I've flown with Turkish Airlines twice so far. This most recently trip, I flew from TBS (Tbilisi)…read moreto IST (Istanbul) and IST to JFK (New York) on business class. The boarding process in TBS was a breeze and the short 4 hr. flight went by quickly. However, the long haul flight from IST to JFK was delayed. I didn't mind so much that it was delayed but it was the standing that was exhausting. Most international/long haul flights have a separate mini security check before the gate/boarding. Some even check your carry-on luggage and passport again, like Istanbul Airport. After we went through the whole security thing, we then find out the flight was delayed. The gate area is not small but this is a large flight with hundreds of passengers. I felt like we were sardines in a can. It was also very warm with the sun setting upon us and lots of body heat. Not knowing how long was the delay, we stood in the tight space for about an hour before boarding. Not pleasant! The Boeing 777-300er is a legacy aircraft with 2-2-2 configuration for business class seats. While it is not pod style, they have spacious legroom and lie-flat comfort. I slept pretty good on this flight and had to be woken up for the descending to put my seat back up. The meals were mostly good with nice touches like warm bread and flameless candle. I was stuffed from the airport lounge and wasn't hungry. The dessert cart with the chef in the sky serving you was cute and memorable. I was so tired that I forgot to take a picture of the desserts. I think I had some fruit with chocolate cake. The flight attendant that served us was attentive. She offered to make our beds and made sure we were hydrated. I also liked the red wine she selected for me. I feel like Turkish Airlines are always running some sort of sales and good points redemption. I wouldn't mind flying with them again.

I booked our flights home from Istanbul originally on Turkish via United on points with a layover…read moreat Heathrow before heading to Los Angeles. After I booked the flight, I did some research and started to freak out a little. You see, there was a lot of confusion as to whether or not we had free checked bags since I booked with United, but on the Turkish app, it said 0 kg checked bags. I had to contact their customer service and got some mixed news. The person on the phone said we would get checked bags but the email customer service told us to check with United. Well, because I booked with United and I have an Explorer card, I get my first checked bag free, but United also told me to check with Turkish. All the confusion was causing unnecessary stress. I don't know about you but traveling internationally with just a carry-on is hard but not unheard of. I've done it but prefer to have the flexibility of checking my luggage. We ended up finding a direct flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles closer to our trip and I was able to refund and rebook. On my rebooked flight, we did confirm that their fine print changed and the flight would include checked bags. Whew! Fast forward to our actual flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles. We arrived at the airport around 5 am for our 8:35 am flight. The security took forever to get through. Since it is a Turkish Airlines hub, we proceeded to a Turkish Airlines desk for early flights and were redirected to a longer line to check our luggage. Mind you, there is no luggage drop off like there is in Los Angeles. You need to go to the counter to get your luggage travel tags. You also need to go through 2 layers of security just to get to the terminal, a passport check to drop off luggage, and an additional passport checks before you can board. Once on board, we were given a small Lacoste amenity kit with eye-mask, slippers, toothbrush, and toothpaste. The seats were comfortable for economy and we had 2 meals on our direct flight. The food was decent and I enjoyed it. We had huge overhead bin space and to be honest, I could have fit my carry-on suitcase in it but I ended up putting my backpack in there since I checked the suitcase. The entertainment screen was really nice and they provided headphones if you did not bring your own. I tried to get some sleep but I ended up playing a couple movies when I could not. The service was great as the flight attendants came around often. We were able to get wine or beer with our meals. We arrived at LAX without any delays. Our luggage arrived on the baggage carousel too so that was great. Turkish Airlines gets 4 stars in my book.

IST was a huge airport. We flew Turkish Airlines four times during our first trip to Turkey and it…read moredidn't matter if the flights were domestics or international, we had to walk a long way to or from our gate. International departures guideline was three hours before flight but we got through all security, immigration and bag check in 45 minutes. It helped a lot having *G since we were able to use the dedicated lines and fastrack. The international Turkish Lounge was by Gate C1 so it was our first stop. A huge, nice lounge but very crowded at 5AM. Domestic flights recommended 2 hours arrival before the flight. Checkin areas were on the right side of the airport (only one terminal). The checkin process was slower as I didn't see the *G line. We completed all steps and sat down in the domestic lounge in around half hour. The domestic lounge for Turkish Airline actually had its own boarding gate where dedicated buses take passengers directly to their gates. Very convenient. International had a lot more lounge, food and shopping options plus the airport museum. Arrivals customs wasn't very busy in the afternoon and we cleared and claimed luggage in less than one hour. Much faster on the domestic side. To get to Istanbul and back we used Uber (exactly like the taxis but a fare range provided plus a booking fee). A little more piece of mind if you want a good idea of costs versus bitaksi (which provided a range too but we ended paying more when he deviated from the route).

