Oct 5, 2018, 9:18 am
Last edit by: ISTFlyer
Please note that this thread discusses only TK operations from the new airport. There will be no discussion of the politics involved. These can take place in OMNI PR. Anyone interested in general issue surrounding the new airport may find these in the "Europe" forum. The usual FT rules apply.
For a general discussion about the airport, not related to TK, please visit: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europe/1955797-istanbul-new-airport-ist-isl-master-thread.html
Lounge questions have now a dedicated thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/1963594-tk-istanbul-airport-thread-2-lounges.html
starflyergold
TK forum moderator
-----------------
This is the list of all Istanbul Airport threads where you could find more details related to your question if it's discussed in one of the forums below.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #1 - General Discussion ( YOU ARE HERE )
This is the thread that you could ask your questions about the airport related to Turkish Airlines which doesn't have a dedicated thread. For example questions about check-in desks, the Miniport service, fast-track security, care points, etc... could be asked here if they are directly or indirectly related to TK.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #2 - Lounges
This is the thread dedicated for lounges and questions about the TK lounges at Istanbul Airport. Sleeping rooms in the lounge could be discussed in the third thread as it's mainly related to longer connections. Please do refer to the respective threads in the Europe forum for other contract lounges at Istanbul Airport and PriorityPass lounges.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #3 - Stopover Hotel, Touristanbul, Sleeping Rooms
This is the thread for passengers booked a long connection. The thread has a guide that would give basic information about the free city tour, the stopover hotel option for eligible passengers as well as the sleeping rooms in the lounges in Istanbul Airport. For issues onlyrelated hotel suggestions refer to the Europe forum.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #4 - Transferring/Transit at Istanbul Airport
This is the thread were you could ask your questions about any type of transfer at Istanbul Airport. Such as what to do within a xxx hour layover, or facilities at the transfer area directly related to transit issues. Also questions related to transfer security, immigration in single/seperate tickets could be discussed here. As well as what to do in case of misconnections. The transfer hotel where passengers could access by paying: YOTEL has a dedicated thread where you could find here.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #5 - Miles&Smiles Card Pickup at Istanbul Airport
If you want to pickup your Miles&Smiles card in Istanbul Airport, please consult this thread where you would be able to find the locations of the card print points for Miles&Smiles members.
There are also threads not only related to the TK pax but to all passengers traveling from Istanbul Airport. These take place in the Europe forum.
Istanbul Airport Master Thread
For any question related to the airport instead of TK ( facilities, pay-to-use services not related to TK, transportation, rental car services, hotel services, non-TK lounges ) please consult this thread in the Europe forum. Also please discuss, Flightradar24 related ADS-B issues, delays related to the airport here, unless it's a direct TK issue.
PriorityPass Lounges in Istanbul Airport
There is no PriorityPass Lounges at Istanbul Airport at the moment. However, I would update this thread when there is an available lounge for PriorityPass at the airport.
I (ISTFlyer) have removed the FAQ's as they are now all answered in the respective WIKI sections of the respective forums.
For a general discussion about the airport, not related to TK, please visit: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europe/1955797-istanbul-new-airport-ist-isl-master-thread.html
Lounge questions have now a dedicated thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/1963594-tk-istanbul-airport-thread-2-lounges.html
starflyergold
TK forum moderator
-----------------
This is the list of all Istanbul Airport threads where you could find more details related to your question if it's discussed in one of the forums below.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #1 - General Discussion ( YOU ARE HERE )
This is the thread that you could ask your questions about the airport related to Turkish Airlines which doesn't have a dedicated thread. For example questions about check-in desks, the Miniport service, fast-track security, care points, etc... could be asked here if they are directly or indirectly related to TK.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #2 - Lounges
This is the thread dedicated for lounges and questions about the TK lounges at Istanbul Airport. Sleeping rooms in the lounge could be discussed in the third thread as it's mainly related to longer connections. Please do refer to the respective threads in the Europe forum for other contract lounges at Istanbul Airport and PriorityPass lounges.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #3 - Stopover Hotel, Touristanbul, Sleeping Rooms
This is the thread for passengers booked a long connection. The thread has a guide that would give basic information about the free city tour, the stopover hotel option for eligible passengers as well as the sleeping rooms in the lounges in Istanbul Airport. For issues onlyrelated hotel suggestions refer to the Europe forum.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #4 - Transferring/Transit at Istanbul Airport
This is the thread were you could ask your questions about any type of transfer at Istanbul Airport. Such as what to do within a xxx hour layover, or facilities at the transfer area directly related to transit issues. Also questions related to transfer security, immigration in single/seperate tickets could be discussed here. As well as what to do in case of misconnections. The transfer hotel where passengers could access by paying: YOTEL has a dedicated thread where you could find here.
