I have a 10 hour layover in a flight from NYC to Damascus on Turkish Air. The layover is in Istanbul.

I was told that since the lay over is so long, I would be given a hotel room for the day for free. Also, free is the transport to and from the hotel.

Has anyone heard of this? I am flying coach.

Thanks

Info on this service from Turkish Air's U.S. website includes this note for U.S. citizens:

Link (Scroll to bottom)

It's probably worth the $100: Atat�rk is nice, but not 10-hours nice after a 9-hour flight (or more if you're departing ORD).



[This message has been edited by Y_me? (edited 10-15-2003).]

>sorry, dupe<

[This message has been edited by Y_me? (edited 10-15-2003).]

If you have never been in Istanbul before, I would strongly suggest you go into the city, and not just to go to a hotel. It is a fantastic place for westerners with the desire to experience the culture.

I wholeheartedly agree

Be prepared to be approached (pestered) to see a rug or carpet or something if you go to the Blue Mosque area.

Still I would not want to miss seeing what I saw despite the approaches. I ended up speaking in Russian and they left me alone thinking I had no money (some Russians and Ukrainians visit there often). Only one guy was sharp and still tried to speak to me in English despite my Russian protests. We ended up speaking in Spanish and though never admitted I think he knew I was from the US.

Too bad the visa went up to 100 from 75 bucks. Airport terminal is very nice but as mentioned not for 9 hours and there is a lot to see. I spent an entire day just walking around the city proper where the tourist attractions are.

Give us a report and have fun.

It was never $75. It was $20, then $45, then $65, then $100. Between 1955 and 1995 (specifically Nov. 1 of that year) it was free. This incidentally is in violation of the treaty signed between Turkey and the US which was instituted in 1955. On the flip side, Turkey violates EU law by charging its own citizens an exit fee of appx $50 to leave the country.

Well I went in February of 2001 and I must have paid 45 or 65 then if it wasn't 75. I seem to recall though that I thought it was a bit steep considering what other countries were charging at the time.

Please excuse the memory lapse. I have the stamp in my passport but not the receipt. I do remember getting hit up for 80 big ones on the ODS-IST flight for overweight luggage and I do have that receipt which I sent to the airline to make sure they got the money and not an individual

Why not try getting another flight!
10 hours is too long to be stuck at the airport (I know I did that waiting on a delayed connection) and not long enough to do the city justice.