Qatar Airways introduces Airbus A330 on Doha - Istanbul flights

Qatar Airways is one of my most favorite airlines to fly from Far East to Turkey. They fly from Doha to Istanbul and Ankara. Both flights were served by Airbus A320 planes which is a drwaback after flying in a fantastic Boeing 777 or Airbus A330 from Singapore to Doha. But finally since 1 July 2013, Qatar Airways started to use Airbus A330 on Doha - Istanbul route. The wide body planes with 36 Business Class and 192 Economy Class seats are equipped with an in-flight entertainment system with 700 channels and more than 1000 videos and music.

With introduction of Airbus A330 on the route, Qatar Airway's Istanbul capacity will increase by 166 seats per day (50% up!). The airline has started flying to Istanbul 10 years ago with 3 x week schedule and with increased demand it is now flying 10 times a week to Istanbul.

Qatar Airways flies to many major destinations in Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Although it is not practical to fly to Europe and USA from Turkey, airline offers relatively cheap tickets and very high quality alternative on route to Middle East, Africa, East Asia (i.e. Thailand, Singapore, Maldives, China, Malaysia) and Australia and New Zealand.

An Airbus A330 of Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways Istanbul - Doha - Istanbul flights are now served with these
large body aircraft.

Flights to Constanta from Istanbul by Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines has started flights to Constanta from Istanbul on 7 June 2013. The airline, which is already flying to Bucharest in Romania, will operate Istanbul- Costanta flights 3 times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Constanta starting at 99 Euros (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the first 6 months of operation to our new destinations, there is a special offer for our Miles&Smiles members, with a 25% reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.

Located in the Dobrogea region of Romania, Constanta is the biggest port city of Black Sea, Constanta has an approximately 120,000 year history, dating from the Paleolithic era and making it the oldest settlement in the region. While tourists are attracted by its mineral springs and sea bathing, Constanta has a typical Mediterranean climate and still experiences all four seasons.

Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Constanta will depart from Istanbul on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday at 13:05 and arrive to Constanta at 14:15. Flights from Constanta to Istanbul will depart from Constanta on same days at 15:15 and arrive to Istanbul at 16:25. 

Turkish Airlines sign a codeshare agreement with Air Astana and Air New Zealand

Turkish Airlines has signed codeshare agreement with Kazakhstan's Air Astana on routes between Kazakhstan and Turkey and Air New Zealand connecting New Zealand and Turkey each other via Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

Air Astana and Turkish Airlines signed the Letter of Intent to expand the range of cooperation between the two carriers in March 2013. The codeshare agreement allows passengers to benefit from a higher number of combined frequencies for better connectivity and increased travel flexibility between the two countries. Codesharing on flights between Almaty – Istanbul and Astana – Istanbul additionally include special prorate agreements on sectors beyond respective hubs in Almaty, Astana and Istanbul offering an expanded network to passengers.

«Under the strong and visionary leadership of  its management and thanks to the , dedicated efforts of its employees, Turkish Airlines has become a globally recognized network carrier serving more countries globally than any other carrier and achieved the Skytrax rating as «Best airline in Europe» for the past two years consecutively. The codeshare agreement signed today is the latest step in the increasingly close link between the two airlines; both of which show equal ambition to continue to progress well above average world ratings and fully committed to delivering excellence in customer service,» said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana.

«We are extremely pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with Air Astana and aim to improve our partnership to maximize the travel opportunities offered to passengers through the extensive networks of both airlines. Air Astana continues expanding successfully, offering superior customer service, with a very young fleet. We believe the partnership with Air Astana will bring enormous benefit to both airlines, not only from a commercial perspective in rapidly growing Kazakhstan, but also in technical and training areas,» said Dr. Temel Kotil, President and CEO of Turkish Airlines.

Two esteemed Star Alliance members, Turkish Airlines and Air New Zealand, have decided to take their prospering commercial relations one step further. The codeshare agreement allows the passengers to benefit from the networks of both airlines to travel between Turkey and New Zealand with ideal connectivity and increased travel flexibility. Besides, codeshared flights via Istanbul and Auckland, will offer passengers of both airlines to reach domestic points of each country and also passengers of Turkish Airlines will be able to travel to Australia via Air New Zealand’s network.

A Turkish Airlines A340-300 with Star Alliance livery at the Beijing Airport.

“This code share agreement provides Air New Zealand customers with a convenient gateway to a range of Mediterranean destinations for both business and leisure, as well as encouraging Turkish Airlines’ customers to visit the key attractions of New Zealand and Australia,” said Christopher Luxon, Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer.

