@ IST: 40-Minute Delay

Welcome to IST!!

TK2311 ended up landing at 9:48a. It took the aircraft 20 minutes to then get to its parking location. Still ahead of schedule by 10 minutes or so. No jetway for us today … likely because the plane’s next departure is an international one and it parked near that terminal.

We deplaned onto the tarmac to be bused to the domestic terminal. Spitting rain and quite chilly. No complaints. After the unseasonably hot temps of the past two weeks, the crisp morning air in both İzmir and İstanbul this morning felt good.

We made our way to immigration to go through passport control. There is a designated security checkpoint for families and those who are 65+. So, we decided to try it this time. Big mistake … though it wouldn’t have been if more than one of the five or six x-ray machines had been operating.

Anyway, once over that hurdle, we confirmed our gate assignment for the BLQ flight and started walking … and walking … and walking. IST sure is a big airport. Luckily there are moving sidewalks on the B concourse since our gate was at the very end.

No sooner were we seated to wait for boarding that my phone buzzed to announce a 40-minute delay of our flight … for “force majeure reasons.” Just days after we arrived in İzmir in May, an air transport strike was announced in Italy for today. I imagine that is the reason behind this hitch in our travel day.

So much for planning our trip around the strikes that were already on the books!Read more