WHICH AIRPORT LOUNGE IS MORE LIKE AN EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE CLUB?

Have you ever entered an airport lounge and thought you were in the wrong place? Most airport lounges are geared toward providing members with a quieter, more comfortable area to wait or work between flights.

You can usually count on some small work cubicles, plugs for your laptop, cell phone and iPad, fairly comfortable chairs, and a limited choice of cold snacks in the U.S., although European lounges usually provide hot food and more extensive selections.

It is rare to encounter an airport lounge with a library, a pool table, sleek glass lockers to stow your hand luggage, comfortable attractive seating areas, and a wide variety of tasty warm and cold national food specialties. This unique haven is the Turkish Airlines lounge at Istanbul Airport, which is open to all Star Alliance gold card members

If you are flying from Istanbul Airport, you will need a lot of time for check-in. The lines are VERY long at passport control and do not move quickly. There are two different check points, but both appeared quite slow.

The benefit of arriving early at Istanbul Airport, if you are a Star Alliance gold member, is an opportunity to experience an airport lounge that is truly head and shoulders above most others. It was just frustrating that getting to it took so much time.

Do you have a favorite airport lounge and what is special about it?