Istanbul Flights

Istanbul is a bergain spot to catch a one-way flight to many destinations in Europe and also Cairo, Nairobi and some other places in the middle east in a short notice. The charter flights are often arranged early morning or late night and you are to sit in the airport for extra few hours. But its all about saving money!

Velen van jullie vliegen waarschijnlijk naar Istanbul met Corendon vanaf Eindhoven.

De maatschappij is niet erg 'scheutig' met informatie over het hoe en wat. Een paar opmerkingen:

- de vroege vertrektijd vraagt vroeg inchecken, maar voor Eindhoven kun je dat gerust met een korrel zout nemen; wij waren al voor 07.00 uur op het vliegveld, dat dan nog uitgestorven is. Zelfs de balie van Corendon/Fly Air was om 07.00 uur niet eens bezet !!!

- parkeren: allerlei borden verwijzen naar diverse parkeerplaatsen; hoe hoger het 'nummer' hoe goedkoper. Wij hebben spijt dat we niet gewoon langs de weg hebben geparkeerd, het was nu zonde van het parkeergeld van 24 euro voor 4 dagen. Er is amper onderscheid tussen openbare weg en parkeerterrein.

We were a little weary of flying Turkish Airlines. But that was a mistake. We flew from Bucharest, Romania to Istanbul and had fabulous service and a great flight. The meal was excellent. The flight prompt. Don't ever hesitate to fly Turkish Airlines

THE TURKISH AIRLINES IS THE FIRST & LEADRE IN TOURISM TO TURKEY ,ALSO TO MANY DESTINATIONS AROUND THE WORLD...
YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE AT HOME NOT ON PLANE ...
MY EXPERIENCE WAS MANY TIMES WITH THE LEBANON'S OFFICE(BEIRUT).

Flight from Istanbul to Athens on Olympic (http://www.olympicairlines.com/) around 90 euro or A$151. Olympic were the cheapest airline I could find flying this route. Please let me know if you have found cheaper ones.

2 more images

Istanbul Ataturk airport has a new international terminal active from 2000, One of the newest airports in Europe..

If you are planning to visit Istanbul, the tips about the airport are as follows.

Luggage storage: There is no token boxes for the Luggages, however you can store your baggage in a room on the Arrival floor. Open 24 hrs, and the cost is per daily per piece basis.. Around 5 USD for normal size bags and 7 Usd for big size.

Telephone: On the Arrival floor there are 10 public phones, which also operates by Credit cards.

Baggage Trolleys: I suppose Istanbul airport is the only airport, which asks money for the Trolleys. Due it was operated by private company.. One piece of trolley is 1 euro or 1 USD, I advice you to have some coins with you..

Health: There is a 24 hour Emergency service and also a drugstore at the airport...

Money Exchange: There are exchange offices at the airport and also agencies of the banks.. Buying and selling rates are very close, so that you dont loose much during your exchange, all major european currencies are accepted.

Transportation: See my next tip "Tram reached the airport".. rail system is active at the airport from 06:15 to 24:00 hrs.. Taxi operates 24 hours and fares are varying to the Touristy area from 7 USD to 11 USD..

Check In: When you have a returning flight from Istanbul, please mind the Two hours check in Time. Although there are 160 check in counters in total and 64 Passport control points.. Especially morning hours is extremely crowded, do not miss your plane..

We, Turks are proud of Ataturk International Airport especialy new terminal called TAV. It is one of the best examples in Europe. You can find many opportunities for tour arrangements, shopping and accomodation.
In fact Istanbul is the main hub of Turkey for sea, air and land transportation. Traveling in city borders i strongly recommend you municipal buses. Network is quite good.

We flew from Stuttgart to Istanbul
We went from Europe to Asia - by a regular ferryboat! It was not expensive, since it was a regualar public transportation! On the way back to 'Europe' we had the spectacular view as seen on my welcome Istanbul picture!