Plaza Premium Lounge Sabiha Gökçen Review: No Seats, Cold Chips, Never Again
I paid £24 to enter this lounge. Plaza Premium did not sponsor or approve this review, and all opinions are based on my experience during this particular visit.
Quick Answer Express
Is the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at Sabiha Gökçen Airport worth visiting?
Based on my experience, absolutely not. It was overcrowded, noisy and dirty, with no empty seats and some of the worst airport-lounge food I have encountered.
I normally like Plaza Premium Lounges, which made this experience even more surprising. I paid £24 to enter and, quite honestly, I felt as though they should have paid me £24 to go inside.
My advice? Save your money, find a restaurant in the terminal and avoid this lounge. Like, ever. I have visited plenty of disappointing airport lounges over the years. The No1 Lounge at Birmingham Airport previously held a particularly special place in my departure-lounge hall of shame. Well, Birmingham: you are off the hook.
The Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport was possibly the worst airport lounge I have ever visited. It made the main departure lounge at Stansted Airport look like Buckingham Palace.
Where is the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at SAW?
The Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge is located airside in the international departures area of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, close to Gate 204. You will need to pass through security and passport control before reaching it.
Do not confuse Sabiha Gökçen Airport, whose code is SAW, with Istanbul Airport, or IST. They are two completely different airports on opposite sides of Istanbul.
The lounge is open 24 hours a day and accepts eligible lounge-membership customers as well as paying guests, subject to its access rules and available capacity.
The important words there should be available capacity.
Getting inside was an experience in itself
The welcome did not exactly set the tone for a relaxing visit. The conversation at reception felt unnecessarily argumentative, and gaining entry seemed more complicated than it needed to be.
I eventually paid £24 to enter. When I checked the Plaza Premium website separately, it displayed a €75 walk-in price for the date and time selected.
Seventy-five euros.
I can only assume that figure includes a private seat hidden in another dimension, because there certainly was not one waiting for me inside.
Prices and booking channels can change, so check the current rate before travelling. However, based on what I experienced, I would not have considered this lounge good value at £24 never mind €75.
Not one empty seat
When I walked inside, there was not a single empty seat that I could find.
People were everywhere. Tables were full, passengers were standing around and the whole lounge felt far beyond the number of guests it could comfortably accommodate.
Despite this, boarding passes continued to be scanned and more people continued to enter.
There is a point where selling another lounge entry actively makes the experience worse for everybody who has already paid. This lounge had sailed past that point, completed another circuit and was still scanning boarding passes.
Plaza Premium advertises comfortable seating and a spacious dining area. During my visit, neither description matched the experience I found.
My hunt for somewhere to sit
After approximately ten minutes standing awkwardly in the middle of the lounge, I spotted somebody preparing to leave. I pounced.
This was not elegant airport-lounge behaviour. It was more like musical chairs with hand luggage, but I finally secured a small table and two chairs.
A few minutes later, a mother and her toddler joined me. The little one was understandably tired and upset (like myself) and spent much of the next 20 minutes kicking and screaming.
Airports are exhausting for adults, let alone toddlers. But it demonstrates why admitting so many people into a confined space does not create the quiet escape passengers have paid for.
There were children running around, people searching for seats, conversations coming from every direction and almost no sense of calm. The lounge felt noisier and more chaotic than parts of the terminal outside.
This is not about blaming families. The problem was the number of people being squeezed into a space that simply could not provide a comfortable lounge experience for all of them.
The food: cold chips and canteen leftovers
Then we come to the food.
“Delights from Turkish to international cuisines” is how Plaza Premium describes the offering.
What I encountered looked more like the remains of a staff-canteen buffet after a five-hour party.
There were a couple of blocks of cheese, some broken pieces of bread and trays of very basic food that did not look remotely appetising. The presentation was messy and the buffet area looked thoroughly picked over.
The only food I considered remotely edible was a serving of cold chips. They tasted as though they had been sitting there for a week.
I appreciate that airport-lounge food is rarely fine dining. I am not expecting a Michelin-starred tasting menu before boarding a Pegasus flight. But if a lounge is continuing to accept paying guests, it needs to keep the buffet stocked, presentable and at a safe, appealing temperature.
This was some of the worst airport-lounge food I have ever seen.
Turkey has one of the world’s great food cultures. A few tired chips, blocks of cheese and broken bread do not represent it.
