Updated Opinions on Turkish Airlines, USA Rome?
April 6, 2023 1:10 PM Subscribe
Have you flown Turkish Air in the last year or so? The most recent ask about this was 2015. We have mid-May economy tickets from US east coast to Rome with Istanbul layovers each way. Tripadvisor et al sites are filled with some high praise and more recent posts about cancellation horror stories. What can we expect?
Several flakes of snow inside.
Among our questions:
- carryon bag size rule rigidity (hoping not to check anything)
- Inflight food
- Guidance with with visas, customs
- amenities during Istanbul layovers
- non-member access to lounges in Istanbul
- exchange value of $USD to Turkish lira
- Proper ways to greet airline staff, customs officials, etc
We would like to have reasonable expectations - we are committed to this trip, and don't expect to change anything.
Our rough schedule:
Outbound
Home - Istanbul 8:30PM - 3PM next day
7 hour layover
Istanbul - Rome 10PM - 11:30PM
Returning
Rome-Istanbul 11:30AM - 2:30PM
23 hour layover
Istanbul - home 1:45PM - 6:45PM
Among our questions:
- carryon bag size rule rigidity (hoping not to check anything)
- Inflight food
- Guidance with with visas, customs
- amenities during Istanbul layovers
- non-member access to lounges in Istanbul
- exchange value of $USD to Turkish lira
- Proper ways to greet airline staff, customs officials, etc
We would like to have reasonable expectations - we are committed to this trip, and don't expect to change anything.
Our rough schedule:
Outbound
Home - Istanbul 8:30PM - 3PM next day
7 hour layover
Istanbul - Rome 10PM - 11:30PM
Returning
Rome-Istanbul 11:30AM - 2:30PM
23 hour layover
Istanbul - home 1:45PM - 6:45PM
Best answer: We flew business on Turkish Air last year. There's a fair amount that I can't comment on on your list, but a big thing that is different from the 2015 askme is that Ataturk is closed; IST is now much farther from Istanbul proper, and it is HUGE.
One thing to note: many (not all) public restrooms have both squat toilets and Western-style toilets. If applicable, the doors will indicate which kind of toilet is in the stall. In general, do not flush toilet paper - there's usually a small basket next to the toilet for it.
There are fountains with drinking water around; do not drink the regular tap water.
If you can: go to the spice market/grand bazaar during that 23 hour layover. Buy turkish delight. Buy more. No, really, buy MORE. The amount we brought home was not nearly enough. Not the stuff in the prepackaged boxes, the stuff that is out on plates and in logs that they will let you try and then you pick the ones you like. Not the small cubes. The vendors took credit card.
If you are taking a taxi from the airport (easiest way to get into the city), it takes about an hour, and the taxis are all the same except for price. Black/orange/blue I think are the colors. Just pick the cheapest one.
Small lira bills are much, much better than large.
Customs was fast and easy. You do need a visa (easy to get online) if you want to leave the airport (I don't think you need one if just passing through).
The most Turkish I used was
Merhaba / hello
and
teşekkürler / thank you
(I'm sure my pronunciation was terrible, but people appreciated it.)
and lots of gestures. It is very international; English was a common language of choice for many people.
They did put a "cabin luggage" tag on my backpack; I checked my main bag. I don't remember if they weighed/measured the backpack.
We had lounge access included. It was a nice lounge. Airline food was good, too.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:41 PM on April 6, 2023
One thing to note: many (not all) public restrooms have both squat toilets and Western-style toilets. If applicable, the doors will indicate which kind of toilet is in the stall. In general, do not flush toilet paper - there's usually a small basket next to the toilet for it.
There are fountains with drinking water around; do not drink the regular tap water.
If you can: go to the spice market/grand bazaar during that 23 hour layover. Buy turkish delight. Buy more. No, really, buy MORE. The amount we brought home was not nearly enough. Not the stuff in the prepackaged boxes, the stuff that is out on plates and in logs that they will let you try and then you pick the ones you like. Not the small cubes. The vendors took credit card.
If you are taking a taxi from the airport (easiest way to get into the city), it takes about an hour, and the taxis are all the same except for price. Black/orange/blue I think are the colors. Just pick the cheapest one.
Small lira bills are much, much better than large.
Customs was fast and easy. You do need a visa (easy to get online) if you want to leave the airport (I don't think you need one if just passing through).
The most Turkish I used was
Merhaba / hello
and
teşekkürler / thank you
(I'm sure my pronunciation was terrible, but people appreciated it.)
and lots of gestures. It is very international; English was a common language of choice for many people.
