It looks like Turkish Airlines will soon be opening another lounge in the United States.
In this post:
Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK opening soon
As reported by theflightclub.it, Turkish Airlines will be opening a lounge in Terminal 1 of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). While the airline hasn’t yet stated anything publicly about the lounge, there’s now a lounge in Terminal 1 with Turkish Airlines’ branding, and a sign that says “Turkish Airlines Lounge will be welcoming passengers very soon.”
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 Of course in the meantime Alitalia no longer exists in its previous form, but rather it has been replaced by ITA Airways.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 has been closed for a long time, and ITA Airways has been sending its premium passengers to the Air France Lounge JFK.
Why the Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK is exciting
There are a few reasons we should be looking forward to a Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK:
- This means that the former space of the Alitalia Lounge will be renovated, and just about anything would be an improvement over the old lounge space
- 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
- All of Turkish Airlines’ lounges outside of Turkey belong to Priority Pass; so while there hasn’t been anything official, I think it’s safe to assume that this lounge will likely also belong to Priority Pass, which will be great for those with a premium credit card
My only concern is that this likely won’t be a very large lounge, unless Turkish Airlines found a way to expand it (which I can’t imagine is the case). 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 will soon be opening a lounge at New York JFK Terminal 1, taking the place of the former Alitalia Lounge. While details are limited as of now, I’d say this is a positive development, since Turkish Airlines lounges outside of Turkey tend to belong to Priority Pass.
What do you make of the upcoming Turkish Airlines Lounge JFK?
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.
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
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.