Drinks: at least there was an Efes
I had an Efes beer.
That may be the most positive complete sentence I can write about the food and drink.
The drink was welcome, but one beer could not rescue the overall experience. When an airport lounge is selling access, passengers are paying for more than the wholesale cost of a drink. They are paying for space, comfort, refreshments and somewhere calmer than the terminal.
This lounge failed on most of those points during my visit.
The runway views were genuinely good
There was one proper positive: the views were great.
The lounge has panoramic windows overlooking the airport, making it a good position for watching aircraft movements. As Mr Plane Guy, I will always appreciate a decent airport view.
Unfortunately, a great view does not compensate for having nowhere to sit, dirty tables, poor food and noise everywhere.
Dirty tables and unpleasant toilets
Tables were left dirty around the lounge, which added to the impression that the facility could not cope with the number of guests being admitted.
The toilets were also in a condition I did not expect to find inside a paid airport lounge.
If you continue admitting guests when nearly every table and seat is occupied, cleaning and replenishment must increase with the footfall.
What happened to the free Wi-Fi?
Plaza Premium lists Wi-Fi as one of this lounge’s facilities. However, during my visit, I could not find or access complimentary lounge Wi-Fi.
The airport connection I found offered two hours for approximately £2. It was not a huge amount of money, but that is beside the point. Reliable complimentary Wi-Fi is a basic expectation in a paid airport lounge, particularly one promoted to business travellers.
It is possible that a separate lounge network was temporarily unavailable or that I was not given the required details at reception. I can only report what happened to me: I paid to enter and could not access the advertised free Wi-Fi.
Does the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge match its marketing?
In my opinion, no.
Plaza Premium promotes the lounge as offering:
Comfortable seating
A spacious dining area
Turkish and international cuisine
Wi-Fi
Charging stations
A playroom
Flight information
Vegetarian options
Panoramic runway views
The runway views were there. The rest of the experience fell a very long way short of the relaxing premium environment that description suggests. An airport lounge is not simply a room where you scan as many boarding passes as possible.
Plaza Premium needs to stop overselling this lounge
Sabiha Gökçen is an extremely busy international airport and an important base for Pegasus Airlines. There is clearly substantial demand for lounge access.
The answer cannot be to keep squeezing more people into the same space.
Plaza Premium either needs to expand this lounge significantly, possibly by several hundred per cent, open another suitable facility or introduce reliable capacity controls and develop a proper reservation system that protects the experience of guests already inside.
That is the real shame here: I usually like Plaza Premium Lounges. I have visited other locations that felt comfortable, clean and genuinely worthwhile. This did not feel like the usual Plaza Premium standard.
Had this been operated by a small, unknown lounge company, I might have lowered my expectations. Plaza Premium is an established international lounge brand. It should know how to manage demand, food replenishment and cleanliness.
Is the Plaza Premium Lounge at SAW worth €75?
No. Not based on the experience I had.
I did not think it was worth the £24 I paid. If I had walked in and paid €75, I would have felt completely ripped off.
For that price, you should reasonably expect:
A seat
A clean table
Presentable food
Clean toilets
Working complimentary Wi-Fi
A calmer environment than the main terminal
During my visit, the lounge failed to provide several of those basics.
If the website displays a high price for your date, please do not assume that paying more guarantees a less crowded or more premium experience.
Is this the worst airport lounge I have visited?
Yes, I think it probably is. No1 Lounge Birmingham has finally lost its crown.
The overcrowding was the main problem, but it affected everything else: no seats, noise, dirty tables, depleted food and facilities that could not keep up with demand.
An airport lounge does not need to be luxurious to be worthwhile. Give me a clean seat, something fresh to eat, a drink, working Wi-Fi and 45 minutes away from the terminal crowds, and I am usually happy.
This lounge could not even provide the escape from the crowds. It simply moved the crowd into a smaller room and charged people to join it.
My plane-honest verdict
Would I visit the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at Sabiha Gökçen Airport again? Absolutely not.
The runway views were excellent, and I managed to have an Efes. That concludes the positives.
The lounge was extremely overcrowded during my visit, there were no seats available when I entered, tables were dirty, the toilets were unpleasant and the buffet looked thoroughly depleted. The cold chips were the only food I attempted, and I could not access complimentary Wi-Fi despite it being listed as a lounge feature.