“Today, we are glad to share our enthusiasm with the precious members of press about concluding the codeshare agreement with Air New Zealand, a recognized member of Star Alliance. Under favor of this agreement, which connects the people of two different cultures, passengers of both airlines will be offered to travel to Turkey, New Zealand and Australia via the two most strategic gateways, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Furthermore, with this codeshare agreement passengers will be able to travel beyond points of Auckland in Australia. As Turkish Airlines, we are happy to offer New Zealand’s substantial points as new codeshare destinations.” said Temel Kotil, PhD, President and CEO of Turkish Airlines.

Flights to Tallinn and Vilnius by Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines added its 232nd and 233rd destinations as Tallinn (Estonia) and Vilnius (Lithuania). Flights between Istanbul, Tallinn and Vilnus will be operated 3 times per week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Tallinn, TK 1355, will depart from Istanbul on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11:00 AM and arrive Tallinn same day at 14:20 PM. Flights from Tallinn to Vilnius will depart from Tallinn at 15:20 PM and arrive Vilnius at 16:45 PM same day. Return flights from Vilnius to Istanbul will depart at 17:45 PM and arrive to Istanbul at 20:10 PM.

Tallinn; the magic of Middle ages in modern era…
Situated on the northern coast of the country, Tallinn is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was declared as European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland, while its ‘Old Town’ is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While being the oldest capital city in Northern Europe, Tallinn’s main attractions are in the two old towns (Lower Town and Toompea) which are both easily explored on foot. Eastern districts around Pirita and Kadriorg are also worth visiting and the Estonian Open Air Museum in Rocca al Mare preserves aspects of Estonian rural culture and architecture.

Turkish Airlines introduced flights from Istanbul to Tallimm and Vilnius by June 2013.

Vilnius; a historical point of attraction in Europe…
Located in the southeast of Lithuania, Vilnius is the second biggest city of the Baltic states after Riga, and known for the beautiful architecture of its Old Town, which was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with Linz, Austria.

Vilnius is a cosmopolitan city with diverse architecture. Vilnius Old Town, the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Europe and the most valuable historic and cultural sites are concentrated here.

Turkish Airlines new destinations in May 2013

Turkish Airlines, Europe's best airline according to Skytrax rating, has added its 223rd network destination in May 2013 with the addition of flights to Friedrichshafen, Germany. With existing services to 11 cities in Germany, Turkish Airlines expanded its network with the addition of Friedrichshafen as its 12th German destination. Flights from Istanbul to Friedrichshafen have started on May 2nd are operated 4 days a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The airline than added 5 more destinations to its network by flights to Isparta (Turkey), Santiago De Compostela (Spain), Valetta (Malta) and Salzburg (Austria) following the May 2nd addition of Friedrichshafen to its growing network.

Roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Isparta (Turkey) has started on May 20th and are operated 3 times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Isparta (Turkey) starting at 158 TL (including taxes and fees).

With existing services to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Bilbao, Turkish Airlines adds flights to Santiago De Compostela as its 6th destination in Spain. Beginning May 21st, Santiago De Compostela flights are operated 3 times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays in both directions. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Santiago De Compostela starting at 99 Euros (including taxes and fees).

Turkish Airlines’ 226th destination in 100 country, Malta flights began in 25th May 2013. Roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Malta are operated 3 times per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Malta starting from 99 Euros (including taxes and fees).

With existing services to Vienna, Turkish Airlines now adds flights to Salzburg as its 2nd destination in Austria. Beginning May 28th, roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Salzburg are operated 4 times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Salzburg starting at 99 Euros (including taxes and fees).

Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Friedrichshafen flight times as planned by May 2nd;

Flight No	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK1385	Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday	IST	14:05	FDH	16:05
TK1386	Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday	FDH	16:55	IST	20:50

Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Isparta flight times as planned by May 20th;

Flight No.	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK2860	Monday, Friday	Istanbul	13:25	Isparta	14:35
TK2860	Wednesday	Istanbul	10:55	Isparta	12:05
TK2861	Monday, Friday	Isparta	15:20	Istanbul	16:25
TK2861	Wednesday	Isparta	12:50	Istanbul	13:55

Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Santiago De Compostela flight times as planned by May 21th;

Flight No.	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK1319	Tuesday, Friday, Sunday	Istanbul	09:00	Santiago De Compostela	12:45
TK1320	Tuesday, Friday, Sunday	Santiago De Compostela	13:50	Istanbul	19:15

Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Malta flight times as planned by May 25th;

Flight No.	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK1369	Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday	Istanbul	12:35	Malta	14:20
TK1370	Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday	Malta	15:15	Istanbul	18:35

Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Salzburg flight times as planned by May 28th;

Flight No.	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK1381	Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	Istanbul	12:15	Salzburg	13:45
TK1382	Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	Salzburg	14:45	Istanbul	18:05