There are some bad airport lounges. However, the worst airport lounge I have visited in the USA has to be the Turkish Airlines Lounge in Miami International Airport near the E Gates.
The lounge is located just past security at the E Gates. There is a small set of stairs that take you to the a hallway where you will find the lounge.
The lounge is accessible with Priority Pass. I visited around 7:30am on New Year’s Eve Day (December 31). I don’t know if my visit was typical or if it was due to holiday travel.
As you approach the lounge, there is a front desk where they scan your Priority Pass and boarding pass. I was expecting to go straight ahead into the lounge which looked very peaceful, however, I was directed to a side door.
The lounge is divided into two sections. I, along with all the other guests I saw, was directed to the smaller of the two sections.
Apparently Turkish Airlines wants to collect as much money from Priority Pass as possible as it seems there was no capacity limit on the lounge. Chairs were set up in a way to fit in as many people as possible. And most chairs were in use and others standing around.
There was one small food and beverage station. The cold cases had canned beverages; I found it funny that they offered cans of Shasta Cola; something I didn’t realize still existed.
There was no hot food at the buffet but there were QR codes that listed hot food available for free on order.
I decided to give it a try. I ordered all three options — scrambled eggs, potatoes, and French toast.
A few minutes later a server brought me this plate:
The potatoes were okay. I wasn’t sure why the eggs were red so I passed on them. I believe they forgot the “French” and just served the “toast”.
Needless to say with the poor food quality and overcrowding, I left the lounge after grabbing a can of club soda for my flight.
There is another Turkish Airlines Lounge, accessible with Priority Pass, in the H/J Gates area. But that is it for Priority Pass lounges at MIA.
I would strongly discourage anyone from visiting the Turkish Airlines Lounge at the E Gates in Miami based on my experience.
Have you visited the Turkish Airlines Lounge? Was it as bad during your visit? Please share in the comments.