Colette's Grand Detour

Transferring between flights can be stressful.  Even if you have plenty of time, it’s difficult to fight the urge to rush to the gate.  Inevitably finding that you then have an hour or so to spare.  But sometimes you don’t have that long and you are at the mercy of your first flight taking off on time, and the efficiency of the airport you are transferring via. 

I have transferred via Istanbul Airport 4-5 times this year.  This is a global transfer hub and has been designed with transiting passengers in mind.  In fact, of the 63 million international passengers it handled last year, around 50% were in-transit.  And when you look up at the Departures board you can understand why.  The location of Istanbul makes it ideal for flying to Europe, Africa and Asia easily.  There are flights to every destination imaginable. 

The transit process is pretty straightforward, with big signs leading you to International transfers, Domestic transfer and Passport control, all located in a central area within the airport and each having a huge capacity to process passengers.  If you have a particularly short transit time, there are dedicated short transit spots that lead you to a shortened route to getting back into the terminal.  I know folks who have had just 45 minutes to transit here and have successfully caught their flight.   

If instead you have a very long layover, there are 2 Yotels you can use to rest.  One is air-side and one land-side.  I stayed in the land-side one a few months ago on my way to Uzbekistan and it was spacious, clean and modern, albeit a tad pricey.  I have also found that flights landing from the UK seem to bypass the long trek to the official transfer area and get let straight back into the departures lounge. I assume this is because they are satisfied with the security checks already done in the UK. This is a big bonus for transiting as you save around 25 minutes.

That said, there are a few things to factor in.  You will likely have to walk a significant distance from the gate you exit from, to the Transit area, unless you are super lucky.  It ,could take you up to 20 minute and if have been on a long overnight flight it will feel like a lifetime. And once through the necessary checks, you might have another 20+ minute walk to your next gate.  So its definitely not designed for those with mobility issues, although they do see to have an abundance of buggies shuttling folks around.

I would suggest getting to your gate early.  This airport in particular seems to have a lot of extra security checks at the gate itself, and your passport will likely be checked at least twice more before you get into the gate waiting area.  I have found that this is particularly the case for flights heading to the UK.

Food is also super expensive in the terminal.  On my way back from Zanzibar I needed to grab something fast on my way to my next flight and thought a cheese burger from Burger King would be a cheap and quick option.  A cheeseburger on its own is over 10 Euros! A Whopper was 22 Euros.  I felt like I was suddenly transported to Switzerland and paying Swiss prices!  So if you can hold out on the food front I would. However, the restaurants, cafes and bars do stay open extremely late to cater for the fact they have flights leaving around the clock.

Overall, Istanbul is new, modern and straight-forward to make short transfers in.  I would still recommend leaving 1 hour 45 – 2 hours minimum between flights just in case.  An alternative airport that offers good connections and had the easiest transfer process I have experienced this year is Schipol in Amsterdam.  The distances you need to walk are shorter and the whole process is just a bit less frantic.  If I had to pick between the two airports simply based on my experience I would pick the latter, for its calmer ambience.