In November 2022 I wrote about how Turkish Airlines opened another lounge in the United States, in New York. I wanted to provide an update, as this lounge has finally officially joined Priority Pass as of January 2023.
In this post:
Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK now open
Turkish Airlines has opened a lounge in Terminal 1 of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). It’s located between gates two and three, and is open daily from 9:45AM until 11:45PM.
The Turkish Airlines Lounge is taking the space of the former Alitalia Lounge JFK, which frankly must have been one of the worst lounges at JFK, and that’s saying something. Of course in the meantime Alitalia no longer exists in its previous form, but rather it has been replaced by ITA Airways. I suspect ITA Airways realizes the economics of having a lounge at JFK simply don’t make sense.
The Alitalia Lounge had been closed for a long time, and ITA Airways has been sending its premium passengers to the Air France Lounge JFK.
Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK joins Priority Pass
Much like other Turkish Airlines Lounge locations in the United States, the Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK has now joined Priority Pass. Members can access the lounge for a period of up to three hours.
There are lots of premium credit cards that offer a Priority Pass membership. While JFK Terminal 1 is hardly my favorite terminal in the United States, it has no shortage of Priority Pass locations. This lounge now joins the Korean Air Lounge, Lufthansa Lounge, and Primeclass Lounge.
Why the Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK is exciting
There are a few reasons we should be happy about the opening of the Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK:
- This means that the former space of the Alitalia Lounge has been renovated, and just about anything is an improvement over the old lounge (and based on the pics of the new lounge, I’m pretty impressed)
- The economics of Turkish Airlines having a lounge at JFK make a lot more sense, as the airline operates three daily flights from JFK, which means there are a lot of Turkish Airlines passengers eligible for lounge access, and on top of that the lounge can be monetized with Priority Pass
- This is another good option for Priority Pass members in the terminal, and more options are always a good thing
- This should help with alleviating crowding in other lounges at JFK Terminal 1, as the overall lounge footprint in the terminal is increasing
My only concern is that this isn’t a very big lounge. Turkish Airlines has a few lounges in the United States (including in Miami and Washington), and I’d say they’re above average for Priority Pass lounges.
Bottom line
Turkish Airlines has opened a lounge at New York JFK Terminal 1, taking the place of the former Alitalia Lounge. Not only that, but the lounge has now joined the Priority Pass network. I’d say this is a great development, as it adds some much needed lounge capacity to the terminal.
What do you make of the new Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK?
The TK lounge at IAD must be one of the best PP lounges in the US. Great food, great views and a great bar.
Always great to see an airline known for its good lounges opening up more.
It gets extremely crowded at night and their bathroom situation is terrible.
@Julia, you're complaining because they opened a new lounge that takes stress of the other PP lounges by saying too many people will have access?
Interesting!!!
I loved the ambiance and the food! The pastry section is also delicious. Very pleasing and relaxing environment in the middle of a busy airport.
Looks very similar to their MIA lounge in Concourse E. If you only showed me the headline picture, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart (and I have been to both lounges).
What a lousy lounge. Small, hot, cramped, no alcohol. Stayed 30 seconds and went to the LH lounge.
Was there on Friday and while airy and nicely renovated it’s nothing to write home about. The LH lounges at T1 are still the way to go for Star Alliance flights from JFK
The Korean lounge in T1 was (pre-COVID) much, much worse than the Alitalia one: it resembles some kind of over-crowded detention centre. But the security queues are so long that you're highly unlikely to get to use a lounge anyway
"which would be great for those with a premium credit card"
And then we complain about lounges being overcrowded and whine about the lack of solutions to the overcrowding...
I feel like the TK lounge aesthetics is quite outdated, they essentially use the same style as the old lounge on the previous airport in Istanbul. Also the current lounge in Istanbul just feels dated in my opinion, nothing luxurious about it anymore.
