Anyone used Turkish air to get to Europe? Have to connect through Istanbul,, is that a headache to do?

We flew Turkish Air and had a long layover. The long layover was great, but then after we all boarded the next plane, there was a mechanical issue and we had to deplane. We ended up being rebooked on a flight 18 hours later out of the other Istanbul airport. It was quite a nightmare. They put us in a hotel, but it took a couple of hours for them to get us there.

The flights themselves were great though.

Yes it was an excellent experience. No problems at all.

The airport in Istanbul is like a mall with gates, lots to see, do and buy. I extended my layover for two nights to check out Instanbul. It is a cool city and seems pretty European.

At departure Turkish Air wanted to see the card I used to buy my ticket. I had cancelled the card so I had to talk with a supervisor about it.

Thanks for the feedback!

How much time do you have on your layover? Istanbul is one of the greatest cities in the world, and if you have 7+ hours on your layover then you can have a fantastic time in the city. Less than that and you should probably hang out at the world class Turkish Airlines business lounge or the general airport.

I agree with everyone saying if you have the time to check out the city. It is absolutely incredible and the airport and its lounges are also great.

If you can manage it I would look into the extended layover opportunity Turkish Airlines provides. If you plan your trip where your layover is more than twenty hours they have a program where they will pay for ar hotel just to see the city. One night for economy and two nights for business.

I take turkish to the middle east and always book a four stop segment. Houston to Istanbul, then two days later Istanbul to Abu Dhabi and do the same back. I could take twenty more trips and still not scratch the surface of that city.

Turkish Extended Layover Program

EASyAg06 said:

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I agree with everyone saying if you have the time to check out the city. It is absolutely incredible and the airport and its lounges are also great.

If you can manage it I would look into the extended layover opportunity Turkish Airlines provides. If you plan your trip where your layover is more than twenty hours they have a program where they will pay for ar hotel just to see the city. One night for economy and two nights for business.

I take turkish to the middle east and always book a four stop segment. Houston to Istanbul, then two days later Istanbul to Abu Dhabi and do the same back. I could take twenty more trips and still not scratch the surface of that city.

Turkish Extended Layover Program

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Is it true you need a visa to switch planes in Istanbul even if not leaving the airport?

TAM85 said:

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The airport in Istanbul is like a mall with gates, lots to see, do and buy. I extended my layover for two nights to check out Instanbul. It is a cool city and seems pretty European.

At departure Turkish Air wanted to see the card I used to buy my ticket. I had cancelled the card so I had to talk with a supervisor about it.

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If anyone wants to take a layover flight, try finding a good place to stay. Maybe visit the Bazaars, go buy some Simit (a popular food made with Sesame seeds like a Pretzel which my parents used to eat for lunch growing up as kids there), and go to Taksim square. But be extra careful of some (not all) bazaar merchants, shoe shiners and people selling you access to nightclubs. There are some scammers. I have intel on how things work there as my parents grew up there.

I just flew through there today. It's a good airline. Biz class is all I've done.

Flew Turkish Air business class from Istanbul to JFK, excellent service. The airport and the Turkish Air lounge were impressive. Security was very tight, we went through 4 separate checks including a final very thorough check of carry-on just before boarding.