Author Topic: Turkish Airlines expands their (already massive) lounge at IST (Read 16994 times)

yitzy1 · « **Reply #60 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:14:35 AM »

Quote from: chucksterace on April 03, 2014, 11:11:23 AM

Star gold or flying biz

how do I join?

chucksterace · « **Reply #61 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:23:12 AM »

Quote from: yitzy1 on April 03, 2014, 11:14:35 AM

how do I join?

Join what? Nothing to join here.

YudiG · « **Reply #62 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:26:34 AM »

Quote from: chucksterace on April 03, 2014, 10:55:52 AM

I think to spend in the lounge 2-3 hours is ok. Maybe bc they opened the expansion it won't be as crowded. I will be there in a week and a half during busy time and would probably report back.

was there this week during busy time...was very full didnt feel any more spacious then an alternative lounge with a proportionate amount of people

yitzy1 · « **Reply #63 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:33:34 AM »

Quote from: chucksterace on April 03, 2014, 11:23:12 AM

Join what? Nothing to join here.

star gold or flying biz? U have access bec u have a cert2 credit card?

YudiG · « **Reply #64 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:36:20 AM »

Quote from: yitzy1 on April 03, 2014, 11:33:34 AM

star gold or flying biz? U have access bec u have a cert2 credit card?

star gold....see aegean airlines thread...biz on turkish gets you in as well but star gold is way to go

Yosel · « **Reply #65 on:** April 03, 2014, 01:22:18 PM »

arriving 12pm depart 6:20pm not enough time for the TK tour, how should i spend my time? maybe getting a driver to take us around town some old yiddish places???

yaakov · « **Reply #66 on:** April 08, 2014, 04:01:36 PM »

Quote from: Yosel on April 03, 2014, 01:22:18 PM

arriving 12pm depart 6:20pm not enough time for the TK tour, how should i spend my time? maybe getting a driver to take us around town some old yiddish places???

what did you end up doing i have this flight in a couple of days.

yitzy1 · « **Reply #67 on:** April 17, 2014, 09:16:57 AM »

Quote from: yaakov on April 08, 2014, 04:01:36 PM

what did you end up doing i have this flight in a couple of days.

when i stopped there they didn't let me leave the airport in turkey bec i didn't have a visa, does anyone know if that is true? ?

chff · « **Reply #68 on:** April 17, 2014, 10:02:40 AM »

Quote from: yitzy1 on April 17, 2014, 09:16:57 AM

when i stopped there they didn't let me leave the airport in turkey bec i didn't have a visa, does anyone know if that is true? ?

Used to be Visa-on-arrival, now you need to apply online at https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

chucksterace · « **Reply #69 on:** April 17, 2014, 10:52:16 AM »

Here now. First time since they expanded.. Wow, the massive lounge basically just became even more massive. It does seem like the downstairs is more quiet and relaxing.

yitzy1 · « **Reply #70 on:** April 17, 2014, 01:26:05 PM »

Quote from: chff on April 17, 2014, 10:02:40 AM

Used to be Visa-on-arrival, now you need to apply online at https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

thank u very much

Yosel · « **Reply #71 on:** May 12, 2014, 12:05:21 PM »

Having a six hour stop over in IST, next week Tus. I wana go into city.......... Any ideas

Drago · « **Reply #72 on:** May 12, 2014, 12:10:21 PM »

Quote from: Yosel on May 12, 2014, 12:05:21 PM

Having a six hour stop over in IST, next week Tus. I wana go into city.......... Any ideas

If you're flying TK, they may have guided tours.
It's been discussed here s/w.

