Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

I am looking at flights coming into Ercan and the transit time at IST is 1 hour 40 minutes.
Is that going to be enough time for transit - if anyone has any recent experiences please.

We had a transit time of 1hr 5mins......the flight arrived 10 mins early so gave us 1hr 15mins.

Managed to board the next flight with no problems.

In our experience you just have enough time depending on your arrival time. It can take 20 to 25 minutes from landing to get to the terminal then at least another 20 minutes to get through security and reach your departing gate, I wouldn't go for less that 1 hr 40 in between flights.

We have been through the new Istanbul Airport twice and, with transfer times similar to yours, were able to make our connections comfortably. On both occasions were disembarked vial the covered walkway.

On our last trip a few days ago however, travelling to Ercan, we taxied for 15 mins, then had to board a bus for a 15 minute drive to the terminal. Went to the International Transfer Check in Area to be told, 'not this one, use the other one'. At 'the other one' we had to switch on both our laptops for security and a bottle of shampoo we had just purchased at Stansted was confiscated - apparently it should have been put in a sealed bag at the point of purchase! On to our gate (E3), in plenty of time, to be told that there was a change, sit down and wait for an announcement. After some time, and having noticed that people were leaving the waiting area, we asked the girl at the desk what was going on. "You must go to new Gate A1A". This was about 10-15 mins away with no moving walkways. After a short wait at the new gate, we boarded a bus and were driven back to the aircraft we had arrived on!

Despite all this there was no real danger of missing our connection.

You do need to be able to walk / stay on your feet for most of the time - the place is absolutely enormous!

I have just done it a couple of days ago and it all depends your arrival gate verses your departure gate, which you won’t know in advance. Ion my case it was landing into gate F and departing A3a it took exactly 55 mins gate to gate including security check from arrival to departure which because early was undermanned and therefore very slow. All it takes is a late arrival or prolonged taxi and your chance of getting to the gate is severely in danger

My flight cancelled, had six hour weight, not impressed. Am no longer going from Ercan

Back to the original question, yes one hour 40 minutes is enough, provided you are not late taking off from Ercan.

We recently came back from Gatwick via Istanbul & our plane was 20 mins late arriving, what a nightmare, almost had to run from arrivals to gate F1B, took about 20 mins without going through security. Anyone that had young children or had walking difficulties would not have made it. Need at least 1hr 40 not less.

Thats a challenge then . Jsut checked my oegasius tickets. Out ound to manchester no problem a stroll at 3 hours. Onreturn 1 hour 30 minutes . Wehave a 5 year old .its not untilne t feb but i will report back .

Helendj, I have also had my flight rescheduled from Istanbul to Ercan on 26 November. I now have a 6 hour layover, so not pleased at all as it is late evening and my flight is now 1 am. On the positive side I should have enough transit time but won't be travelling with Turkish Airlines again.

Reyntj wrote:Thats a challenge then . Jsut checked my oegasius tickets. Out ound to manchester no problem a stroll at 3 hours. Onreturn 1 hour 30 minutes . Wehave a 5 year old .its not untilne t feb but i will report back .

Are you definitely going via IST (new airport) or is it SAW which is Sabiha Gökçen, the much smaller airport in Istanbul? Sometimes their flights go via İzmir (ADB).

Saw.

Im going to izmir in a few weeks though ! No transfers Just a short break

Reyntj wrote:Saw.

Im going to izmir in a few weeks though ! No transfers Just a short break

You should be fine, the discussion is about the new Istanbul airport. Before they introduced extra security checks they used to allow passengers to wait on the plane at SAW and ADB. I've not used Pegasus for a few years so I don't know if they have gone back to the 'old ways' but my children are coming out via SAW and back via ADB at Christmas so I'll soon find out.

In September PGS cancelled our 18.30 flight from Ercan to Stansted via Istanbul due to lack of transfer time which I think was about 70/80 minutes. We had booked January and they cancelled with less than a week to go before we flew home. They offered us an 05.30 flight and in the end we had to settle for a 10.30 flight the following day with a 130 min stop over. Larnaca from now on if at all possible. Oh, and the plane was knackered, dirty with bits stuck together inside including the escaped door over the wing. It was a masterpiece of emergency gaffer taping!

I used Pegasus Manchester to ercan recently. No problem time wise at all. Had about same transfer time as you've stated. On this flight (whether will be same for you) as you got off plane and entered airport we were stopped by a staff member shouting - - - all people with connecting Pegasus international flights wait Here -- ( which Ercan is. It isn't a domestic flight.)
He asked if people had their boarding pass and passport. People got them out. But also a minute after he said that he said - follow me - . So a bit of a panic for some who were in bags getting them and walking at the same time. Basically he was just checking we had them ready. So just make sure they're easily accessible before you disembark. We went back out of that entrance walked a couple of minutes straight into a departure area. At that point as you entered through that door they checked passport and boarding card. Hence why he'd asked the question earlier. Very easy very quick no hassle. We entered where it's gates 300's. There is a flights board so you can check if any info there. A subway's if you want a drink etc. Or just go straight upstairs to main area for food/drink and other gates.

On flight to Manchester it was through the transit area. (The only other time I've done that is through the old Istanbul ataturk airport not the new one) . I found that a bit slower and not as organized. But o.k. . Also you didn't need to take stuff out of your bag as you went through. I'd bought a bottle of water at Ercan which I hadn't opened. I expected it to be taken off me but didn't even need to take it out of bag. Took about 25 mins through there.
As I left Ercan at 5 a.m. or thereabouts I was up at silly o'clock. So as soon as gate no. Came I went straight down I just wanted to relax. There was a security check at the gate also. Nothing unusual there as had that at other airport. Only reason I mention this time is that seemed to take much longer there. I was one of the first so sat down quickly. However there was a big queue taking a long time. Obviously everyone is going to get on the flight. But people still going through as they'd started boarding.