AlexMC

Although this is my third year with Miles&Smiles (soon to have more 1+2 years of Gold status secured), my first TK flights will be in a few days. The ticket was issued with JJ points to fly GRU IST LHR in C.

My connection in IST is the longer possible, close to 23h. In case I wanted to get in London a bit earlier, would TK checkin allow me to get a different flight to LHR from IST? Reissuing the ticket with JJ is out of sight.

Thanks!

airoli

Not without a change of your ticket, which brings with it all the hassle and change fees of a reissue.

European airlines, including TK, do not do "free same-day changes" or stand-by like US carriers do.

AlexMC

Or Brazilians do for that matter... Tks indeed!

leftyboarder

Actually they do. I routinely do this when I am arriving from an international flight and have a long domestic connection. I show up at the lounge, ask them to put me on an earlier flight and if there's space they do it. In fact I did it on Monday, when I landed at 8pm and had a midnight flight to ESB. They put me on the 9pm flight instead. I don't know if it works with international though.

This is in fact better for the airline too, as they can sell the later flight to a paying customer whereas the seat you are taking in the sooner flight will most likely go out empty.

duvin

This does indeed work for domestic flights. Never worked for international though.

boosh

It is worth bearing in mind that they will only do it for domestic flights if there is 4 hours or less between your original flight and the flight you want to change to. At least that is what I was told by sales office. Also I don't know if this is a E/E+ benefit or not.

cheesedawg

TK did this for me in 2015 with no change fee or any hassle at all

AlexMC

I'll report back.

aulrik

I have done this several times, and just as many times I have gotten a "no" when asking, so I guess it's typical TK; It all depends on who you talk to.

docbert

I tried this last year on an international->international connection which had no change fee and space available in the fare class I was in on the earlier flight.

Tried inside the lounge - sent me to lounge front counter.
Tried at the lounge front counter - sent me to the TK customer service desk.
Tried at the customer service desk - Sent me to the customer service desk in the arrivals area
Tried at the customer service desk in the arrivals area - Sent me to the lounge or the customer service desk in departures.

Eventually I gave up, paid the US$60 for a visa (which I needed on the return anyway), went through immigration, went to the ticket counter outside, paid a $25 service fee, and they changed me.

In doing so I missed the flight I wanted, but got another one an hour or two later.

aulrik

This is one of the huge drawbacks with TK; I can't in my wildest imagination comprehend why they can't have a ticket counter air-side. I don't need a visa to Turkey, so it's fairly easy for me to go to the arrival hall and get things fixed, but a lot of people traveling through IST don't have that option and are left with the useless TK CS on the phone.

There is actually a small ticket office at arrival, before immigration (right next to the transit security), but it seems like it's mostly an internal service office for TK, and they do not like customers visiting them (and i't closed between 6pm and 6am anyway).

mandilmos

I am not sure for international flight but I can gurantee you that you can make it for domestic flights.

But there is very strict rule. Your orijinal flight can not be 4 hours later than wished flight.

lets say your original flight is at 5 PM. if there is a avaliable flight between 1PM-5PM you can fly. if not no chance !

I have never done it at international flight .

like 1.5 or 2 years ago there was no 4 hours rules, all possible in the same day flights . ( of course must be earlier :-)))

docbert

I suspect this is where I ended up before they told me I could go to either the lounge (where I had already tried) or the landside ticket office where I ended up going.