[icenspice]

Hi folks

I have 2 hours 10 mins between ETA and ETD.

I have 2 questions: should I purchase an e-visa in advance and are there smoking booths airside?

I haven’t been to Turkey in a long time.

Many thanks

[MrMichael]

Icenspice, I used IST last November, there are (or at least were then) smoking areas airside. Enjoy your Pall Mall.

[onajetplane]

Hi Icenspice

Yes there is smoking airside. You can still purchase the visa stamp at the airport and there are never any lines anymore – it is just slightly more expensive than doing it online.

I have flown into IST a lot this year and if you are flying in J/StarGold then the domestic lounge at IST is great because it has separate security and you get bused straight to the plane making it a very pleasurable experience. Similarly you get priority immigration access on arrival if you are flying business with TK/most airlines.

Depending on your destination in Turkey you may have to pick up your bags however and clear them through customs if your final airport doesn’t have customs: http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/travel-information/baggage/transit-transfer-passenger-procedures –

“International transfer passengers continuing to a domestic destination without customs control

In this case transfer procedures are not followed with baggage. After completing passport procedures passengers reclaim their baggage and proceed to the domestic terminal.”

Hope this helps.

[JohnHarper]

There are plenty of smoking areas in the terminal – this is IST after all.

Buy the visa in advance, it’s cheaper and while the queues are rare they are not unknown.

One or two airlines will not let you check in without the evisa so depending on who you are flying with you may have a problem if you don’t.

ABBA – nice to see others on board with the sentiment.

[icenspice]

Thanks for the tips gentlemen.

I am flying TK all the way in Economy, but maybe I will travel with my handbag only. Your link, onajetplane, left me a bit confused!

MrMichael, if I asked for 20 Pall Mall here they would look at me as if I had two heads!

[onajetplane]

@icenspice Which airport are you flying to?

Also if you have status in another alliance I would try your luck with TK as they are very good at matching status so at least you could access their lounge/priority lanes etc? I got my BAEC Gold matched to gold for 2years on TK!

[icenspice]

@onajetplane

That is very interesting regarding your status match. I am BA Silver, but have now turned my attention to *A, via Aegean.

Flying to Izmir for my first holiday in over a year.

Why do I get the impression you are Northern Irish? ?

[maxgeorge]

Clarification for anyone transiting IST to ECN ( Ercan, Lefkosa/Nicosia in the TRNC ie Northern Cyprus ). That’s considered an International departure from Turkey, so you can go straight to the gate without clearing customs or needing a Turkish visa. The TRNC immigration issues visas on arrival.

[Robin Saunter]

Some reflections on a quick trip via IST.

The other day I flew London Heathrow to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines (which are superb, by the way, far superior to BA in all respects) but then just walked into the airside departures area without having a body/hand-baggage search before boarding the next TK flight to Baku. On the way back through IST, all transit passengers were subjected to security search. A somewhat haphazard situation.

My wife usually picks me up at LHR T5 (nearest the M25 and she doesn’t get lost) and we usually arrange the pick up on the departure level vehicle lane. Beware! Heathrow now fine anyone picking up passengers using this tactic £40. They like you (surprise, surprise) to use the short stay car park for £3.60 a go. Another depressing development to make using British airports less of a pleasure.

[JohnHarper]

Robin, arrivals from the EU at IST are treated as sterile in the same way as they are at airports anywhere in the EU except the UK. There is therefore no additional screening necessary.

Arrivals from anywhere else are subject to security screening.

There’s nothing haphazard about it. If you want haphazard, read the thread on Doha.

Glad you enjoyed your experience of Turkish Airlines.

[AlanOrton1]

John – is this a relatively new policy? I only ask as the last TK flight I took from LHR, connecting to HKG, I had to go through x-ray machines / security, before entering airside terminal. (Admittedly, not this year).

[JohnHarper]

Alan, it has been the norm for quite a few years but I couldn’t say how many – it’s like that when you get older! That said exceptions can occur, sometimes if you get a bus gate you will be taken to an arrival point where there is screening though there is one that doesn’t have – below 204/5, from there it’s just an escalator up to the departure level.

If you arrive at a pier normally you just walk up the ramp to the departures level and ground staff are often directing you to do that though if you choose to walk down following the signs for arrivals and transfers you will enter the arrivals and transfer screening area, both options are normally available on flights from the EU. Going up the ramp isn’t well signposted, it’s almost something you have to know.

They can of course choose to randomly screen any flight as happens in other places too.

I can’t remember being screened coming from the EU any time in the last five years.

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