Skipping the final leg of the flight on Turkish Airlines - how to get luggage out?
I am not much experienced in flight rules (usually I just buy the ticket and get the flight).
In about 1 week, I will be travelling from Incheon in Korea to Tirana in Albania on Turkish Airlines. This is a round-trip fully-flexible ticket.
I have a transit in Istanbul of less than 2 hours. However, I want to instead stay for some time in Istanbul and travel a bit in the Middle East.
What should I do if I want to get my luggage in Istanbul and not board the 2nd flight from Istanbul to Tirana? (I don't need a visa to enter Turkey.)
I do not want to push the 2nd flight, because I have no idea when I might want to go back. Also, I really don't want my baggage flying to Albania or getting lost.
Best Answer
Update: the asker has clarified in comments that the flight they wish to skip is the final leg of the return journey, which alters the situation somewhat as there would be no subsequent trips under risk of cancellation.
However, my advice still stands - you need to talk to the airline, there is no other way to get the luggage off loaded at the interstitial airport, only the airline can change the final destination of the luggage.
One trick is, when checking the luggage in Korea, to ask for the luggage to be made available at the Turkey stop for "medical reasons", and if they ask why you cannot take said "medical reasons" in hand luggage (they should not, thats confidential medical information they are asking for), just respond that you will be carrying "sharps" and they need to be checked into the hold. I see no reason why the airline wouldn't provide the baggage on request.
I do not know the layout of Istanbul airport, so I am unsure if the airline may ask difficult questions such as "how do you intend to recheck the luggage items", especially if you need a Turkish visa to enter Turkey and you may need to do that to recheck the luggage, I am not sure.
Old answer: You need to speak to the airline, because there is a very high chance that if you do not complete all legs of the outward bound journey (Incheon to Tirana) then the airline may cancel your return flight completely.
Speak to the airline and change the ticket to a multi-city ticket, where the outbound trip terminates in Turkey and the return trip flies from wherever you want to return to Korean from.
Related - Is is possible to skip the middle leg of a flight?
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What happens if you miss the last leg of your flight?
But by skipping a leg of a connecting flight, you're breaching the airline's Conditions of Carriage, which gives them the right to cancel all of your frequent flyer points and any other bonuses. It's the only REAL penalty that airlines sometimes (but still very rarely) enforce.Can I abandon the last leg of my flight?
If you are flying within the USA and have no checked baggage to a final destination, then skipping the final leg of a journey is usually fine. There's no penalty for cancelling (as the missed leg is the end of your trip), and you can just leave the flight with hand luggage without any worries.What happens to my checked bag if I miss connecting flight?
What happens to your luggage if you miss your flight? In the event that you missed a connection, or got held up in security and your checked luggage has gone ahead without you, immediately find an airline representative. The airline may be able to track your bags and hold them for you until your arrival.Can I check my luggage through to my final destination?
If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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