Turkish Air (www.turkishairlines.com) seems to have appeared out of…well, out of thin air. They now fly non-stop from many North American cities and in my case they offered non-stop service from Boston to Istanbul. The transatlantic flight has brilliant service and a premium class that is as good, if not better than most of its European counterparts. Though still not a part of the European Union, Turkish Air won Europe’s Best Airline from Skytrax Passanger’s Choice Awards for the past 4 years. And if you happen to be passing through they even offer a free city tour, called, Touristanbul (http://www.istanbulinhours.com/)for passengers with a 6-hour layover. Great name, great idea!

If you’re staying in country, chances are you’re going to be taking a lot of short flights to Antalya, Cappadocia, etc… The fact is that there is no train system and the distances are substantial. Even though the buses are fantastic, with bus attendants and food served, it’s just cheaper and more efficient to use Turkish Air. On the short haul flights the service is fantastic; you actually get something to eat on a one-hour flight and the flight attendants are actually nice – yet another reason to travel to this country.