My friend in Istanbul tells me that he read an article announcing that TK board approved the deal and it should be finalized within 6 months.

If true, as an UA flyer it will really make me happy to fly JFK-IST rather than Lufthansa via FRA.

Does anyone have any more info on this?

Wishful thinking on the part of TK. They might be ready to join *A about the same time that Turkey is ready to join the EU.

cheers,

Henry

TK"s entry into * A is already a done deal among member airlines through
silent consent. TK surely does not need help by Joseph Ratzinger or
Jos� Manuel Barroso. Many, including myself, choose which airline to fly ,regardless of religious affiliation.

i have been watching the process of TK since two year, and so far they are getting better and better.

for example they are one of the airlines which show the bookings code at booking time very clearly.

they have good prices to asia from europe and nice C class offers.
as i dont fly any airline where i dont earn status, i cant comment on the airline itself.

but i have booked 4 friends in the past on TK and two again to HKG for november as the prices are really good.

the first one two years ago wanted to kill me .
the second person said it was ok.
third person said it was a nice flight. but he is turkish, so maybe it was a better exp. for him.
the other friend said food and everything was ok.

i am sure they are ready and if the join, i will be happy to use one of the cheap C class fares they offer.

dp

I have not heard anything about this, but it would be good. I have flown them a few times from the Middle East to and through IST (I'll be taking my first domestic flight, IST-BJV, in a couple of weeks), and can report that it's a fine airline. Their fleet, service, web site, and miles program (which is a partner of AA, so I assume that they'd have to jettison that) are all up to standard in my opinion. Their fares seem very competitive, too. They have a surprisingly broad route network, too, although I don't see it really complementing the rest of *A. I'd rather see the much-speculated addition of Qatar Airways.

No it seems that it is a done deal... It has nothing to do with the EU issue which will never happen, but compared to some other smaller *A airlines they are a decent size airline with over 100 planes, and over 50 just within the last year so I am told, they fly all over middle east.

I meet my partner in HK quite often and he always flies in on TK from Istanbul and he raves about his trip in C, compared to other European airlines.

When we flew to Manila on CX last week though (in C) , I think he was quite amazed by what really good service can be with the Asian airlines!

Turkish Airlines opts to join Star Alliance, ditches previous favourite Sky Team

Here is a news link with a little more detail. The key is that it will be at least a year before they formally join.

This link has been posted here before, and, as I pointed out then, if you read what it actually says you see that it is entirely THY propaganda -- there is nothing quoted from any *A representative or official.

I'm not surprised that people are chiming in, saying 'Oh, TK is a fine airline!' If you asked around enough, you could probably find someone who thought that THY was the best airline in the world -- just as there are no doubt some who think that Biman is the best, or Garuda, or Aeroflot, or .... (Differences of opinion, after all, are what make for horse races.)

I'm only saying that I have flown TK five or six times, both international and domestic, and in no case was the experience even close to what one expects nowadays from the *A carriers. From the mob scene at the check-in desks (no visible queue), to the broken seats and septic toilets on the aircraft, to the overwhelmed, cynical and rude staff trying to survive their desperate jobs -- it was a nightmare from beginning to end, and one that I will go far out of my way if necessary to avoid in future. My opinion.

cheers,

Henry

do you really think that Star would remain silent if TK were making it all up ? I am sure that Star would make a comment of some sort to refute it if that were the case , the fact that they are saying nothing suggests to me that there are genuine negotiations going on , which may , or may not result in an eventual membership application announcement

I can't think it's been a recent experience then. I flew TK on four sectors in the past 6 days and thought they were superior to either of the US *A carriers.

It is not the issue of which airline is better or worse than the others.
If I follow your logic, can you explain how and why SU could possibly be allowed to join ST, notwithstanding its alledged poor reputation?

Well SkyTeam isn't exactly "awesome" but that is a personal opinion. If TK should join then great and lucky for them, but if I would ever use them after the two flights I had to take (was rebooked by OS) is something I highly doubt. But then maybe wonders happened over the last two years so who knows. After all no one will force me to do so.

Now QR would be a delight to have in *A as they would plug a big hole in the Middle East and truly do offer a great product and excellent service. Again just a personal opinion and feel free to disagree.

derpelikan! This is getting serious!

Exact wording from TK website:

On the TK website, it says that their Board decided last month (i.e., August '06) 'it was decided to start discussions with Star Alliance to become a member'. So, let's think of a timeline. When will these discussions actually begin? [Not soon.] How long will they take? [A long time.] When will the Preliminary Agreement be signed? [Years from now.] Will it really be possible 'to realize the participation to STAR ALLIANCE within a period of 1 � 1.5 year following' that signing? [Un-bloody-likely.]

In other words, TK will not be joining *A in the foreseeable future.

cheers,

Henry