Much larger airport than I had imagined. A bit confusing when going through security. There are…read moreseveral to pass. There also two parallel lines that do the same thing, except one line might have one agent, while the others may have 2 or 3. We started at the first and realized there's just one woman working it. We moved to the next one when we saw that the other one was moving faster due to having multiple workers. At the actual gate, there's another security person checking your boarding card and passport to enter the enclosed area. Several entitled people decided they didn't need to wait and pushed to enter from the side, causing a scene. At boarding time, you have to show your passport and boarding card again. It's safe, but it's a lot of checks. Allow enough time.

777s are often more comfortable in coach than other planes. Oh sorry, my Chief of Staff informs me…read morethat cheap seats have been called "economy" for decades. I will edit out the part where I refer to this airline as BOAC. Anyway, in spite of Istanbul's terrible record for flight delays, our flight to London was on time, as was our earlier flight in from London. One meal was good, the second meal was just a light snack. The check in and gate people were the same, they were quite good, as were the flight attendants. Can't complain about the price amd good text and email communication.

This is a layover hotel that became quite expensive due to geopolitics (Turkey is the last major…read morecountry in the neighborhood that stays out of the fights) but still should be a default option if you have a layover at the Istanbul airport. First, the pricing: there are essentially three hotels in one under the same name and same reservation system: "landside" - outside the security perimeter, never tried and is not reviewed here, "airside" - past security on the first floor of the terminal, and "cabins" - upstairs. As of 2026, airside will cost you about $500 per night, and cabin about $250 (hourly options are available, but few hour are easier and cheaper spent in the lounge anyhow). Judged here as a behind-security airport hotel and is not perfect - but very good. The "airside" entrance is located in the shopping area close to the center of the terminal (past the security or "transfer" gates). The rooms have "futuristic" and very utilitarian décor, the color lighting is amusing. Pros: a near-isolation from sound and light is possible, the mattress is of good quality - both provide for very good rest. Location is as good as it gets, check-in and check-out process is efficient, room has a large size, shower and toilet are separated, very usable desk allows for some work done. Entrance is controlled by the key-card to be used in elevator. The "cabins" are up an elevator and to the left of the airside Yotel (if you are facing the lounge, turn around). These are small single occupant rooms (not pods, think a typical Japanese hotel) with communal restroom arrangements. In the men's room, there are two toilets (one for squatting), two urinals, two showers - all in quite decent condition, you will need your key card to use the shower. The single-size bed is OK with barebones arrangements (single pillow, single comforter). There is a small table OK for light work and a small bench that accommodates two carryons on top for opening. The isolation from the hallway is quite weak, but this is an altogether quiet place at the terminal. Entrance to the hallways is controlled with the key cards, with the turnstyles located next to the reception. Cons: the amenities are barebone - don't expect robes, bring your own slippers, nondescript shampoo and soap are in large dispensers attached to the walls. The light switches are very confusing; groping for them in the complete darkness is not amusing (even worse in cabins, see my pro tips below). Cabin lighting tips (READ THIS CAREFULLY if you plan to stay in a cabin and spread the knowldge): the setup is truly incredible: you have to insert your card into a receptacle by the door for the lights to work. If you do not do it immediately upon entering the cabin, the lights, initially on, will go out in few seconds, and you will have to insert card in the dark, so do it as quickly as possible. If you are late, watch for a blinking white light next to the door, and insert the card there. Now, there is no conventional switch, so when you need to sleep, touch the black UNMARKED rectangle above the pillow, it will light up as a touchscreen switch. If the power socket goes off, dont despair: the thicknes of the key card is not enough, so the system might have thought that the card is now removed, and switched the power off. To add to the confusion, the lights can be still controlled by rectangle, but the socket stays off (yes, there is just one socket in the room, European plug only, plus 3 USBs, so an adapter and a power bar come handy). The fix for the socket is simple: use your hand to push onto OUTSIDE of the plastic housing with the card already inserted - it will fix the problem! You can also request a cabin change, naturally. Overall: will definitely use again if need few hours of sleep at the gorgeous Istanbul airport. If you are not planning a shower, go for cabins. One star subtracted for high price and insane lighting arrangements.

This is a mixed bag for me. I had to stay overnight in Istanbul because of an early morning flight…read moreand limited connection options, so I pre-booked a room landside so I could access my suitcase. It was very very expensive for what it was. I had booked a queen room, which was a tiny pod of a room that felt like something from a space movie that didn't even have a window, just a glowing panel that was supposed to feel window-like. The real problem for me was that the room I was assigned had bed bugs. I always carefully check my hotel room when I first arrive, and I am glad that I did this because there were blood stains all over the bedding under the sheets, and there was even a squashed bug under the mattress. I immediately took photos and left. While this would be typically a 1-star experience, the men at the front desk salvaged things. They were so alarmed by my story and the photos that they immediately upgraded me to a larger room (which checked out to be clean, but I still kept my stuff packed and away from all soft surfaces just out of an abundance of caution), and they tried to offer late checkout or breakfast, neither of which I could do. I appreciated how seriously they took my complaints, but I definitely think this is a place you should approach with reasonable caution. Also, the hotel restaurant is astronomically priced. I had a plate of pasta, a bottle of water, and 2 glasses of wine, and the total was $87 USD.