Turkish Airlines has changed the rules for providing free excursions and free overnight stays in hotels to passengers with a long layover in Istanbul from one of its flights to another. The changes are related to the transfer of all flights from the former Ataturk airport to the new main Istanbul airport, located further from the city center, completed a week ago, reports our own correspondent Travel.ru.
Free city tours are now available to passengers with a layover in Istanbul of 6 to 24 hours (the layover must also coincide with the tour time). The new tour schedule includes 5 possible options: at 8.30 (for 2.5 hours), at 9.00 (for 6 or 9 hours), at 12.00 (for 6 hours), at 16.00 (for 5 hours). In addition, in the summer from May 1 to October 31, an evening tour at 18.00 for 5 hours with a mini-cruise on the Bosphorus is also available.
It is not possible to book excursions before arrival in Istanbul. You can sign up for an excursion at least 30 minutes before its start at the Hotel Desk with the Turkish Airlines logo. It is located in the public area of the airport - on the right after exiting the baggage claim hall to the public area to those who meet you.
Free hotel for a forced long layover is provided if it is at least 12 hours for economy class passengers and 9 hours for business class passengers. A forced layover is considered a case when Turkish Airlines does not have shorter transfer options in Istanbul. This applies in particular to many cases of travel between regions of Russia and cities in Asia and Africa - in this case, arrival in Istanbul will usually be at dawn, and further departure late in the evening. In this case, the hotel is booked at the same Hotel Desk.
Free hotel accommodation for voluntary long-term connections is provided under different conditions - such a stop in Istanbul must be at least 20 hours. In addition, there are restrictions on routes. In particular, from Russia it is available to passengers flying on round-trip tickets to countries in East Asia and Africa, as well as to the USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Cuba, Venezuela, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Malta, Prague, Vienna, Belgrade, Baku and Bucharest.
Economy class passengers can count on 1 free night in a 4-star hotel in the historical city center (Sultanahmet district). Business class passengers can get two nights at a time in 5-star hotels in the more modern area of the city center - near Taksim Square. Free transfer to the hotel is not provided - however, most hotels in these areas are easily accessible using the airport express shuttles for 18 Turkish lira ($3). To get a free hotel, you must declare such a request at least 72 hours before your flight to Istanbul (for this, it is recommended to email [email protected] with your flight details).
Source: travel.ru