If you are flying internationally from Sabiha Gökçen, save your money and find somewhere in the terminal where you can choose food you actually want to eat. It may not call itself a lounge, but there is a reasonable chance you will find a seat and possibly a hot chip.
Plane Rating 1/5.
Plane Tip: This was my worst lounge visit, but it has not put me off Priority Pass. I’ve had excellent lounge experiences using it at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Vienna, Dubai, Doha, Sydney, in Tanzania and Berlin. One overcrowded lounge doesn’t represent every airport. If you’re thinking of joining, read my Priority Pass guide and check the lounges at the airports you actually use. Just don’t buy a membership specifically for the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge at SAW on the strength of my visit.
Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge FAQs
Where is the Plaza Premium Lounge at Sabiha Gökçen Airport?
The Marmara Lounge is airside in the international departures area, near Gate 204. You must clear security and passport control before entering.
Is the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge open 24 hours?
Plaza Premium currently lists its SAW departures lounge as open 24 hours daily. Opening times and access restrictions can change, so check before travelling.
How much does the Plaza Premium Lounge at SAW cost?
I paid £24 for my visit. When I checked Plaza Premium’s website for a separate date and time, it displayed a €75 walk-in rate. Prices vary by booking channel, date, access programme and visit duration, so check the live price before buying.
Can you use Priority Pass at Sabiha Gökçen Airport?
SAW has lounges and airport experiences listed by membership programmes including Priority Pass, but participating locations and access conditions can change. Check your app on the day of travel rather than assuming entry is guaranteed.
Does the Marmara Lounge have free Wi-Fi?
Plaza Premium advertises Wi-Fi as a lounge feature. I could not access complimentary lounge Wi-Fi during my visit and only found a paid airport option. This may have been a temporary or visit-specific problem.
Is food included?
Food and drinks are normally included with lounge entry. During my visit, the buffet was depleted and unappealing, and the only food I tried was cold chips.
Does the lounge have runway views?
Yes. The panoramic airport view was easily the best feature of the lounge.
Should I book this lounge before my Pegasus flight?
Based on my visit, I would not recommend paying to enter. I would spend the money on a meal in the terminal instead.
Continue planning your Türkiye trip
Flying through SAW? Read my Sabiha Gökçen Airport guide for transport, terminal and Pegasus tips.
You can also continue the trip with my:
Pegasus Airlines flight review
Istanbul travel guide
Cappadocia travel guide
Disclosure: Pegasus Airlines gifted my return flights between London Gatwick and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, including my onward flights to Kayseri for Cappadocia. I paid the £24 lounge entry fee myself. Pegasus Airlines and Plaza Premium had no involvement in this review, and neither company approved or reviewed it before publication.
Flying from Gatwick to Sabiha Gökçen with Pegasus Airlines
Although I cannot recommend this lounge, I can recommend Sabiha Gökçen as a useful gateway to Istanbul and for connecting onwards around Türkiye.
Pegasus Airlines now flies daily between London Gatwick and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, making SAW a particularly convenient option for travellers flying from the south of England. My flights on this trip were gifted by Pegasus Airlines, but the airline did not sponsor this lounge visit or influence my review.
SAW is Pegasus Airlines’ main hub, so it is also well positioned for connecting flights across Türkiye and further afield. On this trip, we flew from Gatwick to SAW and then connected onwards to Kayseri for Cappadocia. It was a straightforward way to combine Istanbul and Cappadocia within one trip.
If you are travelling to Cappadocia, check connections from SAW to both Kayseri and Nevşehir when comparing flights. Kayseri worked well for us, with a transfer completing the journey to Göreme.
This is the important distinction: my terrible experience inside the Plaza Premium Marmara Lounge does not mean SAW is a bad airport to fly into. The airport is extremely busy, but it offers a large Pegasus network and useful onward connections. I would happily fly through SAW with Pegasus again, I would simply give this lounge a miss.
Read my full Pegasus Airlines flight review, Pegasus Airlines guide, Sabiha Gökçen Airport guide and Cappadocia travel guide for more help planning the journey.
Flight schedules change, so check the current Gatwick–SAW frequency and onward connection times for your travel dates.
Plaza Premium Lounge Sabiha Gökçen Review: No Seats, Cold Chips, Never Again
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