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 635 reviews
3/10
5 star Skytrax Rating
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3/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

We just spent almost 2 hours going through passport control at IST today. That's 2 hours! The line was horrendous and airport personnel did nothing to ease the situation for hundreds of people. More and more flights kept arriving and the line was barely moving. They seriously need more agents checking passports and visas. Only half the booths had agents. Certainly they know how many flights are arriving. Turkish Airlines runs a great operation in the air however the Istanbul Airport creates the worst airport experience ever.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
na

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

As a seasoned traveller this was the first time I have travelled via Istanbul and will probably be the last. Chaos is the only way I can describe the International transfers. After standing in a queue for nearly 40 minutes I was then told I had to join a different queue as I was travelling on a British Passport and had to go through two security checks. Despite the fact that flights were being called and final boarding was being called there was no system in place to get people through quickly to make connecting flights. I had a 2½ hour stay over in Istanbul and after clearing security on an International Transfer my flight was being called. The ground staff were unhelpful.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping N/A
no
6/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

On the way into the country the queues were massive. On the way out everything was fast - the immigration queue took 3 mins and security check 2 mins. Some people complained about joining the wrong queue. Well the desks are clearly sign-posted in English - Turkish Nationals and Other Nationalities. You just have to read. In regards to overpriced food. Well sandwiches start at 10TL (about £3) and coffee starts at 5TL (about £1.50). It's normal price for an airport. Some people on here also complained about limited seating availability. Again I experienced plenty of free seats. Overall my experience was ok but looking at other reviews it could've been just a good day - Tuesday early afternoon.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
na

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

Why in the world is there a security checkpoint for transfer passengers on the "sterile passenger" side. It is seriously inefficient and serves no logical purpose. I almost missed my connection back to KIAH from LLBG via LTBA. Other airports in the region like Doha and Dubai do not do this! Turkish Airlines need to have agents to at least meet transfer passengers and guide them through fast especially for those passenger who have mere minutes to transfer. Turkish Airlines is a wonderful airline but has a terrible airport to call home. If you can use Dubai as your transfer.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
10/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

Being a seasoned business traveler through Istanbul airport yes it is a very busy central hub so be warned get there in plenty of time and check in on the internet. I travel from London and use it mainly for the excellent connections to CIS regions plus the airport offers good flexibility on flights to these countries. However in order to get around the hassle and stress of queues I invested in the TAV Passport card which offers many benefits with priority security and passport control which beats all the lines of people plus you get good discounts at the restaurants and duty free; also you get access to their airport lounge! All in all excellent service. Hence my review is based on a business user using a TAV passport card!
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
2/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Bangladesh)

This was my first time in IST. My wife and I had 3 hours transit time in IST. We found many difficulties finding the smoking lounge because there were no signs. The airport is very small to fit all the passengers coming from so many different destinations. The toilets were not clean at all. In an airport like IST it has no wifi connection for passengers which disappointed me a lot. Staff hardly spoke English and the food shop were too expensive. We had to pay 5$ for a 500ml bottle of water. Lastly you should consider yourself lucky if you find a seat.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness N/A
Airport Shopping 12345
no
5/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Zambia)

After reading all the negative comments I opted to pay for the Prime-class service. Although ridiculously expensive the service was fantastic. On arrival we were met at the plane with a buggy escorted quickly and efficiently through passport control luggage collection and customs. When departing Prime-class have their own security entrance to the airport where they meet you and once again escort you quickly and efficiently through check-in security passport control (all with their own counters) to the lounge. When time to board they take you to the gate in a buggy. Use the service if you want to avoid the long queues and headaches.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
na

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

I am not talking here about shops or restaurants in the airport but rather about the staff on the ground. The majority of staff - except for a few - are rude indifferent and disorganized. I was shocked to find that out of the ten people I had to communicate with 5 were rude 3 indifferent and 2 were nice. I have passed through Istanbul airport twice - the second time saying I will give it a chance - and have vowed never again to take Turkish airlines. It is such a shame since thousands of people pass the airport and the manners reflects bad on the rest of the country.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
8/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Germany)

It is possible to find at an airport has to be everything in Istanbul. Staff friendly Campos and reliability are confirmed as important considerations for passengers travel. Duty free is cheaper. Full of fresh and delicious dishes in restaurants.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
2/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

Inefficient. Clogged with people. If you are traveling from Istanbul to a location in the US UK or Canada you have to go to a special passport control line but none of the signs tell you that. So we went to one line only to be told to go to another then to another then to a fourth until we were finally in the right line. Then we had to go back to the second line. Long lines many people cutting in line inefficient staff very few places to sit very crowded few restaurants and airport staff are not friendly. Bathrooms are few and far between. In general the airport is simply not equipped to handle the volume of passengers going through it.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no