Productivity

Planning on flying KC into IST arriving at 10:20, then TK out at 11:55 (to MXP). Then on return, TK into IST arriving at 10:35, KC out at 12:10. So 1:35 each way for the transit. On separate tickets, if airlines won't interline bags then we will take as hand luggage (will be small enough).

Plenty of time to clear through IST in peoples opinion? I could book a later flight to MXP, but it means a long layover and messes up our plans that day. The flight back I don't have options on.

miamiflyer8

Should be enough time if everything runs on time. Keep in mind you will have to clear security when arriving from TSE, which can have notorious line.

Productivity

Yes security lines are my big worry, but if it's an hour and a half that's ridiculous.

Coming in from GUW, not TSE but no big difference either way.

YuropFlyer

on seperate tickets thats imho calling for trouble. I would totally not attempt it.

miamiflyer8

You could take KC GUW- TSE or ALA and TK from there if your price/schedule will permit it.

ericw

I have an SSH - IST - YYZ flight next week, arriving IST at 7:55am and leaving IST at 3:30pm.

I am interested in the 8:30 to 11:00 transit tour, because it visits some of the places I missed last few times I was in Turkey.

Do you think I have sufficient time to make it to the Hotel Desk before the tour starts? It seems TK701 landed anywhere between 7:36am to 8:15am during the last few days. If I won't be able to make it, I would rather not wasting $60 to get the eVisa.

Thanks!

Productivity

This is a recovery from a trip that was meant to be to Turkey, that we are cancelling for various reasons. Tickets are non refundable GUW-IST and the dates are still public holidays, so we are making the best of where we can go from there. Tickets through the other european destination (AMS) are extremely expensive (KC makes a lot of money on that route) and there aren't too many logical destinations that we want to go to at that time from ALA/TSE.

There are a number of recovery options if we miss the flight outbound there are at least two more flights to MXP that day and inbound there are various routings through SVO, ALA or TSE to get us home that we will attempt the short connection and if we miss it, we will go from there, however I'm glad to know we should move quickly.

GUW-TSE-IST is 2.5x the flying distance than GUW-IST and necessitates an overnight stop in TSE. ALA is even worse.

PVDtoDEL

Regardless of how difficult your other recover options may be, I concur with YuropFlyer that your MXP plan is asking for trouble. I wouldn't even recommend doing this if it was on a single ticket - between time at the transfer desk and the security line, you'd be in trouble if there's even the slightest bit of weather at IST.

On separate tickets, the chance that you'll be stranded in IST is far too high for me to recommend it. Your other options may be expensive, but if you misconnect in IST, you'll be stuck buying a walkup for far more.

PVDtoDEL

With the *G immigration line, it's never taken me more than 20 mins to get to curb without a checked bag. So if your flight was perfectly on time, I think you'd definitely be able to make it to the hotel desk by 8:20 or so.

Policy says you need to be at the hotel desk 30 minutes before departure, so it would seem that you don't have enough time. I'm not sure if they'd be willing to bend the policy and get you into the tour, but I think it may be possible (especially as TK*G).

7 hours is a long time to wait around in the lounge though - I would recommend heading into the city anyway. The public transit is easy enough and cheap.

IAN-UK

It would be worth trying if you were on one ticket. Then the only cost of a missed connection would be inconvenience: you'd be looked after.

For separate tickets, throwing yourself on the mercy of TK or Astana in case of a delay might work, but probably wouldn't.

I'd hate to travel in a state of worry and tension, but you might be made of sterner stuff - and/or feel blessed with good fortune .

But I think you should look at an easier trip.

Productivity

We're ok with running the risk. You get spoilt living near hubs that have many alliances and airlines flying through them - living in GUW it's a bit different. We will have a full Turkish visa in case of problems and I am fully aware that if connections are broken, it is on us to recover.

To put this into perspective, I priced last minute walk up recovery flights for the two connections that are in danger. Both of those together, would cost less than just flying GUW to AMS return on the pertinent days and then that's without the KL flight onwards to anywhere else.

It may be asking for trouble, but to do anything else would cost in the order of USD 4000 more and when you have that sort of price delta, you are willing to try to make connections work.

PVDtoDEL

If you have full Turkish visa and are willing to shell out the cost of a full fare walkup ticket if necessary, then I'd recommend just flying MXP-IST the night before and spending the night in a hotel. I can appreciate the difficulties of flying out of a small airport (my home airports, PVD and IXE, are very small too), but flying into small airports with limited flight options makes the risk of misconnecting on separate tickets even higher than it already is.

Productivity

This whole mess of a trip is being built on somewhat unreasonable grounds, I'm just the planner who is trying to make a recovery of it. The visa is for contingency purposes only, I'm not willing to transit a country on a build your own connection without one.

We will chance it, we know the recovery options, if we miss either connection. We will be up front so we will be close to first off the plane and we will move fast in the airport. In addition on the way out, KC will almost certainly be willing to print our boarding passes and interline baggage so no need to hit the transfer desks.

For recovery going out it's not too bad (walkup plus five hour wait, I am *G and we have Priority Pass so we will find a lounge to wait in), coming home it's a bit worse but there are still multiple options. We can afford walkup fares and quite frankly even if we have to pay them, it's cheaper than arranging an alternative trip today.

I will update this thread when it happens as a future data point.

BTW you aren't going to to get much sympathy complaining PVD is a small airport... AA,DL, UA, NW, B6 all serve it and into major hubs where you can connect to almost anywhere from. IXE isn't as big, but it seems much better connected... I would love a direct flight to AUH, even once a week (and a jet bridge, stairs suck in -20 weather!).

ericw

Thank you so much. I think I will do it!

Antonio8069

IMO, IST is one of the quickest & easiest cnx. anywhere. Beside passport control, there is a sho rt queue for int'l cnx. Take it through security, turn left, go up the escalator and - voila - you are in the int'l departures area. No visa lines, no delays, nothing. I made 3 trips through IST in the past year, and each afforded me lots of time to enjoy the TK lounge! BTW, it is @ the end of the terminal. Well marked.