I agree. Their old lounge in IST looked fantastic when it first opened 10+ years ago but now the new lounge looks dated. The IAD lounge is like a zoo and it is very difficult to find a place to sit at night.
It's Nov 18th and the Business Class Lounge is open. We heard it opened Nov 11th. I'm not sure, but I don't think JFK is a major hub for Turkish and the lounge kind of reflects that. It's right next to Gate 2, which is convenient since that's the gate we're leaving from. It's on the smaller side, nice yet basic when it comes to amenities, and gets pretty loud.
All-in-all, great to have, but nothing special.
What is the date of the opening or the expected opening date?
I am but a small minnow in the points world, but the ability to use the Starbucks app and Stars at U.S. airports now has me rethinking meh PP lounges generally. 50 stars for all the caffeine I can handle and maybe just pay for a sandwich. The app bypasses waiting in line and the promos make stars easy to obtain. Then, working at an unused gate is usually better than the PP lounges. Who's...
I am but a small minnow in the points world, but the ability to use the Starbucks app and Stars at U.S. airports now has me rethinking meh PP lounges generally. 50 stars for all the caffeine I can handle and maybe just pay for a sandwich. The app bypasses waiting in line and the promos make stars easy to obtain. Then, working at an unused gate is usually better than the PP lounges. Who's with me?
I don't know if I'd walk over 10 minutes to this lounge given some of my PP experiences recently.
“50 stars for all the caffeine I can handle”
That would be 100 stars beginning mid-Feb.
OMG, that old Alitalia lounge was atrocious. Glad to see someone will be ripping it up
The question is if this lounge remains when T1 starts being rebuilt.
There is a good chance that Air France moves to T4 with Delta and KLM once Delta gains more gates in T4. T1 will lose capacity during the construction process
True, although I believe Air France prefers customers use their own lounge where possible. They also have an interest in terminal 1 and not sure what will happen once rebuilding commences. It makes sense for AF KL DL VS to be together.
Of course it happens after I shift most of my flying to EWR... oh well, still excited for this, wouldn't anticipate a big renovation considering a new T1 is coming.
I say good riddance. What even was the point of this lounge existing, when Alitalia could have just sent its passengers to the Air France lounge (though before it was built maybe they could have contracted with the Korean Air lounge?). Just another example of unnecessary expenses the airline incurred.
The issue with the AF lounge is that several airlines use it + priority pass and it's pretty small. It can get really crowded. That's pretty good motivation to maintain a separate lounge. Here's to hoping TK gut-renovated it.
The Alitalia lounge is basic at best, and the newly reincarnated AZ probably can outsource its JFK lounge requirements temporarily to another carrier from within SkyTeam, or co-locate at T4 with Delta, though all that depends on whether ITA remains in SkyTeam or decamps. If it becomes part of Star Alliance, then it will presumably just use the LH lounge until the new T1 complex is built out.
If ITA is serious about being a...
The Alitalia lounge is basic at best, and the newly reincarnated AZ probably can outsource its JFK lounge requirements temporarily to another carrier from within SkyTeam, or co-locate at T4 with Delta, though all that depends on whether ITA remains in SkyTeam or decamps. If it becomes part of Star Alliance, then it will presumably just use the LH lounge until the new T1 complex is built out.
If ITA is serious about being a full service airline catering to business clientele, it needs a lounge at JFK, it's largest station outside of Italy. I'd argue the Korean Air lounge is the worst at T1, and not AZs.
Like the Korean lounge at LAX. Which is why AF has an agreement with Qantas to use their Lounge for La premiere customers. AF has also been saying they will have a their own lounge in the west gates / midfield concourse, which makes sense since AF KL have upto 7 daily flights ( incl Tahiti ) , and that’s excluding both Virgin and delta
As the architect of the space I am glad to hear positive comments. Please spread the good news and visit our site for more photos. (note: the stone addition to the reception desk was made after the photoshoot).
Best.
https://www.studiovural.com/turkish-airlines-vip-lounge-jfk