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PRACTICE RUN
Since my hotel was connected to the airport, I decided to do a practice run the night before so I wouldn't get lost in the morning, trying to find Turkish Airlines. It turned out to be a three-minute walk and it was so close, I could have thrown a rock to the check-in counter from my room. (I have a strong arm.)
TURKISH AIRLINES
For starters, I was going to write that Turkish Airlines has to have one of the absolute worst websites. But it appears that in the last few weeks, they have updated it with a much nicer looking and better functioning one -- so kudos to them. Hopefully, with this one, passengers can bring up their reservation online and arrange a seat assignment.
CHECK-IN
I left the hotel at 6am for my 7:25am flight. It was a three-minute walk to Turkish Airlines and the airport was relatively quiet. The check-in line for coach was fairly long but I went to the business class line where there was no wait, since I have elite status with USAir - one of Turkish Airlines' partners in the Star Alliance. Thanks to a friend, they upgraded my coach ticket to business class. Don't get too excited because business class on Turkish and other European carriers for intra-Europe flights is nothing special. In fact, it's the same exact seat with the only difference being they block the middle seat and provide better service.
SECURITY
There was no separate line for first class or elite status passengers at security and I waited just seven minutes to clear. It was well organized as they have a guy pushing the oversized bins to keep people moving. Passengers can keep their shoes on but need to take laptops out. They waved me to go through the metal detector but I waited until I saw my bag and tray go into the machine so no one would steal anything. What's crazy is that in Germany, they even make you put your passport and boarding pass through the x-ray machine. Since Turkey is not part of the European Union, I had to go through passport control to get my passport stamped. There was no line and the agent was friendly.
BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE
With my business class ticket, I was granted entry to the lounge, which is run by Lufthansa. Lufthansa is using a makeshift lounge while the regular one is being remodeled. It was loaded with free drinks, snacks, newspapers and some food. I thought it was weird that they had soup (beef broth) so early in the morning but I was starving so I had some. I later learned they offer it because Turks like to have hot soup for breakfast. You see that? There's always a reason for everything!
BOARDING
The gate (B27) was just a few yards away and when they were boarding the Boeing 737-800 series plane with small bins, it was a mad rush. They don't have priority boarding or any order – they just announce boarding and everyone just tries to get on the plane from every possible angle.
FRANKFURT TO ISTANBUL
Once in my seat, a flight attendant came around with water, orange juice (it's not freshly squeezed) and champagne. He wasn't as friendly as the one in their TV commercial featuring Kevin Costner but he came by three times before takeoff. Also unlike the commercial, the captain came down the aisle to say good morning to everyone in the premium section – a nice touch. The plane was outfitted with nice, new-looking leather seats and they had a tray on the middle seats (the plane is configured 3-3). Flight time from Frankfurt (FRA) to Istanbul (IST) was three hours and 30 minutes for the 1,160-mile journey. The safety video was in both Turkish and English and shortly after takeoff, breakfast was served. The main entrée choices were either potato pockets with cheese and spinach or an omelet with tomatoes. It was pretty tasty and the flight was smooth.
NEXT WEEK Next week I can't tell you how excited I am to be heading to a country I've never been to and have always wanted to visit. I will tell you all about it next week so stay tuned!
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SOME OF LAST WEEK'S READER AIR-eMAIL
I have been enjoying your weekly report on your travels over the past few years - Thanks! But recently, our company server is having problems with your website (where's Johnny Jet) because you started to place the entire text and all the photographs on one page only (compared to 3 or 4 pages).
This causes our central server to crash and our IT department is already breathing down my neck about this.
Would it be possible to go back to the 3 page versions? Thanks for understanding and happy trails! Best regards Erich W-Bern, Switzerland
Johnny Jet I have followed you over nine years and at last I am so happy you have come to knowing the OUT OF THIS WORLD EXPERIENCE it is cruising. We have 20 plus cruises and I always wondered why you did not try this experience which takes one literally to days of beauty...e.g. your pic of the ocean out of your sliding down was amazing...this happens 24 hours a day on the ship. I am addicted and I am so happy you have found the extreme wonders a cruise offers. Now Istanbul is my favorite port and city....I cannot wait to hear next week all your fun and thrills with Seabourn. Sailinsal -
I love your site, I have recommended it to all my friends. I am planning a cruise after I get married in WDW. I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to get a room upgrade on the boat. Thanks for all your hard work! BJ H - REPLY:
Thanks for the kind words! Johnny says the best way to get an upgrade is to work with a cruise specialist (who sells a lot of cruises) that has connections. They get them for free.
Your newsletter about San Francisco was great, except for the fact that the caption under the Mama’s Restaurant photo said that it was located in Union Square instead of Washington Square (although it was correctly described in the paragraph that extolled its virtues). Thanks for a fun article about my favorite city. S. Winchester - San Francisco, CA
Thanks for your relevant information and infectious enthusiasm! I am a Freelance Travel Journalist. In the September/October issue of TravelWorldMagazine.com. I mentioned you in my "Senior News Column" for your packing lists and Travel Portal to websites. Also, I follow you on Twitter. Sandra K - Award-Winning Freelance Travel Journalist & Photographer
Cynthia, thank you for your articulate narrative of your unfortunate ordeal as independent travelers. Your intelligent and helpful precautions are invaluable. In addition to emailing copies of sensitive documents (passports, copies of credit cards) I also put them in a travel drive with my other electronic gear as another way to access personal documents immediately. I am also compulsive about printing and keeping a slew of important phone nos. of relatives, credit card companies, etc. in each backpack, our check on and carry on gear, as well as in my moneybelt. We hope for the best, plan for the worst. I can't help but feel extreme gratitude for you that while the incident was traumatic, the best outcome was no loss of limb or life and one can continue to educate and inform others from your hard lessons learned. My best wishes for many more happy trips for you and your husband. Tina L., Westminster, CA
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