Of course, I have though about this. I could go to SFO a couple of hours before the daily flight to Istanbul takes off, which is my understanding of the only way to deal with a live Turkish rep in San Francisco. But then I wonder:. 1) will there be someone at the Turkish check-in counter who is both able and willing to do this for me? 2) Will I bring all the right documentation with me? 3) Will this automated payment system thing actually work while I stand there in front of the agent, so that he/she will issue me a ticket on the spot? and 4) What actually happens to my credit card info . . . Will they charge me multiple times? Is their card security like their customer service (e.g., nonexistent)?

Somehow, going to the airport doesn't seem like it will necessarily "save (me) all the trouble."