Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Travel and Accommodation => Flights and Travel => Topic started by: Ryss on February 23, 2012, 04:38:47 PM
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Hi Everyone!
I will be travelling to Kalkan (and Turkey) for the first time in April. I am booking my international flight with Turkish Air, and the domestic flight fromIstanbul to Dalaman with Atlas Jet. Now, Turkish Air will arrive in Istanbul at 11:15AM and I'd like to book the Atlas Jet flight leaving Istanbul for Dalaman at 1:30PM.
Can anyone who may have done this before advise whether the approx. 2 hr time gap is enough for me to clear customs and retrieve baggage and then find the Atlas Jet terminal?! Am not sure of Turkish Air on time arrival record for direct flight from NY to IST and moreso whether it takes a while clearing thru customs etc, and would be grateful if anyone may have some idea
Thanks so much!
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From personal experience of making transfers from international to domestic carriers at Ataturk Airport you are safest to travel with Turkish Airlines for the whole journey if at all possible.
Assuming your transatlantic flight is on schedule, you may spend up to one hour (or more) at immigration getting a visitor's visa. Passport control is then relatively quick. Assuming that you cannot check your baggage through to Dalaman as the second leg is not with Turkish Airlines, you then have to find your baggage and then change terminals to get to the Atlas Air checkin.
I have flown with Turkish Airlines on a number of occasions and they are excellent at taking responsibility for missed connections if you are connecting to one of their flights. On two trips they even paid for overnight accommodation when the problem was mostly the immigration delays.
The alternative is to schedule and overnight in the wonderful city of Istanbul. There is so much to see and there are good transport links from the airport to Sultanahmet and Taksim.
Whichever you decide - best of luck.
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Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, I appreciate it and will take your advise into consideration. Thanks again!
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We always travel Turkish Air from Heathrow to Dalaman. Their combined fare is usually much less than using another carrier from Istanbul. Another benefit is luggage booked straight through to Dalaman. Used the service for 11 years and only once did one bag not arrive at Dalaman. Turkish Air very helpful, came on next plane and delivered to us by taxi.
It is quite a long walk from International to Domestic at Istanbul and I would certainly be worried at a 2 hour gap. By the time you have bought a visa and cleared immigration the best part of an hour may have gone. I always try to get 4 hours. Istanbul is a very good airport with plenty of cafes etc.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts Bryher.
Initially I wanted to use Turkish Air for our entire trip (JFK - IST - DLM, and return) but the Turkish Air flight that is going from IST to DLM departs IST at 4:45PM and I did not want to arrive at Club Patara late (I reckon I'd get there at latest 9PM), hence the reason for considering the Atlas Jet flight that leaves earlier in the day at 1:30PM.
I will be getting my visa before I travel and not on arrival in IST, so this might give me some time maybe?.. Just wanted to get to my destination before it got quite late!
Either way, I might chose to go with the wiser route than be sorry :) Thanks again, appreciate it!