Turkish Airlines Reschedules Flights to Facilitate Trips
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Travelers using Turkish Airlines will have access to better trip schedules and transfer connections, as the airline is rearranging departure times and offering increased frequency.
The Turkish carrier announced its new flight schedule and operation plan in 2009 at a press briefing in central Seoul, Tuesday.
The airline's three weekly flights currently depart from Incheon at 3:40 p.m. and arrive in Istanbul late in the evening on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Starting Feb. 3, the departure time will be 11:55 p.m. and the planes will land in Turkey at 5 a.m. the next day.
``So far, travelers had to spend one night after arriving for trips or transfer. Now they will sleep in the plane and arrive in Turkey in the morning, so that they can start their next schedule right after arrival without wasting a night,'' Ahmet Sahin, director of Turkish Airlines for Korea, said.
The rescheduling will enable passengers to transfer to nearby European cities on the day of arrival in Istanbul. Athens, Paris, London, Munich, Milan and Madrid are within two hours of Istanbul, while Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Moscow and Stockholm are between two and four hours away.
``The Friday night departure will be a good option for workers with a five-day workweek. The Sunday night flight will benefit honeymooners, as many couples marry midday on Sunday and go on a honeymoon in the evening,'' a Turkish Airlines official said.
Starting March 29, the carrier will add one flight to its weekly operation, with the additional plane leaving Mondays.
In March or April, Korea and Turkey will hold aviation talks and they are likely to expand the number of weekly operations to seven from the current four, the official said.
If these talks bear the expected result, the airline will expand operations to five weekly flights starting in July, and seven from 2011.
An A332 aircraft is used on the Seoul-Istanbul route. With 22 business class seats and 228 economy class seats, the plane boasts having among the world's longest spaces between seats ― 61 inches in business class and 33 inches in economy class.
The carrier's AVOD system offers Korean movies and music and provides Korean-style in-flight meals. ``Bibimbap'' (rice mixed with assorted vegetable) and rice topped with stir-fried vegetable and beef are offered every other month. In business class, pan-fried squash, vegetable wrapped with beef and vinegar rice stuffed in fried bean curd are available apart from the main dishes.
The carrier also recently adopted an Internet check-in system so passengers with e-tickets may check-in at home and print their boarding pass.
Last April, Turkish Airlines joined Star Alliance, members of which are offered service to 965 destinations in 162 countries.