TRIP REPORT: Split - Chicago via Istanbul

TRIP REPORT

Written by Ante A.

Airline/s: Croatia Airlines and Turkish Airlines

Flight date: July 20th 2024

Flight purchase: June 23rd 2024

Full ticket price: $577 (one way ticket)

Including 2×23kg checked luggages & 1x8kg carry-on

Flight numbers: OU4352 & TK185

Aircraft: Airbus A320 & Boeing 787-9

Flight duration: 1h50min (SPU-IST) & 11h5min (IST-ORD)

Total flight duration: 19h30min (SPU-ORD) including a 6h35min layover

Check in went smoothly with almost no wait. Security line was also quite short even though there were quite a few people waiting by the gates. Split Airport is full of tourists during the busy summer season, thus the airport being full.

Split Airport: Schengen and domestic side

SPU-IST (21:10-00:00)

The flight had a bit of a delay and departed Split around 22:00. It was operated by a Croatia Airlines Airbus A320. I had an exit row seat so there was a pleasant amount of room for me. The flight seemed as if it was full. I was not able to notice any vacant seats. With the flight only being 1h50min long, all we were served were some crackers and water during the flight. It went by pretty quickly and we landed in Istanbul around 00:45 local time.

Exit row (Seat 11F)

With a 6-hour overnight layover in Istanbul, I was wondering what that would look like. I did my research beforehand and realised that it is a 24/7 airport with shops and lounges operating 24/7 as well. I am a Priority Pass member, so I spent 3/6 hours in the lounge and about an hour was spent walking around the terminal. My last 2 hours were spent at the gate as the pre board security process is lengthy for U.S. based flights.

I do have to say that the airport looks very tidy and organised despite being so big. My only small complaint would be the need to scan your passport at the wifi kiosk in order to get internet access.

Views from my gate at IST

IST-ORD (6:35-9:40)

We took off pretty much on time. The actual flight duration is a bit over 10 hours.

The flight was relatively smooth with some odd consistent turbulence during the first hour/hour and a half of the flight.

The breakfast service commenced basically as soon as we reached cruising altitude. The food on the flight was pretty good in my opinion. For lunch we did have a choice between pasta and beef, if I recall correctly. I ended up choosing pasta.

The amenities included: pillow, blanket, small toiletries bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, socks, slippers, and ear plugs. Also given were the nicest headphones for an economy service I have ever received.

Seat 36A

Breakfast (forgot to take a photo of lunch-my apologies)

I fell asleep right after breakfast and woke up with 2 hours of the flight left. It also coincidentally happened to be right before the lunch service.

Also worth mentioning is that the lavatories were well kept and even a bit more spacious than what I'm used to on other planes/airlines. The service on board was up to par. The attendants were very attentive and happy to help.

We landed 30 mins ahead of schedule which is always nice.

Right after takeoff from Istanbul

Somewhere over Canada

Approach to Chicago

To conclude: I was really happy with this flight path. Sure, having a 6hr layover, and that being overnight, is not ideal. However, the trip did go relatively smoothly for me so I don't have much room for complaining.

The only downside to this route is arriving to the States early in the morning and trying to survive until the afternoon in order to combat jet lag.

Thanks for reading!

Additional photos:

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