Grace B

Thanks for the info, guys.

I'll go up to the TK departures lounge for a little while, and then see if I feel energetic enough to go into the city (I have used the Metro on a previous visit to Istanbul).

nwflyboy

Flying SFO - IST in J, then connecting onward on another TK flight.

Are there showers available for business class passengers upon arrival in the lounge at IST? If so, any advice (besides making that a priority and not waiting around)?

Thanks!

TPJ

1. Go downstairs
2. Report to the concierge and add yourself to the list (you will be given a beeper)
3. Assume wait time will be between 10 minutes and 1 hours, so enjoy the lounge in the meantime

nwflyboy

Perfect. Many thanks for the good info!!!

Kpeters1

First time TK flyer. Looking to book paid J to J connecting tickets, JFK - IST - ATH for next month. Connection time is 75 minutes, which I understand from reading this thread is doable. But I noticed on FlightAware that the JFK - IST flight is consistently 30-60+ minutes late, putting my connection at risk.

My question: How helpful is TK in dealing with missed connections (especially for J passengers)? The next TK IST-ATH flight is 6 hours later but I noticed A3 and other airline flights that are only 3 hours later. Would TK be willing to accommodate on A3?

It's a short vacation trip and I don't normally worry about missed connections but, for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this one.

miamiflyer8

It should work.

PVDtoDEL

Today, I flew KBP-IST-ORD with a 1 hour connection.

Transit security took a solid 20 minutes (after cutting half the line through the business class lane). The economy class line was at least 50 people deep, and there was only 1 lane in use - I imagine that if I was in the back of that line, it would have taken me at least 45 mins to get through security.

US departures have their own security bottleneck, which is now offset from the gates. I got caught in a swarm of passengers going to BOS (the BOS flight leaves half hour later), so this process also took a full 20 minutes.

All in all, I sprinted from one end of the airport to the other, and was the last person onboard my flight. The transfer in total took nearly 50 minutes, and that's only because I had Business Class/ELPL priority and I know IST airport very well.

Therefore, I've amended my personal IST Sensible Connection Time to the follows:

My base SCT is 90 mins.
If departing to the US/UK/Israel, I add 30 mins
If arriving from a clean airport (EU, US, Israel), I subtract 45 mins in Business or 30 minutes in Economy
If arriving from an unclean airport, I subtract 30 mins in Business or 15 minutes in economy if Star Gold.


Today, my SCT should've been 90 mins, but I only gave myself 60. I was very lucky to make it, and would not do this connection again.

Enthilza

Sounds pretty reasonable and it matches what I've witnessed there. However, I would add that this should be based on the boarding time of your connecting flight not on its actual departure time. Otherwise only 45 mins from a clear airport, even in business class, between the moment you land and the departure would be too risky given that door closes 20 mins before takeoff.

PVDtoDEL

I was going off departure time, not boarding time. You can walk from one corner of IST to the other in less than 15 mins, so with a clean arrival and business class (first off the airplane), 45 mins gives a solid 15 minute buffer for arrival delays. Door closes 15 mins prior to departure on TK flights.

OxfordBlue

Afternoon all. I am planning a trip to DLM next year (starting my journey in London) and TK have some very low fares at the minute (<£200 return in peak summer season) which is miles cheaper than the direct flights.

The TK website is throwing up connections of 1h25 outbound and 1h10 return on flights LGW-SAW-DLM and vv.

Given that this means I have to clear (I presume) immigration and security both ways, are these realistic? I've never been to SAW or IST so have no idea.

All passengers are UK or IE passport holders and will have the e-visa ahead of travel..

Enthilza

That's true. I would not be comfortable with only a 15 mins buffer in airport like IST but it's definitely possible.

Frederic Wu

Hi guys,
I have an upcoming flight from Arusha to Chicago via Istanbul on Tk in business class, and the connection time between two flights is only 60 minutes. I know it's a tight connection and the security line at transfer hall could be extremely busy. My question is that is there a separated security line for first/business passengers or passengers with airlines elite status to shorten the wait time at security?

Thanks.

Frederic Wu

Hi, I also read something about TK poliy: "if your flight arrives 60 minutes or more before the departure of your subsequent time AND if you miss your flight you will have to pay change of booking fee or buy a new ticket." Can anyone confirm if this is true?

djjaguar64

So how does one miss the connecting flight, that is if you go wandering around the terminal and shopping in duty free? I have never heard of this. This would also entail unloading of your luggage from the onward flight.

Frederic Wu

If this policy does exist, it is not reasonable to me. I think I need a really good luck to make the connection in 60 mins. The transit security can easily take 30+ minutes and there's additional security for US bound flights + time on shuttle bus from remote stands (likely for a narrow body aircraft from Arusha) + walking time from gate to gate.