- Introduction: The Flight Of A Lifetime
- Review: Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles Airport
- Review: Etihad Lounge Washington Dulles Airport
- Review: Etihad Business Class 787 Washington To Abu Dhabi
- Review: Shangri-La Abu Dhabi
- Review: Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi
- Review: Etihad Residence Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport
- Review: Etihad Residence A380 Abu Dhabi To Sydney
- Review: Hyatt Regency Sydney
- Review: Virgin Australia Lounge Sydney Airport
- Review: Virgin Australia Business Class 737 Sydney To Melbourne
- Review: Etihad Lounge Melbourne Airport
- Review: Virgin Australia Business Class 777 Melbourne To Los Angeles
My flight from Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi was departing at 10:10PM, and my connecting flight had me arriving at Dulles Airport quite a bit early, at around 6PM. The Etihad Lounge only opens at 6:30PM, so I had planned on checking out the Turkish Lounge at Dulles Airport.
This lounge joined Priority Pass earlier in the year, so I’ve been keen to check it out, since I figured it would be one of the nicer Priority Pass lounges in the US. Keep in mind that all terminals at Dulles are connected airside, so you can use this lounge even if flying domestically on United, for example. This lounge is consistently rated one of the best domestically that you can enter with a credit card with lounge access.
As a reminder, here’s a table with some of the major credit cards offering Priority Pass memberships, as well as their respective guesting rules:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Turkish Lounge Dulles is open daily from 6AM until 11PM, and is located near gate B43. At Dulles Airport, the A & B concourses are attached, and gate B43 is towards the far end of the terminal.
Washington Dulles Airport concourse
The lounge has a cool exterior that’s on point for the Turkish brand. This lounge is contracted out to quite a few airlines as well (which is why it’s open all day, despite there only being one Turkish flight per day). I know some other Star Alliance carriers use the lounge, as well as Saudia.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles exterior
The lounge consists of two main rooms. The biggest one is a rectangular room right as you enter, which features plenty of seating, including chairs with ottomans, dining tables, couches, etc.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles
On one side of the lounge there’s a window with fantastic views of the tarmac, while the other side of the lounge has a mirror which looks similar to the one in Turkish’s flagship lounge in Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles
Near the entrance is a huge Turkish 777 model, which I thought was pretty cool.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles model 777
In the far corner of the room are several computers and a printer. There’s also a wall with half a dozen TVs.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles business center
This room also had the buffet, which was in two separate areas. By the wall was a coffee machine, soft drinks, cookies, baklava, rice pudding, cheese, pretzels, and wasabi peas.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles coffee machine
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
Then across from that was a buffet spread with a very nice selection of fresh items.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
In terms of quality and quantity, the spread reminded me of what you’d get in an Amex Centurion Lounge. There were a couple of types of salad, hummus, fresh fruit, etc.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
Then there were four hot dishes, which looked reasonably appetizing.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles food spread
As mentioned above, the lounge has fantastic views of the tarmac.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles view
I was there just as the Lufthansa 747-8 was pushing back for Frankfurt.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles view
As you can see below, the lounge really is located next to gate B43. 😉
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles view
Past the first big room was a long hallway.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles hallway
Along the hallway were the toilets, shower, and prayer room. There seemed to be one shower room, though unfortunately it was occupied when I visited, so I didn’t have a chance to snap pictures of it.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles bathrooms & shower
The toilets themselves looked quite nice, though.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles bathroom
Past that was the bar area, which was a cute little room. There was a rectangular bench with a flower arrangement in the center, and then by the far wall was the bar.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles bar area
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles bar area
The bar had a solid liquor selection, and all drinks are complimentary, as far as I know.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles bar
There was also another self serve area here with coffee, soft drinks, and light snacks.
Turkish Airlines Lounge Washington Dulles coffee & snacks
Next to the bar was a nap room with day beds. They weren’t fully flat, but did look like a comfortable place to relax. Unfortunately there were people in that area when I visited, so I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures.
Turkish Lounge Dulles Airport bottom line
While my visit to the Turkish Lounge was brief, I thought this was a really solid lounge, and easily one of the best Priority Pass lounges I’ve visited in the US. The lounge is beautifully designed, wasn’t crowded, and had a solid selection of food and drinks. This is a great option for anyone flying out of Dulles Airport.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Business Platinum® Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees).
October flying to Lisbon via TAP Business Class. Can anyone tell me what "secret handshake" I need to get my elderly travel partner and I into this Lounge? I have no special credit or reward program cards.
UPDATE: just left the lounge. I got there about 6:15pm and the host said they weren't letting PP members in due to a departing Qatar Airways flight at 8:30pm. Before I could pull out my *A Gold card she said she would make an exception though. Anyway, lounge was great, good food, nice staff. Not very large, but didn't really feel crowded. Was filling up when I left.
I'm assuming it can be used upon arrival at IAD also? Flying in today around 6:15pm and hoping to make a quick stop before heading to the rental car facility.
I entered the Turkish Lounge at 3pm on a Saturday. It was quite crowded. The agent at reception told me they were not accepting any Priority Pass guests (but I was able to enter on SAS Business Class.) I asked her if there are specific hours for PP and she said just during "peak periods which can change."
I was using Prority Pass to get in IAD's Turkish Airlines loung at July 18 around 4:30PM. It was pretty full, and I still got in.
For those that were initially denied access and then allowed in for being Star Gold, were you flying international, or did they simply allow you to use the lounge with your PP as a gesture of good will?
No photo of the upstairs area?? Access it past the curtain to the kitchen. More bathrooms and prayer rooms up there.
No mention of the soup they also serve at the buffet?
