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There is a new airport for Istanbul. ID is now IST, just like the old one. It seems it started limited operations earlier this year as ISL, and during the period April 5 - 10, the moved all operations from IST to ISL, then swapped the IDs. So the new airport is IST, and the old Ataturk airport is now ISL.. ISL will be used for business and cargo.
I just returned from a trip with two longish layovers in the new airport. And absolutely HATE it.
They made it one huge terminal. Think ATL piers A, B, C connected on the surface with a terminal running between, with no train. If you come at one end of A, and have to walk to the end of C, you WALK the entire way. It can take an hour. And to transit internationally, you have to walk to the center of the complex, where the security is. And of 3 completed security screened areas, only one is open. And not the one with a fast lane for business class and elite frequent fliers. And not the center one, so if you come in from the F gates, you have walk past 3 closed sections to get to the farthest one, which is the only one open.
Once in the central terminal, you are in a HUGE shopping mall. Many restaurants and shops, but limited seating. The elite lounge is awesome, if you have access. And can find it. The airport signage is not the best. They do have a lot of people standing around in T-shirts that say "Ask Me." And they are needed. I
In both cases, my departure gate was more than a 20 minute walk from the lounge. One was over 30 minutes (far end of one pier).
They did put in a Yotel for long layovers. But unlike the ones in AMS, LHR, CDG, these are not small cubicles that rent by the hour. They are basically hotel rooms, that rent overnight. ?????? Overnight inside the airport? Check in time is 2PM, check out is 12 the next day. So your flight arrives at 10AM and departs at 4PM, you could rent a room for more than $200, that you could use to one hour. REALLY????
And, they did poor job designing the HVAC system. One this is, there is a lower level and upper level. The upper level is for incoming passengers to get to security or passport control. Also, in the center area, the lounges are on the upper level. So they cool to the desired temp on the lower level, making the upper level quite warm. And they oversized the cooling, so the temp is OK, but the humidity is VERY high.
This airport makes CDG look like a well designed airport.
They are working on adding more separate terminals. The plan is, for IST to become the largest and highest passenger count airport in the world.
I just returned from a trip with two longish layovers in the new airport. And absolutely HATE it.
They made it one huge terminal. Think ATL piers A, B, C connected on the surface with a terminal running between, with no train. If you come at one end of A, and have to walk to the end of C, you WALK the entire way. It can take an hour. And to transit internationally, you have to walk to the center of the complex, where the security is. And of 3 completed security screened areas, only one is open. And not the one with a fast lane for business class and elite frequent fliers. And not the center one, so if you come in from the F gates, you have walk past 3 closed sections to get to the farthest one, which is the only one open.
Once in the central terminal, you are in a HUGE shopping mall. Many restaurants and shops, but limited seating. The elite lounge is awesome, if you have access. And can find it. The airport signage is not the best. They do have a lot of people standing around in T-shirts that say "Ask Me." And they are needed. I
In both cases, my departure gate was more than a 20 minute walk from the lounge. One was over 30 minutes (far end of one pier).
They did put in a Yotel for long layovers. But unlike the ones in AMS, LHR, CDG, these are not small cubicles that rent by the hour. They are basically hotel rooms, that rent overnight. ?????? Overnight inside the airport? Check in time is 2PM, check out is 12 the next day. So your flight arrives at 10AM and departs at 4PM, you could rent a room for more than $200, that you could use to one hour. REALLY????
And, they did poor job designing the HVAC system. One this is, there is a lower level and upper level. The upper level is for incoming passengers to get to security or passport control. Also, in the center area, the lounges are on the upper level. So they cool to the desired temp on the lower level, making the upper level quite warm. And they oversized the cooling, so the temp is OK, but the humidity is VERY high.
This airport makes CDG look like a well designed airport.
They are working on adding more separate terminals. The plan is, for IST to become the largest and highest passenger count airport in the world.
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