Istanbul Airport

Not Verified | On 5/23/24 I flew into Istanbul airport and arrived with one hour to make my connecting flight. Airport personnel indicated i had to go through passport screening, which I did. I was then struggling to find the gate for departure but was told I had to go through screening again, which I did, along with another baggage scan. This delayed me and I missed my flight. Directions for making connecting flights are now clear. Turkish airways initially blamed me for missing my flight, then put me up at a hotel. Subsequent to that I waited 50 minutes in a "non-turkish-citizen" line for a PP screening. When I got to a representative, she told me I have to go to "passport control 1 line". I went to PP control 1 line and a sign said it was closed and referred me back to the line I was just in. I managed to get by the closed sign and waited another 50 minutes. During this wait PP control staff let several customers in ahead of me, delaying me further. In total I went through PP control six times on 5/23/24. Is this really necessary? On 5/24/24, I came to the airport 2 hours early. Had my baggage screened three times, and had to produce my passport for inspection three times as well. the last two inspections were less than 15 yards apart. Is all this really necessary? How many times should a tourist expect to be screened in Istanbul airport? 3-6 times? Good to know for future travel. Inspection staff were not helpful as well.

Not Verified | Departure lounge, $65 AUD for a small very average lunch. Was going to use the Priority Pass Lounge but the queue was too long and so i could not be bothered waiting in the long line. Staff were friendly enough but the high cost explains why there were so few customers. I love Turkey but it can be very expensive in Istanbul. Make sure you dont catch a taxi unless accompanied by a Turkish speaking guide. You will be ripped off. The international airport is quite clean and reasonably well organised. Although check-in staff wanted to know if Australians needed a visa to enter the UK. You think they would know. The main issue was that it was so crowded. Otherwise not too bad and i am sure it will improve.

Not Verified | Good food restaurants & shops open 24/7. Amenities available for a fee. Clean toilets. Landed and spent 45mins going round in circles. Signs are available but not places in visual sight. Napzone B gates beside children play area (no nap). Sleep Pods not sound poof noisy (no sleep). Pay for shower Airport Hotel is expensive! 1hr free WiFi for 5-15 hrs transit passengers. Rude immigration staff.

✅ Trip Verified | Massive airport without adequate ergonomy. Turkish airlines will taxi around the airport for 20 to 25 min getting to a gate, to then dump passengers in the middle of the tarmac. Once stopped we waited for a bus for another 15 min and disembarking took another 10 minutes. The buses were packed. Finally made it to an exit after another 15 minutes of driving. It took us just under an hour to move to the airport after landing. Then another 20 min walk to the transit section, speedy security another 10 min, followed by another 15 min walk to the departing gate. We made our flight only because the incoming was delayed. The above explain the electric centaurs zooming around with people, and the airport shuttle that are driving in the middle of the crowd. Prepare some good running shoes and plenty of time to transit. I wonder how this airport expects to expend even further. Good luck.

Not Verified | Absolute rip off. The basic food and drink prices in Istanbul Airport are extortionate. One hour free WiFi too? Then you get scammed for anything after that! I unfortunately have to return home via this place but will never use Turkish Airlines again. Don’t let the bargain airfares attract you to transit in this place!

✅ Trip Verified | After delayed flights from Athens, the staff at Transfers were absolutely amazing, couldn't do enough to get us on our next flight which was due to leave in 30 minutes. Thank you to the young lady behind the counter and the young man who helped us get through customs.

Not Verified | I recently traveled through Istanbul Airport, and my experience was disappointing. One major drawback was the exorbitant prices for food, drinks, and shopping items. A simple coffee or sandwich set me back significantly more than expected, and even basic necessities in the retail shops were overpriced, making it hard to justify any purchases. Additionally, the airport seemed chaotic and overcrowded, with many passengers stranded and resorting to sleeping on the floors due to delayed or canceled flights. This led to a disorganized atmosphere, with people sprawled out across waiting areas, making navigation difficult. Overall, my time at Istanbul Airport was far from pleasant, and I hope to see improvements in the future.

Not Verified | The airport is beautiful but its a big mess. The staff doesn't know English well and always guides you to the wrong place. In my case, the connecting flight was displayed and when i reached to the gate after walking for 30 minutes with my kids, they changed it again and then it was in the extreme opposite direction which means another 30-40 minutes walk. How can you expect someone to run to catch his flight with the kids for such a long distance? The signage is very good and helpful. Food area is also good and provide a good selection of food to the travelers.

✅ Trip Verified | Any airport that does not offer unlimited free wifi from my perspective, is not serving its passengers. Passengers can only get 1 hour free wifi by scanning their passport. Prices at the airport are higher than they need to be. Ground transportation is a bit of a mess with congestion and confusion. The airport is grand in design with a lot of wasted space - must be expensive to heat and cool? This airport like many new airports feels more like a shopping mall than a hub for air travel

✅ Trip Verified | Istanbul Airport has big ambitions but is far from the standards found at the best airports in the world. Although the building is spacious and open, passport control was fairly efficient with several gates to pass through, and bathroom facilities were modern and clean, these positives do not outweigh the many negatives. Firstly, food and drinks are extraordinarily expensive: 15 euros for a small beer, 40 euros for a kebab, 20 euros for a menu at McDonalds. For comparison, even in the most touristic areas of Istanbul, a large beer would typically cost about a third of that and would not come in a plastic cup. It just leaves you with a bitter taste of the airport seeing its visitors as walking wallets. The same vibe comes from the types of shops that occupy a large part of the airport. Maybe people willing to pay 50 euros for a simple airport meal are looking for a Louis Vuitton bag, but from the empty shops it seems that this audience is very limited. There is a huge Duty Free section, but they all sell exactly the same products. Secondly, WiFi is restricted and requires you to swipe your passport through a machine. Not only do you have no idea what is happening with that information (and why do they need my passport information in the first place?), it also just gives you one hour access. Not a standard that modern-day airports should have. Thirdly, boarding was chaotic despite our airline using boarding zones, but the gate crew did not care and just let everyone board at the same time. I would have been annoyed if I had paid for a ticket with priority boarding. Lastly, we used this airport for a city trip to Istanbul, but the airport is 40 kilometers away from the city center. That would not be such an issue if there was a simple public transport connection, but taking the metro requires you to change 4-5 times to reach downtown Istanbul, and the airport busses take 1.5 hours to reach a metro station on the outskirts of the city center. Luckily there are plenty of taxis around, but they come with a high chance of being scammed (our driver on the way back tried to make us pay twice). All in all, not the best experience.