samsteele
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
- Messages
- 3,764
First, my heart and prayer goes out to all travelers killed and/or injured in today's horrific act of terrorism. Istanbul's Ataturk Airport (named after Modern Turkey's political founding father) is an airport I flew through 5 yrs ago this past spring enroute to/from an incredible bus tour. It is a high security international airport with tight & professional security standards surpassed only by Tel Aviv IMO. When you enter the airport from the curb for departure, you are immediately directed into security including x-ray & pat-down b/f you even get to check-in. In the next few days, others on the Boards may draw comparisons with WDW's security lines and vulnerabilities esp at rope-drop. This is not my purpose this evening. My post is to pass on a few basic tips to my DIS friends who are not as familiar with flying to Europe . . . and make no mistake Istanbul, Turkey IS Western Europe and not some obscure Middle Eastern destination. If this advice helps even one fellow DIS'r or a friend of a friend, then it is worth the time to type.
If you are considering booking flights to Europe, consider the following as it has worked for me: 1) give careful thought to both your arrival and departure times. For example, don't turn up your nose at the early, early dark-thirty 6 and 7am cheaper departure flights from Europe return to North America. Yes, you may have little sleep that night and have to be on your way to the airport by 1 or 2 am, but the reality is that you will pass through that airport and its security during a lull and possibly be less of a target b/c crowds and lines are non-existent or at their lowest ebb. Try to avoid the more comfortable, expensive, busy peak travel departure times 2) move quickly through all international airports and don't kick about if you have the choice. Airports are not shopping malls or destinations in and of themselves. If you have to kill time before a connecting flight, get in and out of restaurants and shops efficiently and then find yourself a quiet spot near your gate to wait for your next flight. You are in that airport for a flight. Not for a good time. 3) lastly, don't be discouraged or put off international travel b/c of this tragedy or any other. International travel and airports pose far less a danger to you than your every day car commute. And make no mistake, this attack, like so many others, is designed to frighten and discourage international travel as well as cripple a Western friendly ally country's tourism industry. Don't let the madness and viciousness of a few, keep you a hostage in your own home and stop you from having the chance to discover both modern and ancient cultures. If it does, then we let the cretins win.
PS. should this post belong in another forum, pls feel free to move it where it belongs.
If you are considering booking flights to Europe, consider the following as it has worked for me: 1) give careful thought to both your arrival and departure times. For example, don't turn up your nose at the early, early dark-thirty 6 and 7am cheaper departure flights from Europe return to North America. Yes, you may have little sleep that night and have to be on your way to the airport by 1 or 2 am, but the reality is that you will pass through that airport and its security during a lull and possibly be less of a target b/c crowds and lines are non-existent or at their lowest ebb. Try to avoid the more comfortable, expensive, busy peak travel departure times 2) move quickly through all international airports and don't kick about if you have the choice. Airports are not shopping malls or destinations in and of themselves. If you have to kill time before a connecting flight, get in and out of restaurants and shops efficiently and then find yourself a quiet spot near your gate to wait for your next flight. You are in that airport for a flight. Not for a good time. 3) lastly, don't be discouraged or put off international travel b/c of this tragedy or any other. International travel and airports pose far less a danger to you than your every day car commute. And make no mistake, this attack, like so many others, is designed to frighten and discourage international travel as well as cripple a Western friendly ally country's tourism industry. Don't let the madness and viciousness of a few, keep you a hostage in your own home and stop you from having the chance to discover both modern and ancient cultures. If it does, then we let the cretins win.
PS. should this post belong in another forum, pls feel free to move it where it belongs.
