Need guidance on how to navigate Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST)
This is more of a panic question after reading reviews on Istanbul Atatürk Airport. They said it's messy and hard to navigate, therefore I'm asking questions here in name of my girlfriend who will need to transit through this airport.
My girlfriend (Canadian national) traveling from Toronto (YYZ) to Istanbul (IST) for a couple hours (~4 hrs, so transiting) in order to come to Pristina (PRN). I would like a quick guideline on how to pass through this airport seamlessly without facing any trouble or delay.
Her tickets are both with Turkish Airlines. She purchased it via a third party (Flighthub.ca). It's only one booking and it includes both flights in it.
Once my girlfriend departs, she's obviously required to follow the signs and go to the transit area. Once she's there, will she be required to present a ticket? Where does she get that ticket? Does she get it in YYZ or does she need to visit a counter in IST and get it?
After she's got the proper ticket, what does she need to do exactly? Wait in line to have her passport checked? Will they also control her carryon?
After this step, does she simply go to the PRN flight gate and that's it?
We're simply worried about Istanbul Atatürk Airport because of the recent things that happened in Turkey (coup attempt and ISIS attack) and she doesn't wanna somehow end up locked up there. I've read that the airport is a mess lately and a lot of people will be there waiting in line. So, another question: Are 4 hours enough?
I would appreciate a step by step guideline on how she needs to navigate and what she needs to do in that airport to have a smooth experience without facing any delays. Also some misc information on Istanbul Atatürk Airport would be appreciated.
Best Answer
Michael Hampton pretty much covered it all. I just want to add that, depending on where the original flight came from, you may or may not need to go through the security again.
There are three options, although the first two end up basically the same:
When you leave the plane, you're directed toward the "exit" and "transfer" door is explicitly kept closed by an airline representative. In this case, you'll have to follow the signs, just like Michael indicated, however you will also have to go through security (passport and boarding pass check and your cabin bags go through x-ray). After security, you'll turn left and use escalators or lifts to go to the departure gates. This was the case the last time I transferred in IST, about 2 weeks ago. (I was flying from Tbilisi.)
Your plane doesn't arrive to the terminal, but rather is parked somewhere on the tarmac and you are taken to the terminal by bus. In this case, you will once again need to follow the signs and clear additional security. Last time this happened to me about 6 months ago, also flying from Tbilisi.
When you leave the plane, there are two open doors - "exit" and "transfer". You go through the "transfer" door and ended up straight in the departure hall, right near the gates. This was the case for me about a month ago, flying from London.
Note that the queues to go through the security when transferring can be quite severe. Last time I spent about 30 minutes in the queue; at some point last year - over an hour. If you have a tight connection, let the security personnel know and they will fast-track you through. From my experience, you need at least 1 to 1.5 hours for international-to-international transfer.
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How do I navigate from Istanbul Airport?
For an international-to-international transit, IST is ridiculously easy to navigate, albeit often crowded. Things get a lot more complicated if you're transferring to or from a domestic flight, but you won't be. So, this actually starts in Toronto. You're going to check in with Turkish Airlines here.Is Istanbul Airport hard to navigate?
In Turkey, as in most of the world, clearing immigration is not required for an international to international connection. The passenger can remain airside, and does not need to enter Turkey. HOWEVER, the transfer passenger may have to go through transfer security inspection.Do I have to go through security again for connecting flight in Istanbul?
Terminal. Istanbul Airport Terminal has currently a single passenger terminal, the largest in the world, which hosts both international and domestic flights.Istanbul city guide - Lonely Planet travel video
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