Last year, we heard that Turkish Airlines had plans to finally fly from Istanbul to Newark as of this past August – complete with an anticipated schedule. Unfortunately, the timeframe came and went without an official announcement of a route launch. This was a disappointment to many (especially based on e-mails and other contact I got from hopeful flyers!) so it is good news that Turkish Airlines says that Newark is “back on the radar” for 2020! This is due, in part, to the addition of a third runway at the new Istanbul Airport.
Turkish Airlines To Fly to Newark in 2020? Why This is Great News
If they go with a similar departure time to the previous anticipated schedule, here is what it may look like:
- Istanbul – Newark | Departing 13:15 and Arriving 17:20 | Flight TK29
- Newark – Istanbul | Departing 22:30 and Arriving 15:15 the next day | TK30
At the time, it was said they would use an Airbus A330 but that was before they started taking regular delivery of their 787 aircraft with the anticipated A350 coming next year so who knows!
The departure time from the US is very similar to most of the Turkish flights from the East Coast – late in the evening. The exceptions are two of the three flights out of JFK, one leaving around 12:30PM and the other around 7:30PM with their last one being between 11:30 – 00:30.
One of the reasons I prefer Turkish Airlines (and I really enjoy flying them – I’ve even flown them from every US gateway city!) is because of these late evening flights. It gives a great opportunity to maximize time on the ground in the US and then leave at a more normal bedtime. With the flight being among the longest from the US to Europe, it also gives ample time to get enough of a rest that you can help get on track when you arrive.
Another great thing about this is that Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline in the world so it will be great to have Newark as a gateway airport to utilize this airline for such travel.
Why This is Great News
Feeder Flights on Award Tickets
I have flown on each of the 3 Turkish flights out of JFK and, for each one, I always have to fly JetBlue or Delta from Rochester or Buffalo to connect. That’s right – neither one of those is an alliance partner of Turkish which means I cannot book it as a single award ticket (and checking the bags through does not work!).
This is always a pain for award tickets because I either have to choose to have a long layover in NYC to give time to change airports between JFK and Newark (to catch a United flight to my next destination) or I need to book a separate ticket with another airline.
Now, passengers booking award tickets can make it be a single ticket all the way through by utilizing United’s massive presence at Newark. Since they are Star Alliance partners, this will make that process much easier.
Better Lounges
A Turkish Airlines flight from Newark would allow business class passengers to use the new-ish Polaris Lounge at EWR!
Another reason I think this is great news is it will open up better lounge opportunities. With United’s presence in Newark, the lounges for Star Alliance business class or *Gold passengers are plentiful and have some nice features (like the insanely fast internet at the United Clubs!). If you fly Turkish out of JFK, you only have the choice of Lufthansa’s lounge. It is nice but I prefer to have some other choices and Newark should provide that.
Better TSA PreCheck Experience?
Finally, this is one that I hope will pan out, it should allow TSA Precheck passengers to actually get Precheck treatment. JFK’s Precheck operation at Terminal 1 is not really that great. It normally means you just get the special card and still need to go through the same line as everyone else. This will depend on which terminal Turkish lands at (hope its not the same as Emirates!), but I am hopeful the treatment will be the full Precheck experience.
So, I am excited about this latest word and look forward to having Newark as an option instead of just Chicago O’Hare and Dulles for my award tickets with Turkish!
Source: Hurriyet Daily
Featured image courtesy of Bocman1973 : Shutterstock.com
I’m happy about this as well. I do wonder if TK will eventually move more flights to EWR than JFK or at least even it out.
Given how United is mainly based in EWR, eventually I think EWR will become the star alliance airport of NYC.
Good news for those of us wanting to fly from Newark to Eastern Europe, too. Another airline and layover option means more competition (lower prices), and <800-mile routes to a ton of cities in the region opens up more opportunities for good-valuation MileagePlus redemptions.
What would be really cool is if Turkish opened their own lounge at EWR. The one at IAD is fantastic and a real draw (via Priority Pass) even when not flying on Turkish.
Very true! It has been a while since I have been to the one at IAD (mostly because I cannot stand flying out of there! :)) but that would be a huge bump for them. Frankly, I am surprised they have not done one at JFK since they have 3 daily flights during a lot of the year.