for my IGA Lounge Review, now onto my final thoughts…

Final Thoughts

Overall this lounge is pretty impressive. Definitely the largest airport lounge I’ve ever visited, even when including airline lounges. There’s a huge range of seating options which are well spaced out too so it doesn’t feel too cramped. And they have an impressive amount of amenities you wouldn’t see in most lounges. Like the duty free shop, massage station, smoking area and multiple bars.

The only downsides (besides the price) is that it felt a bit tatty and the food was very underwhelming. It was probably fantastic when it opened a few years ago. But now many of the carpets and chairs are stained and worn. And lastly the Food options were extremely limited and repetitive despite how large the dining area is. Bottom Line, at EUR 75 per person to enter I really wouldn’t recommend paying for this lounge. But if you have Priority Pass or some other free access like me, definitely give it a visit.

More from me…

If you enjoyed my IGA Lounge Review, please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:

• Malaysia Airlines Economy A350-900 – Great food on a 13 hour flight
• No1 Lounge at London Gatwick South – Surprisingly good
• Singapore Airlines Economy from London to Singapore – As Good as People Say?

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