TK in Istanbul Airport: Thread #5 - Miles&Smiles Card Pickup at Istanbul Airport
If you want to pickup your Miles&Smiles card in Istanbul Airport, please consult this thread where you would be able to find the locations of the card print points for Miles&Smiles members.
There are also threads not only related to the TK pax but to all passengers traveling from Istanbul Airport. These take place in the Europe forum.
Istanbul Airport Master Thread
For any question related to the airport instead of TK ( facilities, pay-to-use services not related to TK, transportation, rental car services, hotel services, non-TK lounges ) please consult this thread in the Europe forum. Also please discuss, Flightradar24 related ADS-B issues, delays related to the airport here, unless it's a direct TK issue.
PriorityPass Lounges in Istanbul Airport
There is no PriorityPass Lounges at Istanbul Airport at the moment. However, I would update this thread when there is an available lounge for PriorityPass at the airport.
I (ISTFlyer) have removed the FAQ's as they are now all answered in the respective WIKI sections of the respective forums.
TK operations from "Istanbul Airport" aka Istanbul New Airport (ISL/IST)
Jan 15, 2019, 7:32 am
#256
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,351
Ilker bey also said that it was fully happening Oct 29th and December 31st, that he or the bureaucrat Funda hanim have made statements almost certainly means that this will NOT happen on the dates that they state. Everyone in the know is really expecting late 2019 at the earliest possible time for major operations. You might see 20-30 O/D flights by June.
Jan 15, 2019, 12:13 pm
#257
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Be aware that the only lounge in the domestic terminal is the Turkish Airlines Lounge which only allows Star Alliance Gold passengers, Miles & Smiles Classic Plus, Elite and Elite Plus members and Business Class passengers. Only Miles & Smiles Classic card holders are able to use the pay to entry benefit when flying on TK and crediting their miles to that card. I have wrote this as you haven't wrote any information about your frequent flyer cards and just to mention that the pay-to-enter lounges hasn't been opened yet.
Jan 16, 2019, 1:00 am
#258
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Johan
Jan 16, 2019, 2:42 am
#259
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Groningen
Posts: 3
Be aware that the only lounge in the domestic terminal is the Turkish Airlines Lounge which only allows Star Alliance Gold passengers, Miles & Smiles Classic Plus, Elite and Elite Plus members and Business Class passengers. Only Miles & Smiles Classic card holders are able to use the pay to entry benefit when flying on TK and crediting their miles to that card. I have wrote this as you haven't wrote any information about your frequent flyer cards and just to mention that the pay-to-enter lounges hasn't been opened yet.
Jan 16, 2019, 2:50 am
#260
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 123
Perhaps that matters for a few individuals. But I strongly doubt that's a major factor for corporations.
Jan 16, 2019, 5:32 am
#261
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,351
No, Johan is actually right, and it is a huge factor. That and of course frequencies. Take BA for example, despite the fact that internally IST has ALWAYS been classified as mid-haul rather than short-haul, it has always gotten short haul aircraft, which effectively has mean t no real business class for the last 28 years or so. 20 years ago BA did IST 2x a day, and TK did LHR 2x a day. The hard product was almost the same, short haul configured aircraft, however BA catering, lounge, and overall customer service were much better (at both ends actually), there were quite a lot Turkey O?D people that would fly with BA via London to anywhere in the Americas. Now jump ahead to now, BA does 2x at best (had been 3x for a time), the 767's are long gone (and in any case were s/h configured) and BA does 5-6x to LHR plus LGW, MAN, BHX, and EDI, not to mention ten routes to North America. Every major corporate that I know that frequented the LHR-IST route with BA exclusively has either dropped it, or they go on either. The TK corporate sales people are far more aggressive than the BA sales people (both in Turkey AND the UK), and for the most part, even if one gets a short haul aircraft in 90% of the cases it is still a far better seat and experience than the BA experience (but generally you are looking at 2-3x with &&&'s or 330's with lie flat seats, much superior food etc. RInse and repeat. The same has been for MAD, AMS, CDG, MXP, TLV, MUC, etc etc.
