With travelers making their way back into the skies at close to pre-pandemic numbers, it was not surprising to hear that Turkish Airlines had chosen Seattle as its 12 US gateway. SeaTac’s newly completed Arrivals Hall is starting to pay dividends.

Turkish Airlines will be the 22nd carrier to offer international service out of SeaTac and will be one of three new carriers launching service this year. Finnair inaugurated Seattle Helsinki service on June 1st and Air Tahiti will launch flights to Tahiti in October. Overall, 42 international cities will be within reach from SeaTac. 

Seatac is the third city on the West Coast of the United States for Turkish Airlines.  Currently, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York offer 14 flights a week. It is likely that Seattle will increase to seven flights a week before too long. 

Turkish Airlines will initially begin flying to SeaTac four times weekly, year round, with Boeing 787-9 equipment.  Flight TK204 will leave Seattle at 5:45 PM and will arrive in Istanbul at 3:25 PM local time. Flight TK203 departs from Istanbul at 2:05 PM local time and will arrive at SeaTac at 4:15 PM.  Both flights will average around 12 hours gate-to-gate flight time.

Seattle Has Many Options

Over the last 20 years or more, the carriers of UAE, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have been making a lot of headlines seeking to one-up each other on cuisine, cabin product and other amenities. During this time Turkish Airlines has been quietly building an international product that is decidedly more practical and will offer an extensive and more streamlined route network.

Turkish Airlines route network is one of the most -- if not the most -- extensive of any international carrier. You are never more than one stop away from 338 destinations in 129 countries. That is a total of 267 international destinations. Turkish Airlines' expansive route network is definitely a good fit for the Pacific Northwest, as we are the home to quite a few companies with extensive business ties all over the world. 

Turkish Airlines also has shown an admirable resilience in maintaining and expanding route networks during the pandemic. Much like Qatar Airways, Turkish never retreated in any substantial way. Certainly, their resilience shows in their cargo network, which has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing cargo operations in the world. It would be surprising if we don't see dedicated cargo operations from Turkish Airlines at SeaTac in the very near future.

The new Istanbul airport has already been ranked the second busiest airport in Europe, with almost 1300 daily flights. Flights are now, as of early June, back to almost 90% of their pre-pandemic levels.  As of May, average load factors show a robust 80% load factor.  

SEA, Doing More With The Same

On the other end of the route, SeaTac airport is a very well managed facility.  Like with all US airports, growth has to be done in a conservative and cost-effective manner, so you won't see a petting zoo or 1/4 scale diorama of Mt. Rainer at SeaTac. 

Within its physical constraints, SeaTac has been constantly changing and having to do what I call terminal Tetris since 1970.  To say SeaTac is hedged-in geographically is a bit of an understatement. 

With the amount of international traffic arriving at SeaTac post-pandemic, and additional increases in passenger numbers at the airport overall, SeaTac is certainly aware of the need for further improvement in making both international and domestic travelers comfortable as they make their way to their destinations. 

The Need to Feel Special in a Small Space

The sudden increase in passengers accessing lounges has been overwhelming, and it will be interesting to see if SeaTac finally gets a dedicated Star Alliance lounge. The United Airlines lounge in the A concourse is simply not up to the task regarding handling all of the Star Alliance passengers, ANA, Lufthansa and travelers on Turkish Airlines. 

For now, the best option for lounge access for Turkish Airline travelers (and other Star Alliance passengers) is the Club Sea, which is located in the South satellite mezzanine and is fine if it is half full. 

SeaTac is in dire need of amenities for premium passengers.  It would truly enhance the international traveling experience at SeaTac if there were arrival and departure lounges that match up to SeaTac’s new international arrivals facility.

Why Don’t You Stay A While? 

Turkish Airlines, like Icelandair, recognizes there is an opportunity for travelers to experience their country beyond the airport.  Icelandair was the first to offer stopover packages as far back as the 1960s. They ramped up the service in 2014 under the  #mystopover program, and it has been an incredible success for tourism and the economy as a whole in Iceland. 

Seeing this success, Turkish Airlines is offering a one-night stay at a four-star hotel for its economy passengers, and a two-night stay in a five-star hotel for its business class passengers.  Passengers will also have the option of staying at contracted hotels with prices starting as low as $49 a night. 

As with the success of Icelandair's program, it is not difficult to see that Turkish Airlines is likely to see a large return on its investment when many of these passengers return to Turkey, very soon, for a much longer stay.  Istanbul is an incredible city, and Turkish Airlines has been a reliable and well-run carrier. 

As we emerge from such traumatic times, Turkish Airlines seems to be positioning itself for a world that is waking up again, and eager to travel.