They did put a "cabin luggage" tag on my backpack; I checked my main bag. I don't remember if they weighed/measured the backpack.
We had lounge access included. It was a nice lounge. Airline food was good, too.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:41 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: I've flown Turkish a bunch in the last year.
Among our questions:
- carryon bag size rule rigidity (hoping not to check anything)
Their rules are here. Key quote: "One piece of cabin baggage per passenger not to exceed 23x40x55 [cm] in size and 8 kg in weight and one personal item as bag per passenger not to exceed 40x30x15 [cm] in size can be taken on board in the Economy Class. The personal item should not exceed 4 kg." I've had the rules enforced going to Istanbul from multiple places and from Istanbul headed elsewhere in economy. Weigh your bags at home and plan on there possibly being a need to shift things around; I was asked to move 1 kg from my carry-on to my checked bag at LAX.
- Inflight food
Happily, it's some of the best, even in economy. Expect a paper menu, free beer and wine, and lots of water/juice runs on your transatlantic flights, as well as two hot meals with cold/ambient snacks like sandwiches or cookies available in the galley in between. Here's a photo gallery from airlinemeals.net. The dishes are fundamentally Mediterranean, with some Turkish specialties highlighted. (Try the lemon-mint and sour-cherry juices!) Here's an exhaustive video report from their A350 in economy; expect essentially the same amenities on any of their planes you'd take from the US to Turkey. Turkish provides meals on all of its international flights, so you will be fed something to and from Rome. Istanbul airport is also full of places to buy food at, given the exchange rate, not horrific prices; a personal favorite for fresh sandwiches and salads is the chain Simit Sarayi.
- Guidance with with visas, customs
Here is the Turkish government's official e-visa page with all the details.
However, you won't need to deal with this on the way to Rome unless you wanted to (with a layover of more than 6 hours, you are eligible for one of the free stopover tours they do, which they call Touristanbul). When you land in Istanbul from the US, passengers are generally not subject to transit security (and if you are directed to this, it will look like a normal TSA checkpoint); your pathway into the terminal deposits you in the departures area.
On the way back from Rome, it's not clear to me if you have a hotel yet; if not, have a look at Turkish Airlines' free stopover hotel program here, which may be workable with the tickets you have. If you've got your accommodation sorted already, have a word with them and see if they're near a Metro station or Havaist airport transfer coach stop. The metro to the airport only opened in January of this year and you'd need to change a few times to get to the tourist areas, but Havaist is under $4 USD for a safe, comfortable one-seat ride from the airport to Taksim, the central hub of the modern city. (A taxi is doable as well, of course, and your hotel will probably offer you some sort of private transfer.) The tram/metro/bus system is paid for using the Istanbulkart, available from ticket machines or the counter at stations. Here's a map showing the tram and metro network.
The only other difference you'll notice departing Istanbul for the US is that when you're departing for the US/UK/Canada from Istanbul Airport, there's a special row of check-in desks that will be labelled as such. You will also see an additional visa/passport check by security staff which I have sometimes experienced as a question-free experience and other times experienced as a short interview, usually accompanying hand searches of carry-on luggage at the gate. However, it's always been efficient in my experience. One tip might be to use packing cubes so it's easier to repack your carry-on.
- non-member access to lounges in Istanbul
Your option for a pay-in lounge is the one run by the airport authority, the IGA Lounge International described here. Here's a recent review. There are also quite a lot of unusual amenities for an airport, like an archaeological museum; more on those here.
- exchange value of $USD to Turkish lira
Turkey's economy hasn't been great for a few years now, and the lira has been weakening significantly. Check the exchange rate on the days you're going to be there; in a one-month trip I took to Turkey last fall, the lira depreciated against the dollar by more than 10%. ATMs are everywhere in Istanbul, and the vast majority of merchants in tourist areas, even small ones, are set up to handle card/mobile payments. Do tell your bank you're going to Turkey and Italy in quick succession, though.
- Proper ways to greet airline staff, customs officials, etc
Everyone working in the airport and on board will speak English. Here's a quick guide to Turkish pleasantries on YouTube.
