This is one of the two Priority Pass lounge options available at Istanbul Airport for international departures. The other one is the Pop-up Lounge which I have recently reviewed. That was rather meh. This is available for passengers who have a lounge membership or just want to pay for lounge access over here. I had an extended transit between my flights in Istanbul and took the opportunity to check out the lounge. Despite it being a contract lounge, it is the other main lounge over here for non-Star Alliance passengers. The IGA Lounge also have a huge collaboration with Skyteam as you can see from the signature and special line at the entrance. I was here at around midnight. It is still so crowded and busy.

Access Requirements

IGA Lounge Istanbul Airport is open 24 hours daily. You can access this lounge via lounge program membership like Priority Pass. I have an unlimited Priority Pass through my Citi Prestige Card or my UOB Reserve Card and I use that to access the lounge. A normal entrance will cost 35 USD via PP. Typical guest entitlements follow. You can also pay directly for an entrance to the lounge.

Arrival & Location

The lounge is located towards the left of the terminal after clearing immigration controls. It is on the Mezzanine level. You can find it above the shops and duty-free outlets. I did wish that there were more signs leading to the lounge. You can barely see the signs. Simply head towards the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Lounge and go in further. Look out for the Yotel and you will see the IGA Lounge. This seems to be a Skyteam lounge too given the signage. It is a super huge lounge with a gigantic access area. It was really busy. Access is separated into a couple of lines. You have a general line for including guests entering via Priority Pass. There is an express line for those entering with their own IGA Pass. There is another express line for airline-contracted passengers. It also seems that Skyteam has its access lines. It is quite a wait so the express lines would come in handy.

IGA Lounge Istanbul

This place is massive. It is a lot bigger and better than what I had expected. I am certainly not expecting this at a contract lounge. Here you can find a map of the layout of the lounge and the different areas.

Right after entering, you can find the locker facilities.

Then after that, you have the toilet and showers. Nothing too amazing but well-maintained. It is available on a first come first serve basis. They only have two shower rooms which I can imagine being hotcakes during peak hours.

Heading in are some seats and a lounging area surrounding the piano. It is quite a classy look and I love the warm lighting. There are multiple seating areas in the lounge including a whole row of them by the sides. They have USB ports and charges all around.

Heading on to the inner parts of the lounge. You can find more seating areas. It never gets full despite how busy it is. This part of the lounge also opens up to the terminal area.

The lounge also comes with a terrace area that guests can use to have a smoke break.

Food and Drinks

There are multiple drinks counters and areas around the lounge but the main refreshment area will be towards the right near the front area. It consists of multiple buffet lines. It is quite a massive area. Some of the lines are served by the staff too. It kind of reminds me of a high school canteen where you take a tray and the staff plopped down food on it.

Much more proper dining tables that are suitable for dining can be found in this area.

They had this burger station where a staff member was on hand to grill up some patties. This looks really good. It was packed even at this hour.

There are two bars in this lounge with full bartender service. One of the bars is in the main area and the other is over in the inner part of the lounge where it opens up to the terminal. You have various beers, wines and spirits. No cocktails but they do some simple mixers.

Conclusion

This lounge is impressive. It certainly exceeded my expectations for a contract lounge. I was wowed when I first entered the lounge. Some areas felt even better than the Turkish Airlines Lounge. They have USB ports and charges all around. It certainly feels like Turkish Airlines is on the chasing end even when both are of the same age. The bar is cute and I love the terrace area where the lounge opens up to the terminal. It does get rather busy since plenty of airlines use it for their premium passengers too. I would have ranked TK food slightly above the IGA lounge, but in terms of the comfort, the technology, and the friendliness of the staff, the IGA lounge wins hands down. Priority pass holders, you have it good over here! 10/10 would recommend. It is one of the best contract lounges I have ever been.