Flying VNO → IST → KUL → KCH in about a month and a half. I’ve got a 2-hour layover in Istanbul (thankfully, because a lot of options were only 1 hour and that felt way too tight).
All tickets were booked through Turkish Airlines, even the Malaysia Airlines leg, and everything shows up properly in the TK app now. Still, I keep seeing mixed answers online and it’s making me second-guess things.
Main questions / things I’m unsure about:
Will I need to go through passport control in IST, or is it just transit security and straight to the next gate?
Bags should be checked all the way through to Kuching, right?
Anything specific at IST I should be prepared for if there’s a delay? Is it a “run immediately to the next gate” airport or pretty manageable?
I’m used to Schengen connections where it’s basically gate to gate with no checks, so this feels different, especially since it’s a long haul to Malaysia and then a domestic connection there.
Basically just want to know what to expect so I don’t blindly assume it’ll be easy and get burned. Any IST-specific tips appreciated.
0