Turkish Airlines Lounge (Priority Pass) Washington Dulles (IAD) Review

Worth Coming to the Airport Early For: NO (I was underwhelmed by this lounge. Everything is a bit dated, the food spread was nothing special and it was packed in the afternoon)

Better Than The Terminal? YES (Had some decent seating in the back, but it was pretty much at full capacity when I visited)

Introduction

I was taking the shuttle flight back to New York and chose to (painfully) fly out of Dulles instead of DCA to check out some of the lounges I haven’t yet seen. Turkish has several lounges across different US airports, and I’ve yet to find one that’s good. Perhaps the credit card lounges have gotten too nice in comparison…

IAD is a bit of a lounge goldmine, with a really nice Capital One Lounge, Chase Sapphire / Etihad Lounge, and several priority pass lounges. Also, all terminals are connected airside (unlike, say, JFK, which is a mess), which makes lounge hopping super easy via the underground people mover.

In this post, you’ll find:

Access & Where to Find the Lounge

The Turkish Airlines lounge is located in Concourse B of IAD, right near gate B43.

Minus how long it takes to drive there, IAD is one of my favorite US airports. The main terminal has Jet era vibes, and it’s super convenient because all concourses / terminals are connected airside. It’s also possible to take the DC metro to IAD now, but that can take forever given how far out in Virginia Dulles sits.

The Turkish Airlines lounge is currently open from 7:15am – 10:00pm, daily. If entering via priority pass, all you need is a same-day boarding pass and a departure time within 3 hours. Note Turkish generally has 1-2 daily departures depending on time of year, which can significantly affect how much traffic this lounge receives in the hours up to their departure banks.

Lounge Review

The lounge itself is split into two levels; a larger lower floor with the food spread and a bar, and then a tiny upper floor lounge space.

Here’s the main room when walking in, which has a split of dining tables and lounge chairs:

The wood paneling is nice, although the room does feel a bit cramped with tables / chairs packed together. Also, the lounge did feel a bit worn, with lots of the chairs and tables with tears / scuffs.

Here’s the main buffet area. Most food can be found in the central island, with drinks to the side:

The lounge does feature some more “local” flare than other carrier-run lounges. There was Turkish tea available, along with some turkish hot food options.

Here was the main food spread in the center island:

I don’t know, warm-vat airport buffets just don’t do it for me anymore. Maybe we are too spoiled with credit card lounges in the US nowadays with single-plate, quasi-restaurant options (specifically Capital One and Chase), but this feels directionally unsanitary.

The lounge on the lower floor wraps around to a back bar room, which was much quieter.

In the middle of the hallway are the bathrooms, which were old but fine. There’s also a shower room here, if showering in airports is your thing:

The back bar room was quiet and actually relaxing vs. the main room which was packed:

If you head upstairs, you’ll find a mini room with low ceilings and mood lighting. This place was also packed since there’s only a few seats, but is probably the best place in the lounge to hangout if there’s space. Almost didn’t feel like an airport lounge, all this spot needed was a Hookah pipe and it would’ve fooled me.

Conclusion

Overall, the Turkish airlines lounge at IAD is a fine stop for a quick drink or bite, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit here. This lounge is generally underwhelming, especially compared to some other lounges nearby, like the Capital One lounge.