Finally, you may find that many of your questions are answered in more detail over on FlyerTalk in the Turkish Airlines | Miles&Smiles forum. Enjoy your trip!
posted by mdonley at 2:44 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Among our questions:
- carryon bag size rule rigidity (hoping not to check anything)
Their rules are here. Key quote: "One piece of cabin baggage per passenger not to exceed 23x40x55 [cm] in size and 8 kg in weight and one personal item as bag per passenger not to exceed 40x30x15 [cm] in size can be taken on board in the Economy Class. The personal item should not exceed 4 kg." I've had the rules enforced going to Istanbul from multiple places and from Istanbul headed elsewhere in economy. Weigh your bags at home and plan on there possibly being a need to shift things around; I was asked to move 1 kg from my carry-on to my checked bag at LAX.
- Inflight food
Happily, it's some of the best, even in economy. Expect a paper menu, free beer and wine, and lots of water/juice runs on your transatlantic flights, as well as two hot meals with cold/ambient snacks like sandwiches or cookies available in the galley in between. Here's a photo gallery from airlinemeals.net. The dishes are fundamentally Mediterranean, with some Turkish specialties highlighted. (Try the lemon-mint and sour-cherry juices!) Here's an exhaustive video report from their A350 in economy; expect essentially the same amenities on any of their planes you'd take from the US to Turkey. Turkish provides meals on all of its international flights, so you will be fed something to and from Rome. Istanbul airport is also full of places to buy food at, given the exchange rate, not horrific prices; a personal favorite for fresh sandwiches and salads is the chain Simit Sarayi.
- Guidance with with visas, customs
Here is the Turkish government's official e-visa page with all the details.
However, you won't need to deal with this on the way to Rome unless you wanted to (with a layover of more than 6 hours, you are eligible for one of the free stopover tours they do, which they call Touristanbul). When you land in Istanbul from the US, passengers are generally not subject to transit security (and if you are directed to this, it will look like a normal TSA checkpoint); your pathway into the terminal deposits you in the departures area.
On the way back from Rome, it's not clear to me if you have a hotel yet; if not, have a look at Turkish Airlines' free stopover hotel program here, which may be workable with the tickets you have. If you've got your accommodation sorted already, have a word with them and see if they're near a Metro station or Havaist airport transfer coach stop. The metro to the airport only opened in January of this year and you'd need to change a few times to get to the tourist areas, but Havaist is under $4 USD for a safe, comfortable one-seat ride from the airport to Taksim, the central hub of the modern city. (A taxi is doable as well, of course, and your hotel will probably offer you some sort of private transfer.) The tram/metro/bus system is paid for using the Istanbulkart, available from ticket machines or the counter at stations. Here's a map showing the tram and metro network.
The only other difference you'll notice departing Istanbul for the US is that when you're departing for the US/UK/Canada from Istanbul Airport, there's a special row of check-in desks that will be labelled as such. You will also see an additional visa/passport check by security staff which I have sometimes experienced as a question-free experience and other times experienced as a short interview, usually accompanying hand searches of carry-on luggage at the gate. However, it's always been efficient in my experience. One tip might be to use packing cubes so it's easier to repack your carry-on.
- non-member access to lounges in Istanbul
Your option for a pay-in lounge is the one run by the airport authority, the IGA Lounge International described here. Here's a recent review. There are also quite a lot of unusual amenities for an airport, like an archaeological museum; more on those here.
- exchange value of $USD to Turkish lira
Turkey's economy hasn't been great for a few years now, and the lira has been weakening significantly. Check the exchange rate on the days you're going to be there; in a one-month trip I took to Turkey last fall, the lira depreciated against the dollar by more than 10%. ATMs are everywhere in Istanbul, and the vast majority of merchants in tourist areas, even small ones, are set up to handle card/mobile payments. Do tell your bank you're going to Turkey and Italy in quick succession, though.
- Proper ways to greet airline staff, customs officials, etc
Everyone working in the airport and on board will speak English. Here's a quick guide to Turkish pleasantries on YouTube.
Finally, you may find that many of your questions are answered in more detail over on FlyerTalk in the Turkish Airlines | Miles&Smiles forum. Enjoy your trip!
posted by mdonley at 2:44 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You have plenty of time on your layover, so this is unlikely to be an issue, but n'thing everyone else that the new airport is ENORMOUS. I had a 3-hour layover last year for a flight going back to the US, and between customs and security, I made it to my gate without all that much time to spare before scheduled boarding. In addition to customs, there was very thorough security at the gate itself, where they searched our bags. The flight did end up delayed, but so did my inbound non-Turkish Airlines flight that same trip, so...I wouldn't say Turkish Airlines is having any notable difficulties on that score re cancellations and delays. But in general, remember to factor in the airport's hugeness into any of your time estimates. Like, I would not bother leaving the airport on that 7-hour layover.
