ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT   Passenger Reviews

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review :  17 January 2010 by Neklesov Yuriy   (Ukraine)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Latest news from Ataturk airport re smoking from 14th of January 2010 - the smoking is allowed in one place called terrace in transit terminal. Terrace is abt 4m by 10m size, special "room" with meshed walls, so there is a fresh air but not cold, sine 5 UFO heaters installed inside.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review :  21 December 2009 by A Kora   (Turkey)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Ataturk airport domestic and international terminals are fine yet have their miscomings. The domestic terminal security services are timely and proper. Check-ins depend on the airline staff and speaking of THY ground services they are moderate. Airport food services are a complete ripoff, way overpriced. International terminal has nice shopping and I like it. Some big advantages are that there are several valet parking services offered and on incoming flights you can get your luggage within five minutes of leaving the aircraft. I never came across faster luggage delivery anywhere. Overall this terminal is nice, clean, comfortable - one downside it is that the passport police do not care to reduce the queue or to smile.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review :  1 December 2009 by Byron Scott   (USA)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

ORD-IST-ORD in coach on TK in November 2009. IST a mix of good and bad. Upon arrival, the queue at the only open visa desk was chaos. Instead of a maze, there was a line that circled inside itself - difficult to find the end. It appeared they had never issued visas before. It took over 20 minutes to get the visas. Lots of ATMs. Not too far to walk to the Metro, although it's not entirely clear where to go as you work your way to the lower level. If taking transit to the city, suggest taking Metro to Aksaray and then a taxi - the tram is usually packed and if you have much luggage, it will be difficult. If you do change to the tram, don't do it at Aksaray - it's a longish walk with lots of stairs. After clearning security at the gate for our return flight, there was no bathroom, which was a problem for some when the flight was delayed. Lots of duty free shopping, but prices were not that good, at least for alcohol - it was cheaper to buy vodka at ORD. Coach check-in with TK was fast and other lines (except visa) were short.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review :  19 November 2009 by Sam Meier   (Switzerland)

Customer Rating :  4/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

Used IST for transit and was positive surprised how easy it is to connect through. Basically one terminal similar to Munich Airport, with lots and duty free shops and restaurants.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review :  18 September 2009 by Tansu Gizem   (Turkey)

Customer Rating :  3/5

Queuing

Cleanliness

Facilities

The airport building is about 10 years old and a modern structure. The security is very tight. I fly through this airport at least 12 times a year and what I notice most is the stuffy air inside, it is always hot inside irrespective of which season you are in. Especially on international arrivals the passport area with a very low ceiling and always quite warm. The toilets need to be better maintained, I see people cleaning the toilets all the time however they do not do a meticulous job. When you exit the airport building do not expect drivers to yield to the pedestrians at the pedestrian crossing, they might even run over you. Do not expect respect from the drivers and be careful.The taxis at the taxi stand are mostly reliable, decent guys but I would say at least 30% are not good, they want to take you through a longer route, some taxis are falling apart, dirty. Some of the drivers also look dirty, unshaved. There is not enough authority inspecting them.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 31 August 2009 by Brett Watson

Customer Rating : 3/5

A decent airport overall. Arrival was slow with lengthy immigration queues of around 30 mins. Baggage arrived before we reached the belt. Not too far to domestic terminal - very busy for early morning flight. International check in quick and efficient with no queues at immigration. Decent range of duty free with many options on offer, however fairly expensive compared to many other airports. Terminal very busy as many flights leave late evening/night, so few seats available. Security at gate makes the experience quicker, although the airport seems to often use remote boarding with lengthy bus rides to aircraft, even when gates seem to be available.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 31 August 2009 by Philip Ho

Customer Rating : 4/5

The airport is clean, and I like the brightness of the departure hall. Long queues at passport control and visa. Maybe it's how Turks work, but they worked really slowly and it was kind of hard for an impatient person. I'm a little bit concerned about the safety, because I forgot about the 100ml liquid rule and brought a can of juice and a bottle of water onto the plane without getting noticed. They had two security checks and I was surprised that neither one could find that out.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 13 July 2009 by S Srinivasan

Customer Rating : 4/5

The good - outbound passport control is efficient, a large array of shopping, including duty free, is available, "visa on arrival" desk was fast, and both the domestic and international terminals are clean and organized. At the international terminal, security is done at each gate, so you don't have to worry about getting stuck in a massive central queue, unlike Frankfurt. Security at the domestic terminal was handled through central queues, but was done quickly and efficiently. Access to the metro is also easy, and a great bargain to get to the city center at 3 YTL ($2) per person. The bad - inbound passport control took forever (more than 30 minutes), the international baggage claim area can be confusing and it's hard to find the exit, and food/drink prices are ridiculous - 10 YTL (about $7.50) for a tall frappucino at Starbucks! Also, since security is at the gate, they only open up the sitting area about an hour before departure, so if you get there too soon, there's not enough seats available in the main terminal area. A pleasant experience overall.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 23 June 2009 by I Williamson

