Flying *A from Australia to Europe

[boomy]

So many types of olives.

Never seen such a massive lounge.

Time to check the second floor.

Fun at the mini airport.

 

[boomy]

I have to try the virtual Golf.

Let's play some video games.

A few more drinks and I will play the piano

So much alcohol! I only have 2 hours here

Plenty of soft drinks as well to keep hydrated.

 

[boomy]

There is all day Barista at your service.

Turkish yogurt.


The Pretzels are very popular, only 1 left.

One of many hot food stations here.

 

[boomy]

Turkish Pizza station.


Resting area with 9 different channels to choose and watch with personal headphones.

The toilet, very clean.

 

[boomy]

I wish I had more then 2 hours. I reckon it takes at least 5 hours to fully enjoy the place.
It's surely the best J lounge I ever been to and it's even better then some F lounges. Maybe it doesn't have French bubbles or a fancy restaurant but unlike most lounges where after you finished your meal and had a few drinks you start getting bored, at the TK CIP there are plenty of fun things to do

 

[mushypeas]

geez that TK lounge looks pretty spectacular, i'd not thought IST would be that great...

 

[legroom]

One of the better TRs I have read.

A photo is worth 1,000 words !

 

[boomy]

Boarding was delayed so I had time to take a photo of the PB lines. Very organised, starting from J & *A Elite and then divided into sections A to D. Pax have the sections already written on their boarding passes so each knows where to queue up.

Qantas, that's how proper PB is done!

 

[boomy]

Sixth leg IST-FRA departing 3pm on A321-200.
Comfortable leather seats in J 2-2 layout total 12 seats.

I sat in row 2 and had plenty of legroom. It felt a bit more spacious then QF B737-800.

A refreshing drink before takeoff.

 

[smit0847]

Great TR! I purposely flew TK last year to Europe so I could experience the IST lounge. I was there from about 7-9am and it was absolutely packed to the rafters. We were lucky to find a seat. 60 min+ wait for a shower, long queues for the toilet etc. I had just come off BKK-IST on TK J so wasn't remotely hungry but tried to force down some food because there was just so much of it on offer! I understand the TK lounge is more spacious now that they have the second level open.

IST itself was not a pleasant place to transit - it hasnt kept up with TK's rapid growth.

 

[boomy]

IST itself was not a pleasant place to transit - it hasnt kept up with TK's rapid growth.

Agree. IST is a terrible airport, it's just too busy and the service is bad. There was a gate change for my flight and it wasn't updated on the monitors. I had to ask 3 different TK staff members until someone finally agreed to check for me.
Having said that, the lounge is so good that it worth the hassle and I don't mind doing a transit there again in the future.

 

[boomy]

The menu on IST-FRA.

First course.

Second course. The lamb chops were slightly over cooked but overall, for plane food, it was a good dish.

The French Syrah was not bad.

Love the Turkish coffee

Excellent TK service made the flight very pleasant. I was lucky to sit next to someone who is also FF and we talked travel for 2 hours. I got some useful tips for my next trip to Europe and shared some about AsiaPac.

 

[pagingjoan]

Hi Boomy,

Have just tripped over this thread, while catching up with AFF. Difficult to keep up, while travelling - but a great TR, so glad I found it. Well done.

I'm not sure of your specific dates but we must have almost crossed paths at one point or another, perhaps in that over-crowded Dan Lounge in Tel Aviv, for a start. (For anyone due to transit Tel Aviv, there is a lounge in each wing of the terminal but the adjacent C wing Lounge was closed for renovation, which would explain the zoo-like conditions next door in B wing.)

Had a couple of visits to the TK IST Lounge also, with the most recent being on Sunday. I know that the Lounge gets great reviews but, on earlier visits there, I've always found it rather overwhelming in size and crowding. However, the downstairs section now open is a relief and not so densely populated.

Shared some of your TK meal choices also. That lemon and mint pre-take-off drink is a winner, I think.
Must say that we had good inflight teams on each of our TK legs. Service with a smile was the order of the day (and night).

Travel safely and keep up the great reporting.
PJ

 

[TomVexille]

TK lounge looks good. Might need to go the long way round next time...

 

[boomy]

I'm not sure of your specific dates but we must have almost crossed paths at one point or another, perhaps in that over-crowded Dan Lounge in Tel Aviv, for a start. (For anyone due to transit Tel Aviv, there is a lounge in each wing of the terminal but the adjacent C wing Lounge was closed for renovation, which would explain the zoo-like conditions next door in B wing.)

I didn't like Dan lounge at all, I think there are enough *A flights for a dedicated lounge. It can be operated by TK or LH which are the 2 biggest foreign carriers in TLV.

Had a couple of visits to the TK IST Lounge also, with the most recent being on Sunday.

I was there on Sunday as well

 

[boomy]

TK lounge looks good. Might need to go the long way round next time...

That's exactly what I did

 

[Rallo]

Great TR boomy , we are doing the same trip in two weeks is the private room in TG lounge something you need to book or is it luck of the draw?

 

[pagingjoan]

I didn't like Dan lounge at all, I think there are enough *A flights for a dedicated lounge. It can be operated by TK or LH which are the 2 biggest foreign carriers in TLV.

I was there on Sunday as well

Well, that was a missed opportunity for an ad hoc IST GTG, wasn't it!

 

[pagingjoan]

That's exactly what I did

Another "Long way round" itinerary, via IST here!

Found a great TK J fare that beat the competitors' Y fares, and added only a little in terms of travel time. A happy accident. May be more of them for us all.

 

[boomy]

Great TR boomy , we are doing the same trip in two weeks is the private room in TG lounge something you need to book or is it luck of the draw?

I have no idea if you can book them. Best to call TG and ask if it's important to you.