Had a Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam trip booked with Etihad via Abu Dhabi, but the flight got cancelled with no clear timeline for when things would restart. After spending hours searching for alternatives, we ended up finding a route with Turkmenistan Airlines.
The itinerary was Kuala Lumpur to Ashgabat and then Ashgabat to Istanbul. It didn’t show up on many booking sites, but we managed to book it the same morning for departure that day.
Check-in at Kuala Lumpur actually went smoothly even without online check-in. The first flight was on a 777-200LR and was almost empty, so we were able to spread out across several rows. Food was average, the crew was strict about photos, and the plane felt a bit dated, but overall it was fine.
The layover in Ashgabat was interesting. The airport is huge and very new but almost completely empty. Lots of security around and they keep a close eye on passengers. Transit was straightforward though.
The second flight to Istanbul was full but uneventful and the bags arrived without issues. Total cost for three of us was about €1300, which felt pretty reasonable given the situation.
One thing to watch out for is baggage transfers. Some travelers booked onward flights on other airlines and that can be tricky since Turkmenistan Airlines doesn’t always transfer bags, and transit passengers can’t enter the country to collect them.
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