Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines currently offers a neat sale from Eastern European airports. In addition to their €318 tickets to Dubai, you can also reach Astana for as little as €275 – a fare that includes a checked bag up to 23kg. A change of planes in Istanbul is necessary both ways.
Discounted tickets to Astana are available from the following airports:
- Kraków for €275 (~PLN 1,188)
- Warsaw for €278 (~PLN 1,201)
- Prague for €281 (~CZK 7,065)
- Budapest for €325 (~HUF 127,784)
With departure from Prague, you can also reach Almaty for as little as €403.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Turkish Airlines with your selected flight dates. You can also check what OTAs have to offer, as they sell these tickets up to €20 cheaper.
All flights are operated by narrow body aircraft of the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 family. Even on those planes, Turkish Airlines offers seat back inflight-entertainment screens, giving you a proper onboard experience.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, tickets are on sale until October 5, 2023 for travel between November and June. A minimum stay of two days is necessary to get the lowest fare.
Google Flights preview available flight dates reliably. While it is possible to find the cheapest tickets through our flight search, there are also reasons to pay a little more and book directly with Turkish Airlines.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Turkish Airlines issues these tickets in booking class U, one of Star Alliance’ most restrictive booking classes. Your earning opportunities are limited to TK’s own Miles & Smiles program.
- 1,560 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
Destination
Please be aware that Astana is subject to extreme weather conditions during winter months. The average daily temperature from November through February is negative ten degrees!
Most EU citizens won’t need a visa to enter Kazakhstan, given their trip does not exceed thirty days. Please inform yourself if this regulation applies to you.
Cover Picture: by Matej Klíč on unsplash