Airlines and Loyalty Programs in Türkiye

Currently, three airline companies are actively providing service in Türkiye. Here are some of the things you might wonder about the company and the loyalty programs that most customers pay attention to when traveling by air in Türkiye.

The history of Turkish civil air transportation began to revive in the 1990s. It is possible to say that strong competitors entered the sector in the 2000s. AtlasJet (later renamed Atlas Global) was my favourite, for example. I say it was my favourite; because such a company no longer exists. BoraJet, on the other hand, was another regional actor flying to narrow-body airports, which I never had the chance to experience. I can say samething for OnurAir as well. Currently, there are three airlines. Four if we include SunExpress. How about making a choice between them according to your plan?..

Let's start without any order like good to bad or bad to good...

ps: I tried to do a benchmark by excluding reward (free) tickets.

1. Turkish Airlines ~ Miles & Smiles

You can earn miles on your Turkish Airlines and AnadoluJet flights. You can also transfer your points to your Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles account when you fly with other Star Alliance member airlines such as Air Canada, Air India, United Airlines. When you come to Türkiye as a tourist, you can spend the miles you earn on the Shop&Miles shopping website. You can also use them (with certain conditions) in brands such as Arby's, Burger King, IKEA, LC Waikiki, Popoyes.

Note: AnadoluJet flights give less points. You can reach every point in Türkiye with Turkish Airlines or AnadoluJet, usually connecting in Ankara.

İstanbul Airport Transportation Guide

2. AnadoluJet ~ Miles & Smiles

AnadoluJet is a trademark of Turkish Airlines. So as far as I understand, earning miles, spending and other details are exactly the same.

İzmir Airport Transportation Guide

3. Pegasus Airlines ~ Bolbol

I think the first company that comes to mind when talking about low-cost airlines in Türkiye is Pegasus Airlines. It seems strange to me to pay to drink water, frankly; but let's face it, if this makes it possible to keep the air ticket prices seriously low sometimes, thank you. You can even earn points from the food you order in this program.

Note: If you are coming to the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen Airport will be the most ideal option. Therefore, I suggest you check out Pegasus Airlines.

Bonus: SunExpress

SunExpress gives you one free flight for every 10 flights. You can also earn points for additional services.

Domestic Flights in Turkey

What Have I Earned So Far?

I have no experience with Onur Airlines mentioned here. On the other hand, thanks to THY's loyalty program, I got around 300 TL of free fuel. I also got a few small souvenirs for free. I had previously bought two free tickets and two airplane mock-ups with AtlasJet. I have traveled with SunExpress several times. However, because they made changes to their system, my points were deleted after a while and I did not have a chance to use them. I earned points with Pegasus thanks to different domestic flights; but I haven't had a chance to use them either. To be honest, after AtlasJet, my priority is Turkish Airlines in general, due to the city I am in now.