NEPAL TRAVEL BOOK, KATHMANDU: Turkish Airlines announced direct flights via Istanbul to Kathmandu from September 1, 2013. This will allow another one-stop flight from five major US cities (Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles). From May 16, 2014, Turkish will also add a direct flight, making it the second airline to have a one-stop flight from Boston to Kathmandu.
It is the only European airline flying to Nepal and it has increased its offerings to Nepal.
With TK’s strong relationship with American Airlines, most other cities can be connected with one more stop through one of its hubs.
When the airline began flights to Kathmandu, the airline was offering a special promotional fare from most US cities and the fare was as low as USD 900. Fares at regular prices are between USD 1400 – 1900.
The Istanbul airport can be quite busy and confusing to navigate. The in-flight service is very good, although the customer service at the airport is not as impressive as that of many other airlines.
In many cases, there is a long layover in Istanbul when returning from Kathmandu. TK will provide a complimentary hotel if the layover is over 10 hours. The hotel is outside the airport, so Nepali passport holders will need a Turkish visa to use these complimentary facilities. For more information on getting a Turkish visa, please contact the Link Turkish Embassy website in Washington DC. American passport holders can get an e-visa quite easily and details are available at: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/
TK flies four times a week to Kathmandu. The flight from Istanbul is scheduled to land at 6:15 AM each morning. Due to the cloudy conditions in Kathmandu in the winter months, the flight landing time has been late and has resulted in severe delays on the flights originating in Kathmandu.
Friday, February 13, 2015