Customer Rating : 3/5

Flying from the middle East to Istanbul airport is always annoying as through-tickets are never issued. This means the usual long queue booking the seat for the next segment of the journey. Free newspapers in the main hall are a nice touch though, and it is nice to be in one of the airports of the region (bordering on the Middle East) where no-one smokes.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 23 April 2009 : by Nick Paul

Customer Rating : 4/5

Late evening arrival for transfer to internal flight to ADB. Very short queue for entry visa (note only English notes accepted, no Scottish or Irish sterling). Passport control very prompt. Long walk to domestic terminal, some travelators, otherwise follow signs for route. Banks for currency exchange all open, plenty of taxis for pax if required, booked either in the airport or from right outside the doors and car hire and tourist services all operating in evening. Good range of eating options but prices are high. Small number of shops at domestic terminal. Main information board provides depture info. plus small screens at gates. Security quick - new rules for 100ml of liquid containers now in place. Plenty of seating at gates, and toilets and waiting areas all nice and clean. An efficient and good service.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 23 April 2009 : by Brian Lee

Customer Rating : 4/5

I am a Singaporean and took Turkish Airlines from Singapore to London with an overnight stay in Istanbul. Ataturk airport is quite clean and organized, signs are placed nicely. It is strange police with guns are assigned for immigration purposes both in and out of country. They do not speak english and do not welcome at all. Airport facilities are nice Turkish Airlines has a perfect lounge for Business class passengers and it is one of the best in Europe. Duty free prices are very acceptable when compare to europe though my favorite is always Dubai.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 8 April 2009 : by Tony Phillipson

Customer Rating : 4/5

I use IST about fifty times a year (I live in Istanbul but am not a Turkish citizen) and find it generally good. Nine times out of ten I have a minimal wait at passport control and my bags are often on the belt when I get to it. I agree that on departure it is much better to go through passport control opposite check-in zones G-H rather than at the other location near A- B. Also agree that better to eat elsewhere if possible: food is expensive and ordinary, and you can do so much better in Istanbul. The departure info screens can be misleading for a first-timer: 'wait in lounge' actually means 'go to gate' - the next thing to come up will be 'boarding'!. Beware gates 301+ - the secondary X-ray there can be a zoo when all the Central Asia flights leave at around the same time (late evening). Get there early.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 7 April 2009 : by Jacek Roubal

Customer Rating : 4/5

Use Istanbul for connections and meetings in Turkey quite often. The passport control lines coming in could be a disaster sometimes. Flying out the airport now offers a business/cip entrance to the airport with its own security and again a private passport control counter after check-in. Lounge options are numerous with lot's of good food/refreshments. I find the duty free prices to be really good compared to EU airports. The whole airport is smoke-free; absolutely amazed considering you can smoke virtually everywhere in Turkey. Apart from the second security check at the gates I would say this is one of the finest airports I've been to.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 26 March 2009 : by Mohammad Zia Ebrahimi

Customer Rating : 2/5

Very clean. when 3-4 flights arrive at the same time you have to wait at least 20 minutes in immigration queue. Entering the departure hall sometimes takes 15 minutes in security queue. Immigration officers in departure area most impolite.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 26 January 2009 : by Martyn Back

Customer Rating : 1/5

The prices at this airport are extortionate. They charged 3 euros for a newspaper which had "Turkey: 2.20 euros" clearly printed on it, a beer costs 8 euros (!) in the bars and even Burger King costs a small fortune. I will avoid using this airport for transit again - airports are always expensive but Istanbul Ataturk goes too far, I hate being ripped off like this.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 8 January 2009 : by M Miller

Customer Rating : 4/5

I was pleasantly surprised when I landed at Ataturk. The visa line was fast and then right over to passport control, also very quick. Baggage took awhile to arrive, and trying to get a cart is a bit of a trial. The ride into Istanbul is about thirty minutes, and plenty of cabs and vans to take. The airport is clean and easy to maneuver..