Re bag sizes, they will enforce the weight limits. We were over the limit for one of our carry-ons, and they made us check it at the check in desk. One time we got away with this without a fee, the other time we had to pay.
My experience with the current exchange rate and inflation issues was that smaller lira bills got pretty damned annoying. On my trip last year, it got tedious to count out the ton of 10 and 20 lira notes my bank had given me. YMMV! The exchange rate is very favorable for an American traveler (current exchange rate is about 19 lira to one USD). That said, for a less than one-day layover, I wouldn't really bother getting much cash. Get enough to pay for a taxi or two, everywhere else will take cards, or even USD or Euro if you're buying stuff from a bazaar. (We paid for some jewelry in USD and Euro on our trip last year.)
I've flown Turkish Airlines on multiple trips to Europe or Turkey, and have generally been pleased with the service and food. It's really pretty good, with generous portions.
posted by yasaman at 3:20 PM on April 6, 2023
Re bag sizes, they will enforce the weight limits. We were over the limit for one of our carry-ons, and they made us check it at the check in desk. One time we got away with this without a fee, the other time we had to pay.
My experience with the current exchange rate and inflation issues was that smaller lira bills got pretty damned annoying. On my trip last year, it got tedious to count out the ton of 10 and 20 lira notes my bank had given me. YMMV! The exchange rate is very favorable for an American traveler (current exchange rate is about 19 lira to one USD). That said, for a less than one-day layover, I wouldn't really bother getting much cash. Get enough to pay for a taxi or two, everywhere else will take cards, or even USD or Euro if you're buying stuff from a bazaar. (We paid for some jewelry in USD and Euro on our trip last year.)
I've flown Turkish Airlines on multiple trips to Europe or Turkey, and have generally been pleased with the service and food. It's really pretty good, with generous portions.
posted by yasaman at 3:20 PM on April 6, 2023
Best answer: I flew Turkish business in the fall. Can't comment on the carryon rigidity (nothing of mine was reviewed, though that could be due to service class.
There is a lot of traffic to get to Istanbul from the airport; getting to/from on your 7 hour layover would be dicey (and time-wise doesn't seem like a great idea). The Turkish lounge was great but a bit crowded (difficult to find two seats together, even at 11pm). I did manage to get a shower in during my layover, though there was a waiting list. Great food but it does shut early-ish (had a late layover going home and the live stations weren't "open"). I had no issue using English with folks at the airport.
For your longer layover, Turkish will do a day tour for you; I didn't qualify so didn't do it. The reviews I googled seemed positive but mixed. I ignored my own advice and did go into Istanbul on an 8-hour layover; I got to spend about 2.5 hours in the city. It was great but hectic. Do not underestimate traffic for your return. to the airport. I used a shared van to get in and back and it worked out to $35 round-trip. I believe there is a public bus as well.
Get your e-visa online before you leave the US - you can specify the dates you want it for. Customs was quick but it is a very big airport and there was no internal people mover or train; it was a notably long walk from my gate to customs.
posted by quadrilaterals at 9:01 AM on April 7, 2023
There is a lot of traffic to get to Istanbul from the airport; getting to/from on your 7 hour layover would be dicey (and time-wise doesn't seem like a great idea). The Turkish lounge was great but a bit crowded (difficult to find two seats together, even at 11pm). I did manage to get a shower in during my layover, though there was a waiting list. Great food but it does shut early-ish (had a late layover going home and the live stations weren't "open"). I had no issue using English with folks at the airport.
For your longer layover, Turkish will do a day tour for you; I didn't qualify so didn't do it. The reviews I googled seemed positive but mixed. I ignored my own advice and did go into Istanbul on an 8-hour layover; I got to spend about 2.5 hours in the city. It was great but hectic. Do not underestimate traffic for your return. to the airport. I used a shared van to get in and back and it worked out to $35 round-trip. I believe there is a public bus as well.
Get your e-visa online before you leave the US - you can specify the dates you want it for. Customs was quick but it is a very big airport and there was no internal people mover or train; it was a notably long walk from my gate to customs.
posted by quadrilaterals at 9:01 AM on April 7, 2023
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great and thorough responses!
posted by conscious matter at 11:34 AM on April 10, 2023
posted by conscious matter at 11:34 AM on April 10, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by artisthatithaca at 1:38 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]