Istanbul Airport

Customer Reviews

5 star Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 588 reviews
3/10
5 star Skytrax Rating
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2/10

"a very poor experience"

(Pakistan)

Trip Verified | Had one of the worst experience with Turkish Airlines at the connecting airport. No one was there to guide us further, they closed the door early. We barely made it ourselves. The airport staff was discourteous and unhospitable and critiqued elderly passengers for not speaking English while they barely could speak 2 words in English. Overall a very poor experience.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
5/10

“Limited number of seating areas”

(Canada)

Not Verified | Limited number of seating areas. If Istanbul airport wanted to become hub for transitory passengers it has to provide adequate resting place for transitory passengers. So they can have adequate water fountains, sitting areas and mobile charging points for their layovers. After a long flight no passenger likes to sit on the floor so airport staff shouldn't be rude to such passengers instead should rightly direct them to empty seating areas.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"food prices absolutely extortionate"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | A superficially impressive airport with more high end shops then anyone could possibly need. But some serious irritations. Transit was slow and cumbersome; WiFi provision was shocking - both the stingy 1 hour allocation and mechanism to activate it, plus the speed once finally confirmed. The food prices were absolutely extortionate, especially given the state of the Turkish economy. It’s as of they are trying to retrospectively fund the airport by seriously overcharging. Will avoid in future.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

“foods are unreasonably expensive”

(Germany)

Trip Verified | The worst airport I’ve ever visited! The foods are unreasonably expensive with so little variation. Only burgers and bread-based dishes. For example a noodle box with drink cost you 750 TL or 21 EURO. The cheapest McD meals is 18 EURO. That’s ridiculous. Also, very stingy airport with only 1 hour free WIFI. And you have to register your passport in the kiosk to have the password for the WiFi. Sometimes, the machine cannot read your passport so you have to do it over and over again. Never ever I experience something ridiculous like this in my entire life. Pay for WiFi in the airport? And you claimed to be a 5-star airport? Learn from Airports in Asia.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

“more a shopping mall than an Airport”

(Germany)

Not Verified | One of the worst organized Airports. Always delays and wouldn't recomment for transit. It's more a shopping mall than an Airport. Food is 3 times more expensive than any other airport.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"We barely made the flight"

(United States)

Trip Verified | I had a horrible experience at Istanbul Airport on February 25. I was there on a layover from Cairo to Seattle. The connecting flight gate was about 1,700 meters away from the arrival gate and we were short on time. Because my son needed a wheelchair, the wheelchair person said my husband and I could head to the gate and he would bring my son "fast." We ran to the gate to make sure he would not wait long for us. When we arrived, my son wasn't there and the Turkish Airlines representatives had no idea where he was. They said the company that operates the wheelchair is independent. Running around trying to find an information desk or any airport staff who could help, there was nothing. All of that while the airline was announcing "last call" for our flight. I eventually found a random wheelchair person who told me that there is a desk near Gate A2 that could help. Nope. The two people at the desk who barely spoke English had no idea, and arrogantly requested me to go back to the gate. Back at the gate, I asked to speak with airport security, they said there was no airport security except past passport control! After everyone else had boarded, and still the airline staff had no idea where my son was, he eventually showed up TERRIFIED with a group of people in a cart. It turned out they moved him from a wheelchair to a cart and made several stops to pick others. We barely made the flight. I will never fly via Istanbul again.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Not a warm welcome feeling"

(United States)

Not Verified | Horrible WiFi service. Only one hour free. The shops are all oversized items and expensive. Not a warm welcome feeling at all with the ambiance of the overall airport.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"What chaos and madness"

(Finland)

Trip Verified | I was passing through the baggage checkpoint with my wife and my infant baby girl. We were carrying a lot of bags and I was carrying them alone and my wife was carrying the baby. When I put all the bags on the scanner machine, the security man allowed only my wife and the baby to pass and asked my to “Stop!” I told him that this is my family. How will my wife unload the bags from the scanner machine? He does not answer me and does not allow me to pass! Until my wife had to put the baby girl on the floor to unload the bags while I was watching my baby girl on the floor who could barely sit because she is only 8 months old and she might fall on her head!! All this was in front of my eyes and I was screaming and saying, “My child, let me pass!” There is no response. Then the security man allowed me to pass, but he told me to stop aside and test me for drugs test. What chaos and madness. The worst experiences in my life were at this ridiculous airport. Insults, mismanagement and childish behavior! Very disappointed!!
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"ended up missing the flight"

(Estonia)

Not Verified | I booked a flight for my unaccompanied 58-year-old mother, who is not tech-savvy and doesn't speak Turkish. Despite arriving at the airport over 3 hours early for her flight, the check-in counter opened just 2 hours before the flight. The officer denied her a printed boarding pass even when he was repeatedly asked to provide her with it, he stated that the E-Boarding pass on her phone (obtained through online check-in with no/old gate number) was enough. Despite witnessing her situation, he didn't arrange for or offer any special assistance. When she reached the gate mentioned on her E-Boarding pass that she was directed towards, she found out that the gate number for her flight had changed without any notice. After a lot of struggle and reaching the correct gate, she found that the flight had departed. She was left stranded at the airport for approximately 5 hours with no support. She was alone and kept asking for help inside, but nobody understood or helped her willingly, and any airline or airport staff she approached was not able to assist her or guide her, they kept on saying they had no information. There were no passenger calls made in her name that could reach her. And as a result, she ended up missing the flight. Despite explaining the entire ordeal, the airline has refused to acknowledge their fault or to reschedule the flight. This is utterly unjust.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"never go through Istanbul airport"

(United States)

Trip Verified | I thought Istanbul Airport would have settled down by now since it was brand new when I flew first 5 years ago but it has not. This is a major huge international Airport that needs Customer Service booths 24 hours a day in multiple places to guide & help passengers. During the day there is still airport staff all over the place you can ask for help but God-forbid you land there at night needing to connect to another flight, you are all on your own in that 3-mile-long airport. There is no airport staff to be found anywhere to ask questions, its like a graveyard. They need to have luggage trolley stations all over the place but they do not. You have to find the far away location to get one & you do not know where that is. WiFi should be available to passengers immediately upon landing but its not. You have to go to special booths to register with 25 people waiting before you to get access. Not good. I landed there from LA later at night, had a 3-hour layover, got out of my gate, asked a couple of uniformed people right outside exiting my plane if they can look up my next flight gate number on their airport phones tablets, their reply is “I don’t know”! I cannot help you! (And, most of them don’t speak English). They pointed me to the big screens farther away to find it myself. They said “The gate number will be decided & posted on the board eventually before your flight”. You wait & wait & wait; no gate info shows up. And finally, when & if it does show up right before your flight, you are historically rushing & running with you carry on bags, exhausted from your previous flight to the next gate which is far far away. Mind you, this airport is like 8 football fields long & wide. Istanbul airport needs to install customer service booths in multiple spots at the airport to help passengers 24/7, people employed at the airport should be able to speak English fluently, should be able to look up on their airport tablet / airport phones & tell weary passengers what gate number they need to go & point them to the right direction. I will never go through Istanbul airport. I will also discourage other people from doing so as well.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no