IST-İstanbul

Flying to Hanoi with a 12 hour layover in Istanbul on the way out and 60 hours on the way back. For the 12 hour stop, landing at 14:15 and thinking about Touristanbul. The 16:00 tour might be tight depending on immigration lines, especially if it’s busy. Personally I’d probably...

Looking at flying Turkish from the U.S. to Vienna with a 1.5 hour connection at IST. Never flown Turkish before and never been through Istanbul Airport, so not sure what to expect. Has anyone done a similar connection there? Is 90 minutes comfortable or is it going to be a...

Over a month with no real response would drive me insane, especially when Prague already confirmed it was loaded. At that point it’s clearly somewhere in the system and you just need an actual human to look. The worst part is not even the money. It’s the stuff you can’t replace....

Just a heads up for anyone connecting in Istanbul. When I flew Turkish in April 2025, Care Point confirmed that if you had a 5+ hour layover on a connecting itinerary, they’d issue a meal voucher as a courtesy. It was actually pretty helpful given airport prices. This month,...

I’ve got an international to international connection in Istanbul with 1h05 between flights. Both are on a single ticket. If I miss the second flight just because I’m not fast enough getting across the airport, what actually happens? Assuming the first flight is on time and...

On a single TK ticket, baggage doesn’t have to originate at the first departure point. It’s totally possible to start your checked baggage at the connection point, as long as you physically present yourself at the transfer desk or check in counter in IST before the IST–MEL...

Turkish put me through it the last 48 hours. Booked LHR to Kigali with a 14 hour layover in Istanbul. I specifically asked if there were earlier options. Agent said yes but it’s only a 35 minute layover, not enough time. Then assured me I’d get a free hotel since this was the...

Reading this gave me flashbacks. Istanbul used to feel fine with tight connections, but lately it feels like a total coin toss. Everything looks good on paper, then one small delay, different parking spot, or a random decision to force everyone through security again and...

I’ve got two long layovers coming up at IST, one around 20 hours and the other about 22 hours. Flying business class into and out of IST on both legs. I know the Turkish Airlines business lounge is open 24/7, but I’m wondering if there’s any actual time limit on how long you can...

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...

I’ve got a TK flight in June going VCE to IST to PTY. Land in Istanbul around 11:35pm and depart again at 9:40am. Doesn’t really feel worth booking an outside hotel for that window, especially factoring in immigration and travel time. I do have Priority Pass, but from what I can...

Tried dealing with the private suites at the IST lounge and the whole process feels broken. There’s no real waitlist. If you’re eligible, you’re basically told to keep checking back and hope you ask at the right moment. With multiple people waiting, it turns into a game of luck...

Flew internationally on Turkish with a connection in Istanbul. My first flight arrived late, so I asked staff if my luggage made it to the next flight. They told me yes. Got to my final destination and immediately received a text saying my bag was not loaded. Annoying, but fine....

This just happened and I’m still kind of shocked. My parents flew IAH to IST on Turkish, then onward to Nepal. On the Houston to Istanbul leg, the overhead bin over their seats was full, so a flight attendant took their carry-on and put it several rows ahead. Crew did this, not...

I’ve used Turkish’s free layover hotel before, but this upcoming trip has me second guessing. We have a 12 hour 15 min layover in IST before flying IST to CGK. Turkish’s site shows a shorter connection, but it involves a stop in Bangkok and the BKK to CGK leg is on Thai, not TK....

This isn’t about Turkish Airlines. It’s about the airport in Istanbul. I flew in from Colorado with a broken leg. Crutches. Boot on my leg. I had disability assistance arranged through three airports with no issues. In Istanbul, they straight up did not believe me. They demanded...

PLEASE HELP. Due to overbooking, my checked luggage did not arrive with me at my final destination. Route was: NQZ → IST → Rome → Milan Malpensa I filed a PIR immediately, but it has now been 10 days and Turkish Airlines still has no confirmed information on where my suitcase...

Got stuck with a long layover at IST from around 11pm to 5pm the next day on Turkish. Hotel claim was rejected, long story about “shortest connection” and all that. Thinking about just camping out in one of the Priority Pass lounges overnight and heading out around 8am to do the...

Currently at IST and just found out my flight to Newark is overbooked. I’m waiting at the care desk to find out if I’ll be allowed to board, and I’m honestly pretty stressed because I really can’t miss this flight. Is there anything I can do right now to improve my chances?...

Did the free hotel option on a long layover and honestly wouldn’t do it again unless I was really desperate to save money. From landing to actually getting into the room took almost 3 hours. About 15 minutes waiting to talk to an agent, then 40 minutes waiting to be sent to the...

I’d be nervous too, but the agent wasn’t totally wrong. TK’s system usually won’t sell an impossible connection, especially at their own hub. Istanbul is built for short transfers. Coming from the US, you normally do not reclear security for international to international...

Every time I land at IST it’s the same story. 20 to 25 minutes just taxiing to the gate, then a long walk to passport control on top of that. Transfers are especially painful. I’ve missed tight connections here more than once. I get that it’s massive and can handle a ton of...

Had one of the more stressful connections of my life in IST. At the gate for my Madrid flight, a staff member pulled me aside and started grilling me about return tickets and hotel bookings. I had everything ready, but he kept saying he couldn’t see the documents even when I...

Landing in Istanbul at 12:15 and my next flight is at 1:20. It’s a self transfer, no checked bags, and I’ve got a Turkish e visa plus a Schengen residence permit. Plan is basically sprint to passport control, clear security again, and hope for the best. IST is huge though, so...