Small, dimmed, claustrophobic and badly lit, the MEA's Skyteam lounge at Istanbul's airport is where you can stay while travelling back to Beirut from Turkey. The colors and vibes of the lounge doesn't reflect Skyteam, but the good thing is that the choice of food served there is reasonable.
Located at the end of the airport next to Emirates lounge near gates 224-230, the Skyteam lounge is dedicated to the alliance members. A rectangular space hosts a main seating area, a business corner with computers, the bar, a TV room area, a silent corner and no bathroom; a lounge with no toilets. A long green wall is so badly lit that it looks dull with a lack of freshness.
Colors are white and orange with grey wooden floor. Leather individual chairs, white sofas, a relaxing area to watch television calmly and several orange sofas with a view on the airport parking.
This afternoon, the "welcoming" hostess seemed to have had a fight with her boyfriend. Busy with her phone, fixing her make-up, she shouted at every person who tried to access the lounge. Ok they don't have the appropriate cards to come in, but there was no need to push them away like animals. She eats, chews, talks on the phone... Impolite, she doesn't even look at passengers eyes; one just told her; "at least look at me when I'm talking to you". If Skyteam knows about her, she surely will be fired. Unacceptable behavior!
Other than that we had to enjoy the musical tunes of a baby screaming out loud for a whole long hour without anyone caring. The lounge is so small it feels like one bedroom.
A secluded kids or family area should be implemented.
No music, no television, the ambiance is heavy! Glasses falling on the floor in hundreds of pieces makes it feel like a horror movie. One large screen displays the continents turning and turning again in a loop. A baby screaming, a phone ringing, a passenger shouting for his family to hear him... I was counting the minutes to run away.
On the menu:
- Spicy tomato paste
- Hummus
- Iceberg lettuce salad
- Kisir: cracked wheat and tomato paste
- Russian salad
- Babaghannouj
- Breadsticks and three kinds of fruits
- Fruit yogurt
- Brownies
- Tiramisu
- Hummus wrap
- Turkey wrap
- Basmati rice
- Spinach
- Sichuan chicken
- Cream and broccoli soup
- Coffee and drinks
Traveling from Istanbul onboard the Skyteam alliance, this is what to expect. Soft drinks not cold enough, warm water bottles, food buffet is not clean enough and a repulsive staff... I hope the persons in charge take this lounge more seriously and keep it up to standard.