Jan 21, 2019, 10:36 am
#262
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Dayton, OH
Programs: CarlsonGold,HHDiamond, SPGGold,ChoiceGold, *Silver, WNCompanionPass, ASMVPGold, HyattDiamond,IHGPlat
Posts: 255
I'm trying to book an LAX-IST award, but there's seems to be no flights (I don't mean no availability, I mean no flights) after April. (to IST or ISL) I assume this has something to do with the new airport, but has anyone been able to book?
J4H
J4H
Jan 21, 2019, 10:44 am
#263
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: TK M&S, LH MM, Global Entry, Hertz Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,087
Flights after show up just fine on my app. Good luck with finding limited business awards on that route, its one of the tougher ones.
Jan 21, 2019, 11:56 am
#264
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Dayton, OH
Programs: CarlsonGold,HHDiamond, SPGGold,ChoiceGold, *Silver, WNCompanionPass, ASMVPGold, HyattDiamond,IHGPlat
Posts: 255
Jan 21, 2019, 12:46 pm
#265
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: TK M&S, LH MM, Global Entry, Hertz Gold, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 1,087
Jan 21, 2019, 4:20 pm
#266
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 834
Jan 21, 2019, 6:29 pm
#267
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
Jan 22, 2019, 12:48 pm
#268
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,767
When will TK changes the airport code from IST to ISL?
For flights booked with partner program, when the airport code changes, does it mean the partner program has to reissue the award ticket? (I would assume so.)
For flights booked with partner program, when the airport code changes, does it mean the partner program has to reissue the award ticket? (I would assume so.)
Jan 22, 2019, 12:52 pm
#269
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
You could take the example of the movement of Doha International Airport to Doha Hamad Airport for this situation.
Last edited by ISTFlyer; Jan 22, 2019 at 12:54 pm Reason: Add example
Jan 22, 2019, 2:07 pm
#270
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 59
Need some advise, all of the below is of course provided the move will not be postponed further.
I have TK1908 ZRH-IST booked for 2MAR. I've had a look at the IST>ISL handover chart and it seems that both airports will be closed for commercial traffic for 12 hours from 23:00UTC 01MAR till 11:00UTC 02MAR, after which ISL will reopen for TK commercial flights (and for all flights from midnight 03MAR). My TK flight is due to arrive to IST at 16:15 02MAR, so technically the arrival time is within ISL operational hours for TK flights, but I'm thinking if the aircraft can't depart IST to ZRH, it can't come back :-).
To make the matters worse, I have an SQ flight from IST to SIN on 03MAR at 14:15.
The TK flight is amendable but I cannot leave Zurich earlier than 02MAR. SQ flight is non-amendable.
Should I panic now? :-) Is it worth to contact any of the carriers proactively or just sit tight?
I have TK1908 ZRH-IST booked for 2MAR. I've had a look at the IST>ISL handover chart and it seems that both airports will be closed for commercial traffic for 12 hours from 23:00UTC 01MAR till 11:00UTC 02MAR, after which ISL will reopen for TK commercial flights (and for all flights from midnight 03MAR). My TK flight is due to arrive to IST at 16:15 02MAR, so technically the arrival time is within ISL operational hours for TK flights, but I'm thinking if the aircraft can't depart IST to ZRH, it can't come back :-).
To make the matters worse, I have an SQ flight from IST to SIN on 03MAR at 14:15.
The TK flight is amendable but I cannot leave Zurich earlier than 02MAR. SQ flight is non-amendable.
Should I panic now? :-) Is it worth to contact any of the carriers proactively or just sit tight?