Just wrapped up my first Turkish Airlines stopover on the way back to the US and wanted to share a datapoint. Turkish offers free stopover hotels for economy passengers (two nights) and three nights for business class, depending on routing. You can also add extra nights on your own.
I booked this trip months ago and it went through multiple schedule changes and even a cancellation. I had to work with the feedback team twice to get the ticket reissued, and they also helped rebook my stopover hotel. It wasn’t instant, but they kept me updated the whole time and called me several times along the way. In the end, everything was sorted without me having to chase them.
Flights themselves were excellent. Flew the A350, some newer A321s, and a 787-9 on the return. Food was great across the board and the cabin crew were genuinely warm and attentive. A few of them really stood out and went above and beyond.
For the stopover, I was placed at Rixos Pera and absolutely loved it. Great location, amazing rooftop restaurant, and solid food. I added an extra night myself and when I checked in around 2am, they even upgraded me to a larger room since I had family visiting on the last night.
Only real downside was the extra security in Istanbul for US-bound flights. There are multiple checks: initial screening, passport verification, passport control with another carry-on screening, and then another full check again at the gate. It’s annoying but expected.
Overall though, this was a really positive stopover experience and I’d definitely do it again.
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