You Trip Report

	DATE	FLIGHT NUMBER	SEAT	AIRCRAFT
30 Mar 21	UA 1058	5F	737-900ER
CLASS	VIEWS	LANGUAGE	AUTHOR
Business Class	88312	English	jetsetpanda

Prologue:

After spending some time in Miami it was time to return. This return portion of my trip would be in Business and to my surprise I discovered that there is a TK lounge in MIA.

Florida has been a very popular destination for many without any travel restrictions during the pandemic so a lot of people were coming and going through the "Sunshine" state. Not surprisingly all flights between MIA-EWR including this one were full to capacity.

Check in at the UA counter located by F gates. During the late 90's and early 2000's MIA was a hub and had flights to Latin America. UA used the F gates that were inherited from Pan Am.

Currently UA uses the H gates which are connected to the J terminal. It is about a 5 min. walk from F to H gates.

There is a hallway that connects the H to the J gates. DL Skyclub and TK lounge are located in this hallway.

I visited the J gates in hope of checking the AV lounge.

The AV lounge is by gate J3 but unfortunately it was closed. There was no sign advising that. To be honest I don't know if this lounge is opened. I couldn't find any information online and the google reviews that I have read date back to months ago.

TK lounge entrance.

TK reception.

Locker room.

Rest area.

There is a small room area where the kid's room TV and business center were located.

Children room.

TV room.

Going to the main sitting and dining area.

Dining area with buffet in the background.

Sign with breakfast options. I waited until 11:45A and breakfast was still served.

Bar.

Main sitting area.

Towards the back of the room with view of the runway.

My sample breakfast. You tell the agent at the buffet what you want and she hands them to you. I ordered the scrambled eggs and they were lukewarm and tiny.

WC

Gate area.

Boarding and handing of alcohol wipes at the entrance by the crew.

My seat 5F.

AV with old livery and a salute to Casper. ;)

Taxiing out.

Take off.

Service started with offering of a Tapas box. I've heard that hot sandwiches were also offered from other Florida cities but MIA is an exception.

========== Miami Intl (MIA) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: /10

Access and parking: /10

Services and activities: /10

General cleanliness: /10

========== Turkish Airlines Lounge ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: 8/10

Business Center: 8/10

Food: 7/10

Lounge Design: 10/10

Spa and Bathroom: 10/10

Wifi: 0/10

========== United Airlines - Airline ==========

Cabine comfort: /10

Crew: /10

Entertainment: /10

On-time performance: /10

Appetizer: 0/10

Starter: 0/10

Main Meal: 0/10

Main Meal-2: 0/10

Cheese: 0/10

Desserts: 0/10

Alcohols: 0/10

Mid-flight snack: 0/10

Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 0/10

========== Newark Liberty Intl Arpt (EWR) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: /10

Access and parking: /10

Services and activities: /10

General cleanliness: /10

Summary:

The TK lounge was a great discovery and it was a welcoming and comfortable way to spend some time before the flight.

Usually the food at TK lounges are really good but there were a few disappointments at this particular lounge. Don't get me wrong. I think the catering is above what competitors offer at MIA and there is fresh food available. However the tiny portions, lukewarm eggs that I received and failure to adhere to the hours for breakfast and lunch brought the points down a little.

The flight was smooth and I was treated to beautiful sights along my trip. I was disappointed that UA only served a snack box that used to be sold as B.O.B. for the front cabin on this segment.

21 Comments

Casper — Apr 03,2021

Ah Gracias Amigo !
AV and I are not divorced yet but maybe I will have to cut the knot !

A good lounge but sadly the food is not up to IST level.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2021

Sounds like your relationship with AV is on shaking grounds. :P

Surprising that the food at TK lounge is not great given the reputation of TK's catering in the air and on the ground. Well covid has been a good excuse for airlines to cut costs.
Thomas — Apr 03,2021

Great lounge design wise however the catering is rather disappointing and a far cry from what we used to know. It would be great to see the lounge after the covid to really judge.
Time to plan another try far down this year.
See you around my friend.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2021

When things get back to "normal" it would be interesting to see the true colors.

You know that us avgeeks are always planning our next trip. ;)
Bibopaul — Apr 03,2021

Lovely report Jetset, thanks. it's a nice lounge but given the offer, it's below average.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2021

Sadly all lounges have reduced their catering offerings although some more than others. However it's a lovely place to relax before your flight for sure.
Emile — Apr 04,2021

A good lounge even if the catering is not that good. I'm a bit disappointed by the flight itself. Thanks for your report.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 04,2021

Under the circumstances I will take the TK lounge over any other in MIA. ;) UA should offer better catering on such a flight. I mean these are two big markets after all.
AAFlyer — Apr 04,2021

I was really looking forward for this trip report and It was worth the wait.
Thanks Panda
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 04,2021

Glad I met your expectations! ;)
Vendredi13 — Apr 04,2021

Woof ! JetSetPanda !

A well hidden lounge to enjoy rest and quietness ! Well done my friend !
Snack box is not the best presentation in a business class.
Beautiful aérial views of Miami and EWR.

Thanks JetSet' for this really interesting trip report !
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 05,2021

Woof!

It was quite unexpected to find this lounge since it is not published on the Star Alliance site under Lounge finder.

Snack box is really deficient for a flight like this. Just as a comparison my flight on Alaska from SFO-SEA was about the same length and offered so much more. I received a fresh sandwich or cheese plate, warm cookie and snack basket.

The views were great from both cities. I was lucky. ;)
Capoune — Apr 05,2021

Hi Adan!!!
What a great lounge provided by TK!!
The snack box is... lol!
Thank you for sharing this very nice TR my friend!!!
Hope to see you soon panda.
Take care mon ami!!!
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 05,2021

Salut Seb,

Very pleasant lounge indeed. I wouldn't mind spending more time there.

As for the snack box - no comments. :P

Hopefully more intl destinations will open for travel. Crossing my fingers and saying my prayers. ;)
SERGE13 — Apr 03,2021

Nice report. Thank you.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 03,2021

Thanks for visiting Serge.
Alex — Apr 05,2021

Hello Jetsetpanda,

Very nice review with a great TK lounge at MIA, but onboard the meal is...
Thank you for these 3 reports with nice pics.

Alex
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 05,2021

Hi Alex,

UA should upgrade this catering between MIA-EWR. It's disgraceful. There is not even a choice of boxes.
Nomascoach — Apr 05,2021

A great lounge and that's it.
Thank you.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Apr 05,2021

Ditto. Thanks Nomascoach.