A Tight Connection In Istanbul: Nervewracking
Updated: Mar 4
Intro
Following a tarmac delay with LOT Polish Airlines on their E195, I was treated to a tight layover which I wish most people would never have to experience in their lives. Having never visited Istanbul airport, I was a little concerned that when we got off the plane at 5 pm and my next scheduled departure time was 6:15 pm. With no boarding pass, would I make it?
This Airport Is Big
Stepping off the plane, I realized that I had no idea where I was going. However, I figured that if I followed my way to passport control, there must be something to help me out there. I ran and ran and ran, before eventually finding the Turkish Airlines transfer counter: 2 minutes before check-in closed for my flight...
Usually, I am never the person to barge in front of someone, as I find it quite rude that people are waiting. However, I told the agent that my flight was boarding in 15 minutes, and they ushered me quickly over to an agent. By this point, it was less than an hour before departure, but the agent must have manually forced check-in for me.
LOT Polish Airlines: Why doesn't your system allow for someone to check in with Turkish Airlines? In all honesty, if I wasn't flying business class with Turkish Airlines I am not sure that I would have made this connection.
Thankfully, the transit process here is very straightforward when coming from international to international. You simply head through security, up some escalators, and you are in the terminal.
I've gotta say, this airport is beautiful. With unlimited shops and nice lounges, I was sad that I wasn't able to check out the Turkish Airlines lounge since it seemed to be decent from online reviews. Soon enough I will.
But then it was time to run again, as my flight was departing from the complete end of the airport: gate B15. If this isn't a script that has been written, I am not sure what is.
Drenching in sweat (it was actually really gross), I arrived at 5:30 pm, well after the scheduled boarding time. Only to find that the boarding was delayed about 30 minutes for no apparent reason. All of that for nothing?? Well, at least I saw an Airbus A330-300 outside, and not the -200 which this route had been swapped for the day before. Phew...
If you have a connection in Istanbul, here are a couple of notes:
This airport is really big, to the point where if you are a slow walker it can take you 25-30 minutes to get to the furthest gate.
Try to leave at least an hour and 15 minutes between flights if on the same ticket, and 2 hours if you are not on the same ticket.
Transit security is usually quite a breeze, especially in Business Class (economy wasn't bad either).
I recommend wearing track shoes 👟😅
Final Thoughts
For the second time in my life, I thought I might miss a flight. Well, by some miracle and a lot of running, I was able to get my boarding pass after check-in closed for the flight, had no line through security, and ran like the wind to gate B15 for my flight over to Dhaka. Unless you like getting on a plane sweaty, I recommend allowing a little bit of breathing room when booking a connection...
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