Expansion and redesign celebrates its position as the crossroad of world travel.
Following new global brand positioning, Turkish Airlines’ flagship destination lounge is relaunched to showcase its worldwide reach and mark its place as the airline’s hub city and the place to be when travelling.
‘Turkish Airlines Lounge Istanbul’, already a world-class facility, has added another 2400 m2 to its existing 3500 m2, increasing the size by over 40% in order to meet the needs of growing passenger numbers. Located in the departure area of Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, the expanded lounge adds a second floor to the existing space and connects them with a spiral staircase that integrates a global sphere, representing the worldwide reach of Turkish Airlines.
The new addition creates additional space and increases the capacity of the lounge to over 1000 guests. The existing facility, which included a children’s playground, library, billiards area, prayer room and teleconference section, has seen an expansion of the rest and shower space as well as additional massage beds. The enhanced lounge caters to virtually every passenger need – whether that is to sit quietly or find activities that help to pass the pre-flight time. The lounge concept provides a wide range of activities and services that will bring additional satisfaction to customers with diverse requirements.
The lounge is operated by Turkish Airlines’ catering partner, Turkish DO&CO, a group that has repeatedly won awards for providing Turkish Airlines’ passengers with the best meals in the sky. The same attention to detail and variety is evident in the multiple and changing varieties of food available to the lounge guests. Meals and snacks are provided as appropriate to the time of day and many items are cooked on site to ensure maximum flavor and freshness. Equally varied is the selection of beverages which provide something for every passenger’s needs.
The lounge combines both modern and traditional design, a space able to provide traditional Turkish hospitality in a setting that offers the most modern conveniences, such free Wi-Fi access through the lounge.
The spiral staircase connects the two sections of the lounge and its design represents the connectivity that Turkish Airlines provides to its global customer base. It incorporates a tea garden reminiscent of those found in Istanbul and provides an experience similar to places in the city where both residents and visitors can enjoy a Turkish tea and bagel.
If you wish to have heartier fare or wish to learn a bit about Turkish cuisine, the lounge provides unique tastes of Turkish and World dishes with a twist not found in other airline lounges. For instance, it includes pastries prepared according to the recipes from Vienna’s famous pastry shop, Demel. And there is a local corner where chefs prepare regional Turkish delicacies that appeal to both the eye and the taste buds under a classically designed copper range hood-including ‘Mant?’ and ‘Gozleme’. In another corner guests can sample famous specialties such as ‘Turkish Pide’ and ‘Borek’; newly roasted in its special oven. Plus, throughout the lounge there are offerings of fruit, salads, appetizers and nuts as part of Turkish hospitality.
For those wishing a bit more excitement, there is a miniature model of Istanbul through which guests may experience a virtual car rally as well as other game consoles and electronic diversions. In keeping with Turkish Airlines’ ongoing support of golf related events as ‘Turkish Airlines Open’, the lounge includes a realistic golf simulator for passengers interested in trying their skills while awaiting a flight.
In short, the refurbished and expanded lounge offers, depending on one’s mood and needs, a place of quiet relaxation, a place to shower and revive, a place to snack, dine or watch food presentations, a spot for children to play and/or an arcade full of exciting and challenging electronic diversions. These are all integrated into a space that reflects both Ottoman and Seljuk architectural roots with different activities available in each colonnaded section. The wide range of activities and services transforms preflight or connecting time into its own special experience, unique to Turkish Airlines.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