DCjoe & Joan. Sorry. Heart emoji didn't post. Kiss. Heart
DCjoe & Joan. . Get there early. Great 'stop-by' (as we said back in the day) review. Sad to read of Etihad Lounge lost of ala Carte dining That AUH Dreamliner flight let's you see the Sunrise & Sunset
Looks great. Very similar design style to their flagship lounge in Istanbul.
The Turkish Airlines lounge has "chairs with ottomans."
;-)
Just adding to the signal on what's already mentioned - when I visited awhile back around 4:00PM before my flight to DKR on SA it was like entering a rugby scrum. I managed to snag a seat for the remainder of my time but when I stood up to leave a fight broke out between two people that pounced upon me at the same time to get the chair. It was definitely a nice space and the food/offerings were good, but much preferable at off-peak times.
I wonder how much longer Turkish is going to be able to maintain their flight to Dulles. They have to be hurting with the drop in traffic after last years incidents. International traffic fell 11.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2016.
And the Turkish government isn't too popular right now in DC. Their presidential security thugs literally beat up peaceful protesters a few days ago on the president's direct orders...
I wonder how much longer Turkish is going to be able to maintain their flight to Dulles. They have to be hurting with the drop in traffic after last years incidents. International traffic fell 11.8% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2016.
And the Turkish government isn't too popular right now in DC. Their presidential security thugs literally beat up peaceful protesters a few days ago on the president's direct orders and needed 100 DC police and Park Police to protect the protesters.
Seems like a nice lounge though! All the Turkish people I have met are great- their government on the other hand....
Awww man, I usually fly out of DCA but recently booked a 7pm flight out of Dulles the Friday after Memorial Day in hopes of trying this lounge. It'll be a slow day at work, so I figured I could get to the airport a little early (I'm usually there right before boarding since DCA is a 15 min drive away).
bursting at the *seams
and this is why I always proofread before commenting...
@coffee18 and others...For those of you not familiar w/ IAD and its traffic pattern...It sits not even @ 50% capacity for the majority of the day and night...However between 2pm and 6pm the airport is literally bursting at the seems as the majority of the international carriers are arriving and departing at that time...Add to that United has a HUGE bank of flights during that time...At one point I know that IAD had the largest...
@coffee18 and others...For those of you not familiar w/ IAD and its traffic pattern...It sits not even @ 50% capacity for the majority of the day and night...However between 2pm and 6pm the airport is literally bursting at the seems as the majority of the international carriers are arriving and departing at that time...Add to that United has a HUGE bank of flights during that time...At one point I know that IAD had the largest amount of UA wide body aircraft on the ground at one time in the 5pm hour...Since the merger not sure if that stat is still accurate, but it is a huge operation during those hours...Of course since UA and *A are the biggest players @ IAD it makes sense that any *A lounge will be quite full with *Gold and their own Business class customers, leaving the PP members out of luck during that peak afternoon time...
From the comments, it seems like denied access to this lounge is more and more common for PP. Is this localized to certain afternoons and days or is it a more "all the time" thing like AS lounges?
Hi Ben,
I gotta stop flying budget LOL! Really though, I am so busy either sleeping or writing that my layovers sprint by. Not unlike a jet cruising at 500 MPH at 36,000 feet. But goodness it's fun to spend time in lounges like these. I recall once accessing a lounge - I think it was flying Etihad, not sure - that felt first rate. Can put you at ease, because even us frequent fliers...
Hi Ben,
I gotta stop flying budget LOL! Really though, I am so busy either sleeping or writing that my layovers sprint by. Not unlike a jet cruising at 500 MPH at 36,000 feet. But goodness it's fun to spend time in lounges like these. I recall once accessing a lounge - I think it was flying Etihad, not sure - that felt first rate. Can put you at ease, because even us frequent fliers with hundreds or thousands of flights under our belts can use the rest, relaxation and fab eats to prep for flights around the globe.
Thanks for sharing :)
Ryan
Why do you feel weird taking pictures of areas with people in them? Many of your photos always have at least someone in them. The world we live in always has people in it. Why not portray the reality of the situation that the common traveler will experience?
I was in on a Sunday afternoon and even then the lounge was packed. On my way back through actually skipped the Turkish Lounge and went for the quiet BA lounge a few doors away. Food Selection was almost non existent but you weren't crammed in like Sardines.
I was there on Friday at 4 pm and it was packed. They weren't allowing priority pass in. I'm star gold so they let me in. Food is good in that lounge, I'd recommend. In February I visited around 7 pm and it was empty. Just depends on the time
I had the same experience as Clifford. Flying KLM last month around 5pm, I was denied entry to both the Turkish and Air France lounges, the only two PP lounges at IAD. Luckily, I had no problem before my return flight using the PP lounge at Schiphol, which was a very nice lounge.
Ooops, here is the link:
http://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2016/09/01/turkish-airlines-lounge-washington-dulles/
Also, I know it might be tacky to promote another site, but this TR has some pics of the showers. Also, as per that report, there is supposed to be direct boarding from the lounge via gate B41, but as per that report, it says Turkish hadn't gotten permission. That was in September 2016. As per Lucky's report, it looks like they still haven't gotten it..
Lucky,
How do you compare it to the other lounges in Concourses A & B?
Keep the reviews rolling in Lucky! Looks like a fantastic lounge, Turkish really does have some of the best, especially for Priority Pass.
At peak hours (at least around 4-5pm) the lounge was packed when I visited a couple of times a few months ago, and they were not letting any Priority Pass members in. No problem with *A Gold though, and the food and drink offerings are definitely nice as long as you find a seat to enjoy them in.
There's also a sleep room with daybeds, blackout curtains, and a water feature to the right of the bar.
@ Brett -- Great point, will update the post to reflect that. Remember seeing that, but there were people in it when I visited, so I felt weird taking pictures. Thanks!