Yosel · « **Reply #73 on:** May 12, 2014, 12:12:37 PM »

I am flying TK, however the stop is between 12pm and 6:30pm no tours at that time

yitzy1 · « **Reply #74 on:** May 13, 2014, 02:36:32 AM »

Remember if u wanna leave the airport in turkey, u must get a visa before, thanks to my stupid travel agent that didn't tell me that & I was stuck in the airport for 6 hours

Moishebatchy · « **Reply #75 on:** May 13, 2014, 04:04:41 AM »

Quote from: yitzy1 on May 13, 2014, 02:36:32 AM

Remember if u wanna leave the airport in turkey, u must get a visa before, thanks to my stupid travel agent that didn't tell me that & I was stuck in the airport for 6 hours

Sorry bro, but it's not a travel agent's responsibility to tell you whether you need a visa or not in order to leave the airport on a connection. A stopover (24 hours or more), maybe... but on a six hour connection, definitely not, especially if you don't even ask.

And especially in a country like Turkey, where 90% of frum Jews would be too afraid to leave the airport, I can't imagine why it would even occur to your TA to even dream that you might want to leave, if you don't ask them about it.

satturn · « **Reply #76 on:** May 13, 2014, 04:09:20 AM »

Quote from: Moishebatchy on May 13, 2014, 04:04:41 AM

Sorry bro, but it's not a travel agent's responsibility to tell you whether you need a visa or not in order to leave the airport on a connection. A stopover (24 hours or more), maybe... but on a six hour connection, definitely not, especially if you don't even ask.

And especially in a country like Turkey, where 90% of frum Jews would be too afraid to leave the airport, I can't imagine why it would even occur to your TA to even dream that you might want to leave, if you don't ask them about it.

+1

yitzy1 · « **Reply #77 on:** May 13, 2014, 09:18:29 AM »

Quote from: Moishebatchy on May 13, 2014, 04:04:41 AM

Sorry bro, but it's not a travel agent's responsibility to tell you whether you need a visa or not in order to leave the airport on a connection. A stopover (24 hours or more), maybe... but on a six hour connection, definitely not, especially if you don't even ask.

And especially in a country like Turkey, where 90% of frum Jews would be too afraid to leave the airport, I can't imagine why it would even occur to your TA to even dream that you might want to leave, if you don't ask them about it.

well that's not the case.....only after my ta was telling me that I can go on tour bus & stuff & he knows people that left the airport & it was fine, then I told him I want a 6 hour stop over bec I wanna leave the airport, so now what?

Still my fault?

Moishebatchy · « **Reply #78 on:** May 13, 2014, 10:39:36 AM »

Quote from: yitzy1 on May 13, 2014, 09:18:29 AM

well that's not the case.....only after my ta was telling me that I can go on tour bus & stuff & he knows people that left the airport & it was fine, then I told him I want a 6 hour stop over bec I wanna leave the airport, so now what? Still my fault?

Like I said...

Quote from: Moishebatchy on May 13, 2014, 04:04:41 AM

Sorry bro, but it's not a travel agent's responsibility to tell you whether you need a visa or not in order to leave the airport on a connection. A stopover (24 hours or more), maybe... but on a six hour connection, definitely not, especially if you don't even ask.

And especially in a country like Turkey, where 90% of frum Jews would be too afraid to leave the airport, I can't imagine why it would even occur to your TA to even dream that you might want to leave, if you don't ask them about it.

If you discussed it with him, that is indeed another story. I understand your frustration. But in his defense, check out this page:

http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-applications-at-points-of-entry-to-the-republic-of-turkey-as-of-11-april-2014-and-measures-to-be-taken-during-the-transit.en.mfa

Apparently, it is an extremely recent development that Turkey stopped giving visas at the border (just changed now, in April). There is no way your TA could have known, without happening to stumble on that page by chance - it's not like governments send out a mass email to all TAs every time they change a regulation.

Also, it says on that page that you can apply for a visa online and receive it in under 3 minutes, or use a "visa kiosk" at the airport. Why didn't you just do that at the airport, instead of sitting around for 6 hours?

Yosel · « **Reply #79 on:** May 13, 2014, 12:48:39 PM »

ok, now! what to do in turkey for 6 hours? and which driver? etc.