We stopped by the Turkish Airlines Lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport on the way home after a few nights at the Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium and the Pullman Bangkok King Power. We were flying back to Singapore on Singapore Airlines business class and also visited the EVA Air Lounge that evening.
We have been coming to the Turkish Airlines Lounge for years, usually using Priority Pass in the past. The lounge had left Priority Pass by the time of this visit, so most travellers now need an eligible Star Alliance premium cabin ticket or Star Alliance Gold status to enter.
The complimentary massage remains the main reason I would come here. Turkish tea and coffee, a staffed bar and a proper work area give the lounge a few other useful features, but the buffet is small and the lounge itself isn’t somewhere I would spend a long time. If a massage slot is available, around 30 minutes here is probably enough.
Location and access
The lounge is on Level 3 of Concourse D in the international departures area, on the right after Gate D8. Turkish Airlines currently lists it as open 24 hours, so the lounge remains available between the late-night departures at Suvarnabhumi as well as during the day.
The main ways to enter are:
- international first or business class on a flight operated by a Star Alliance airline
- Star Alliance Gold status while departing on an eligible Star Alliance flight, with one eligible guest travelling on the same flight
You don’t have to be flying Turkish Airlines. We entered with our Singapore Airlines business class boarding passes and checked in at reception. Priority Pass no longer provides access, even though that was how we had entered on several earlier visits.
Layout
The lounge is long and narrow, with windows down one side. Some seats face into the lounge, while others face the windows. There are no tarmac views from here because the windows mainly look towards the underside of the roads leading to the airport.
Most of the lounge has armchairs with low tables between them. They are comfortable enough when you are sitting with a drink or reading, but the tables are too low for eating properly or spending much time on a laptop. You end up leaning forward if you try to eat a plate of food there.
The recliner chairs also face the windows. The view isn’t very interesting, but at least the chairs face away from the rest of the lounge rather than into the room.
The dining area is the better place to sit if you are having a meal. Its tables are at a normal dining height, and the buffet is beside them, so you don’t have to carry a plate through the lounge. This sounds like a small distinction, but it is much more comfortable than trying to eat from one of the low tables beside the armchairs.
The bar and drinks counter sit between the dining tables and the other seating. They divide the long room into separate areas, rather than leaving everything arranged as one continuous row.
The interior uses a lot of wood and soft lighting. It feels warm without being especially memorable, and there isn’t much in the seating areas that identifies this as a Turkish Airlines lounge. The Turkish tea and coffee station brings more of that identity into the food and drinks area.
Food and drinks
One thing worth knowing before you get to the buffet is that the food here is Halal certified by the Central Islamic Council of Thailand, which means there won’t be any pork dishes at all, ideal for Muslim travellers.
The hot dishes during our visit included beef stew and smashed potato. That was a heavier combination than I would normally choose before a flight. A rice cooker and soup warmer were set up alongside the two main dishes.
The cold buffet had salads, cold cuts and cheese. It wasn’t a large spread, although the hot and cold dishes together were enough to put together a meal if you didn’t want to eat elsewhere in the terminal. Nothing on the buffet was a reason to choose this lounge over the other Star Alliance lounges in Bangkok.
There was a separate counter for pastries and desserts, with fruit and yoghurt nearby. The Ete freezer contained mango, strawberry cheesecake and macadamia brittle ice cream. The fruit and yoghurt were there if you wanted something lighter than the pastries or ice cream.
The dedicated Turkish tea and Turkish coffee station was the most interesting part of the food and drinks area. It is separate from the automatic coffee machine, and this is what I would have rather than an ordinary machine-made coffee while visiting the lounge.
A coffee machine and a counter of other hot and cold drinks were available if you didn’t want Turkish tea or coffee.
The bar was staffed during our visit, with a cocktail menu, spirits and wine behind the counter. This is one area where the Turkish Airlines Lounge has more to offer than the EVA Air Lounge, which only had a self-serve alcohol selection when we visited. If you want a cocktail before your flight, come here rather than EVA Air.
Amenities
Massage
The complimentary massage is the amenity to ask about. It lasts 15 minutes and covers the head and shoulders. The sign during our visit gave operating hours from 3pm to 11pm, with a break in between, and appointments were taken at the bar. It is easy to miss the sign if you aren’t looking for it.
I have had the massage a few times over the years and would still put my name down as soon as I arrived. Slots have filled later in the evening on some of our earlier visits. The lounge was virtually empty this time, and my partner could take a slot straight away.
Prayer rooms, showers and washrooms
The prayer rooms, showers and washrooms are down a corridor off the main lounge. There are separate male and female washrooms and prayer rooms. We didn’t use the showers, so I can’t comment on the water pressure, toiletries or waiting time. Shower bookings were handled at reception during our visit.
Business centre
The business centre has monitors, desks and ergonomic office chairs. I would sit here if I needed to work before boarding, since the desks are far more suitable for a laptop than the low tables in the main seating area. The lounge was also quiet during our visit.
Concluding thoughts
The Turkish Airlines Lounge was quiet and comfortable during our visit, though most of the lounge is fairly ordinary. The buffet is small, the windows don’t have tarmac views and the armchairs aren’t suitable for eating or working. There is enough food for a meal, but I wouldn’t choose the lounge for the buffet.
The complimentary massage is the main reason to visit. The Turkish tea and coffee station is also worth using, while the staffed bar gives this lounge an advantage over EVA Air if you want a cocktail. I am sorry that it has left Priority Pass because that was how we used to enter, but the massage still makes it useful whenever our ticket or Star Alliance status gives us access.
I would allow around 30 minutes once a massage slot is available: have the massage, get a Turkish coffee and then decide whether to stay or visit another lounge. Put your name down at the bar when you arrive, because without the massage there isn’t much reason to spend longer here.
