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
Sort Reviews by :
Show
5/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

We recently traveled from Istanbul to New York. Spent 4 hours at Istanbul Ataturk Airport before we boarded the plane. This is a relatively small airport compared to other international airports around the world not much too see or do but meets the basic needs with several restaurants and cafes. There is a food court at one end with fast food stands very unattractive seating and lighting. When we came to our gate we wanted to use the bathrooms. The ladies restroom smelled of dense cigarette smoke. The stalls were dirty. There was no soap in the soap dispensers and no paper towel to use. It's obvious that the airport management does not care about the cleanliness of the bathrooms otherwise they would have installed smoke alarms in the bathrooms and employed more people to keep the bathrooms clean.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
1/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Belgium)

Dreadful experience. This airport is far too small to handle all the flights arriving and departing there. Early morning arrival from Sochi not all airbridges in use but still a remote stand and bus transfer to the terminal. Poor signage long queues and surly staff. Very long queues at security screening (waiting time 40 mins) and this airport is promoting itself as the ideal transfer airport? The whole airport is very overcrowded. Connecting flight to Brussels also from a remote stand. Not a single boarding call was made. The airport just cannot cope with the expansion of Turkish Airlines. Avoid.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
3/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

Awful experience. Firstly no air bridge and needed bus transfer. Not enough buses meant 40 passengers left standing on Tarmac for 10 minutes. Into terminal to join horrendous queue for visa extremely hot one employee and over an hour then have to join another queue for passport control another half hour. By the time we got to baggage carousel it had stopped with cases left standing. All in all nearly two hours.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
7/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United Kingdom)

Used 3 times recently: International arrival Domestic departure Domestic - International transfer. The experience was far better than previous reviews led me to expect. The international arrival was calm and orderly - it was mid-evening so perhaps a quiet time. The domestic departure - early afternoon - ditto. The need to undergo two security checks - one for the building one for airside is a bit tedious but worked OK. The domestic - international transfer was more pressured - you get taken landside after domestic arrival (why?) and then mixed in with local departing international passengers but passport / security etc worked smoothly enough with structured queues etc. Facilities airside immediately downstream of security were crowded but once you made your way to gate all fairly spacious and calm.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
na

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Luxembourg)

Atatürk is positioned as a hub for Turkish - an airline that claims to be Europe's best. However lots of transfer passengers are required to pass through security screening only a few meters after stepping off their original plane which leads to huge bottlenecks and completely unacceptable waiting times. Queues are not only long but also completely disorganized. The staff are rude and unhelpful while being unable to utter more than a couple of English phrases. You will wait in vain for basic courtesies. Did I mention that the few toilets you might find after long strolls throughout the terminal are usually overcrowded and extremely smelly. Avoid.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
4/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Turkey)

At first impression the airport may seem nice and cosy but that lasts for only few seconds. The airport is pretty small and incredibly overcrowded long queues and bottlenecks in every area are the norm. On departure: lengthy security checks the agent at check-in didn't know a word of English - a superior had to step-in. Seating is scarce around the terminal. The food court area is like a bazaar hard to make your way through. The smoking terrace - overcrowded as well is a nice addition and well taken care of so I would put that as a plus. Walking times to gates very long gates number changing at last minute. As the previous commentator objected you must have a Turkish SIM card in order to access the wireless internet - in an airport that tries to position itself as a global transit hub - mind boggling to say the least. All in all a disorganised saturated and poorly staffed airport. My advice - avoid transiting here if you can.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
3/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

Inadequate seating in the concourse. Incredibly long walks to the farthest gates. Free internet requires SMS confirmation and no options for people without Turkish compatible phones - this in an international terminal. Queuing times are okay. Shopping is nothing special. Food is poor and the food court is cramped. The terminal aesthetics are airport generic.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
7/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

This used to be an excellent airport. Well laid out modern good shops and restaurants and easy access to gates. With the rapid growth of Turkish airlines however these days it handles more passengers than was envisaged when being built. As a Turkish national the immigration lines are never too bad though judging by what I see the lines for foreigners and for visas can be quite long. This is one of the best airports to arrive or depart flying business class. On arrival you use dedicated immigration lines. On departure in addition to the dedicated airport entrance and the check-in counters you also have the option of going through passport control directly into the lounge which is one of the best lounges ever. So an average experience if you're flying economy and a great one if flying business.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes
6/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(Finland)

The problem of this airport is the rapid growth and success of Turkish Airlines. There are too many people in too tight a space. In general pretty good working airport but it lacks proper organization. For example there are no queues just lots of people in a horde trying to get to the same place. Staff didn't speak great English but understandable. Had 2 hours of transfer time in Istanbul and that really was enough for me. They need more space there.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
no
9/10

Istanbul Airport customer review

(United States)

This was my third time flying through IST but my first time in 5 years and what a change! The airport is literally bursting at the seams as IST has become a major transit hub as THY literally flies everywhere now. But the airport is still clean efficient and with excellent shopping and eating options. The security staff were extremely friendly and the security and transit lines were quick and efficient. My only major complaint was the lack of free Wi Fi in IST. But two changes to take note of which have occurred over the past 5 years. First a security check has been added after you leave the transfer desk if you are taking a transit flight. Second a number of foreign nationals can now purchase a visitor visa upon arrival at IST if they have a US UK Canadian or Schengen visa or a permanent residence card of those countries. The catch is that if you happen to arrive on flight from the US you can not purchase a visa from the booth closest to your flight. You have to go to the other end of the airport to the other visa booth to purchase a visa. My guess is that were most of the non EU and North American flights arrive at as you have to get a stamped paper from the Immigration booth before you can purchase the visa.
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
yes