15 years old? Really? I only ask because i was on one of the first flight ever scheduled flights into the airport which was in 1998 IIRC, prior to that there WAS NO AIRPORT in Milas (Bodrum). As the airport has only been open for 10 or so years, please explain to me how my information is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD???

I have done a search on the net, and you are in fact correct however that since 2001 or so, however the general tourist slump after 9/11 kept a lot of operators from expanding their service. I have not flown into Bodrum for perhaps 4 or 5 years, however at that time it was still on smaller a/c.

So my info is perhaps 4-5 years out of date, so sorry, but perhaps you want to get your timescale in frame before making such accusations.

Thank you all for the helpful information.

FYI, the order fulfillment process for Atlasjet online doesn't work (right). I went to purchase tickets for IST-ADB in September, but at the final payment step it said my credit card was denied by my bank and wouldn't allow me to make a change. Instead I lost all of my info from my reservation. It was a pain because of the laborious nature of the passenger info you need to fill out (including birthdates that I could only fill in using the automated calendar). Turns out that they did charge my card (twice) after calling my bank. I never received a confirmation email either. Next time I'll do it the old fashioned way, over the phone.

I have never had much success in booking tickets online with domestic Turkish airlines. I have the manager of my hotel in Istanbul do it for me. If you do not have a Turkish person who can do this for you, I would recommend that you use a travel agent, unless you are able to locate someone on the telephone who speaks English.

It is miserable to go to the airport only to discover that you do not have reservations you thought you had.

If you are using Turkish Air, they have a 1-800 number that is located in the US, and staffed with English speaking people who can manage reservations successfully. However, for domestic point-to-point travel, Turkish Air can often be twice as expensive as the smaller regional companies.

I ended up having to have my father-in-law take care of it for me in Turkey as the online transaction was canceled by Atlasjet.

I hear this same experience from many people who want to visit Turkey. It is unfortunate that the domestic carriers in Turkey do not have better online services for those of us who do not live in Turkey. I am glad, however, that you were able to get your reservations.

Izmir - Istanbul
 

I need to buy 5 onway tickets for Izmir to Istanbul. Do you know if the airlines charge more closer to the departure date (like they do in the US)? I have read the postings here and it sounds like it might be cheaper waiting until we get into Turkey, but I am afraid that prices will shoot up. Any suggestions on airline and when best to buy tickets?

Generally a lot of the cheaper domestic fares are available up until the day of departure BUT, it is all capacity dependent and basically from Istanbul to any point south, you're not going to find the lowest fares close to departure time.

I few Atlas IST-ESB-IST this week. The CRJ-900 was nice and new and the service was excellent. But still it was a CRJ and TK flies Airbus's. So the bottom line is I had to check my bag on KK, but not on TK (which I took on this route the previous time). So next time I'll be flying TK.

I have not been on Atlas, primarily because of the planes they fly. Onur mostly uses airbus planes and they are comfortable and exceptionally pleasant and professional. My only complaint with them is that I cannot book my own ticket on line. Generally, however, they are half the cost of Turkish Airlines. This link provides a bit more information about Onur Air.

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/t.../onur_air.html

I really wished I could get DL ff miles on Onur because we fly them frequently in Turkey.

Onur had an ugly incident with a Danish charter flight a few months ago, and certainly appears to not be an airline for the white knuckle crowd. They operate some ancient MD-80s as well.

The Danish media reported that the crew was amusing themselves by videoing panicked tourists during the emergency landing. But this could be tabloid material......

An indifferent air crew during an emergency is an extremely disconcerting thought. I cannot, however, imagine any of the crews on any Onur flight I have ever been on acting in such an unprofessional manner. In fact, for a small domestic carrier we are consistently impressed with the exceptionally professional behavior of everyone on the airplane. Thus far we have not been on any planes other than fairly new airbus planes.

Start Gold and THY
 

Turkish airlines site seems to suggest no Mileage for THY flights... but do you still get start gold perks?

I asked about the lounge for my IST-NAV flight last week and they told me there wasn't one. Sadly I didn't see the signs so I didn't find the Domestic CIP lounge (which is almost to the International terminal!!) in time to use it. I found it on the way back but was flying outbound on AF so no access there either. It looked pretty nice though.

Both IST-NAV and ASR-IST were on 738s, one with winglets and one without. Both flights were just fine, particularly donig OLCI and getting seats near the front of the plane (row 2 and row 6). The flights were fine and a good way to use up some US miles (20K each for the open-jaw r/t flight + $6 in taxes) that may not have any value in the near future.

Huh? TK is a full Star Gold partner. Of course they give full miles.

And IST has one of the best Star Gold lounges. You have full access even on economy tickets.