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 6 January 2009 : by E van Coomben

Customer Rating : 2/5

Only used it for International Transfer between Europe and East Asia. Everything is ok, CIP Lounge offers a great variety of foods and beverages, much better than in any Lounge visited before. The airport terminal is clean and fancy. These are the goods. Now the bad. The Security check before boarding, especially going from IST to Europe is a disaster, very slow, seldom impolite attitude of security personnel, no special lines for Business Class/First Class. The prices all over the place are unbelievable, even compared with EU airports. There is not a single place for smoking. Nothing against banning smoking from public areas, but some smoking rooms should exist.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 30 November 2008 : by A Hetier

Customer Rating : 3/5

A mitigated impression. On arrival, there was a long queue at passport control with many flights arriving. On departure, the queue at X-ray et the entrance was too long, very disorganised and unacceptable. But check-in was efficient and there was not too much queue at passport control. Prices at duty free shops and cafés are unacceptable (figures are the same as outside the airport but they charge in euro instead of Turkish lira!!). Cold drinks are not cold: why do fridges not work? But information on changed gates is always correct, the airport is clean, and flights are on time.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 2 September 2008 : by Mohammad Zia Ebrahimi

Customer Rating : n/a

It is clean, immigration much better and quicker than before. In my last arrival from landing to leaving airport to city by bus took only 30 minutes.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 21 August 2008 : by Tony Maddern

Customer Rating : n/a

Firstly - make sure that you have spent all of your Turkish Lira and had something to eat and drink before you come to this airport - prices are a rip-off. Apart from that, the airport is nice and clean. Make sure that you allow about 40 minutes to get from the front door to your check in desk because they X-ray your bags and you have to walk through a metal detector as soon as you get in the front door. The queue was long when we went through and the security people were pretty particular also. The lines for passport control were not that long, but the people in the passport desks were pretty slow (All they needed to do really was put their blue stamp on the passports.) Once through all of that, avoid the "duty free" and find a nice place to sit and look out. This airport is cool once you get past passport control and there are loads of spaces to sit. As you go to the gate you have another X-Ray queue to stand in, but not as bad as the first. Once you are through this, you can sit in the gate / lounge and wait for your aircraft to board, or in our situation, head straight onto the aircraft. There were no departure delays - actually our aircraft (BA) pushed back 5 mins early so they must be doing something right at this airport. I gave this airport a 3 star because of the extortionate prices they allow shops to charge.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 11 August 2008 : by Stephen Garrett

Customer Rating : n/a

Flew into Istanbul on a very busy Friday afternoon (01 August) and it was total chaos trying to get through immigration. No problems with the visa payments but it took nearly 45 minutes to get through passport control. I had to really search all of the luggage carrousels for my baggage as there appeared to be no signs anywhere? Quite a long walk through the airport to the Metro but what a joy to have to only pay 2.80 New Turkish Lira in total to get from the airport to the tourist part of the city. Coming back- Very slow moving lines at the Turkish Airlines check in desks and even slower ones going through the final security checks at the gates. I believe some people were close to missing their flights because of this. Agree with other comments about the prices of food and drinks in the airport - extortionate!

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 22 July 2008 : by Michael Asher

Customer Rating : n/a

Arrived on an international flight at Istanbul Ataturk Airport around 1215pm today. Queues for Passport Control so long they went out into the passageway beyond the zig-zag lines of railings. 45 minutes later arrived in front of an Immigration officer and was processed promptly and courteously. The queue seems to be divided into three chunks; one for Turkish nationals and two for others. My section fed eight inspection desks. Only two were manned, although the section for Turks had many more officers and small queues. I have found this to be a frequent experience and not a pleasant one. Avoid Istanbul Ataturk airport unless you are prepared for long waits in an area which can be hot; has low ceilings and no evidence of air-conditioning operating. It is a shame.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 13 June 2008 : by Nick Paul

Customer Rating : n/a

Tip for passport control - if you go to gate H, the passport desks there are less used than those closer to the gates A, etc. so if you are in a hurry, walk a further 100m on and you should be through passport control very quickly. As security control is at the gates, not straight after passport control, do not leave shopping until the last minute or you will get caught up in a queue for boarding which might cause some delays.

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT review : 10 June 2008 : by Alasdair Brooks

Customer Rating : 4/5

I was pleasantly surprised by Ataturk airport. It was well organised, with quick immigration processing by friendly immigration officers in an adequately staffed immigration area (American airports could learn a thing or two here from the Turks). The separate visa queue also went quickly and efficiently (though travellers from the UK should remember that they only take USD or Euros). I dashed off to use the (clean and modern) toilet facilities at baggage retrieval, and my wife already had our suitcase by the time I made it back. Leaving was equally simple, with the slight quirk that security is before check-in, so you go straight from check-in to passport control without having to go through security again (though there is a second security area once you reach your specific gate). Airside is neatly and sensibly laid out, with plenty of shopping without the sense of being in a busy glorified shopping mall you get from most UK airports - though as noted in several other comments, food and drink are pricey. There was some slight chaos at boarding, but this seems to have been the airline's fault rather than a flaw with the airport