Hi, I booked flight tickets with Turkish Airlines 15 days ago for a round-trip for 4 people to Thailand in August 2026. On my reservation, I only included my married name, but on my passport, my maiden name appears along with my married name. I only noted one first name—I didn’t include my second or third first name. For my husband and children, I only included their first first name. I called Turkish Airlines a few days ago as a precaution, and they were very helpful, guiding me through the process of adding a comment to request the modification with scanned passports. They confirmed it would be free of charge. Today, I received a response from TK saying I need to buy new tickets with the required changes and then provide them with the new reservation details to be reimbursed for the initially purchased tickets. I called Turkish Airlines again, and they advised me to file a complaint using the initial comment I made. I did that tonight, explaining that I made these requests as a precaution—I fly every year and have never included my maiden name or other first names on my reservations, and it’s never been an issue. Plus, I can’t afford to pay for new tickets since prices have skyrocketed (+1000 € for 4 people). I’m really worried and anxious about this situation. We’ve been saving for a while to afford this trip, and I hope it gets resolved favorably. Have any of you experienced similar issues or situations like this? If so, how did it go at the airport? Thanks in advance for your help

Hi there,

Have you ever traveled with this airline? It seems like they have a real monopoly on some destinations and are also much cheaper.

Thank youuuu.

Hi there! I’m planning to spend a few days in Hong Kong in April/May to visit my son, who’ll be doing an exchange program there. We’d also like to take the opportunity to spend a few days in Japan. Do you have any tips on airlines in the region? I’ve seen deals on Skyscanner for HK Express, which seems like the local Ryanair. But I have no idea what it’s like. Thanks in advance!

We bought round-trip tickets from Mulhouse/Basel to Maun (Botswana) in January 2023 through Option Way.

Turkish Airlines issued the entire round-trip tickets. The flight plan was:

31 August 2023: TK 926 from Basel/Mulhouse to Istanbul and TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg 1 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)300 from Johannesburg to Maun. 11 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)301 from Maun to Johannesburg and TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul 12 September 2023: TK1923 from Istanbul to Basel/Mulhouse.

On 1 September, on the outbound trip, Turkish Airlines flight TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg arrived 1 hour and 30 minutes late due to airport congestion. As a result, we missed our connection with Airlink flight (4Z) 300 from Johannesburg to Botswana (even though the initial layover time was sufficient for the connection). Upon arrival at Johannesburg Airport, a Turkish Airlines agent greeted us, booked us a room near the airport, and rebooked us on the same flight for the following day, 2 September. On 2 September, after numerous difficulties checking in at the Airlink counter in Johannesburg, we finally reached our final destination with a 24-hour delay. We lost our first day of vacation in Botswana, including the activities that were planned for that day. On 11 September, during our return trip and almost certainly due to the rescheduling of the outbound flight, the Airlink check-in counter in Maun did not recognize our tickets issued by Turkish Airlines. After many searches and phone calls, we had to buy new tickets for the Maun/Johannesburg flight 4Z301. This cost us 9,306 Botswana pula (643 €). Upon arrival in Johannesburg, the Turkish Airlines check-in counter again had trouble identifying us for flight TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul. It’s clear that the root of our check-in problems stemmed from the renumbering of our tickets when the Turkish Airlines representative rebooked us on the Airlink (4Z)300 flight for 2 September. During this process, all subsequent flight tickets must have been canceled. Since our return, I’ve requested the following from Turkish Airlines: · Compensation under the European Regulation EC 261/2004 of 11 February 2004 for flight delays, amounting to 600 € per passenger. We meet all the conditions: departure from a Franco/Swiss airport, arrival at the final destination more than 4 hours late, and a distance greater than 3,500 kilometers. Turkish Airlines has not provided evidence that they did everything possible to avoid this delay. · Reimbursement for the Airlink Maun/Johannesburg tickets on 11 September, which we had to pay again to Airlink even though we had already paid for them through our agent, Option Way. Turkish Airlines refuses compensation on the grounds that they complied with all regulations. Turkish Airlines and Airlink are passing the buck when it comes to reimbursing the tickets we paid for twice. For Turkish Airlines, claims can only be made through their website, and each time a different agent responds. I’ve contacted our insurance, legal protection, the travel ombudsman... without success. Currently, the case is with a lawyer working for "Air Indemnité," but I have little hope. Obviously, I won’t be flying with Turkish Airlines again—they seem to have a habit of not respecting schedules or customer satisfaction. A good lesson for planning very long layovers.

Hi everyone,

We’re planning to return to China next fall. Destination: Shanghai, followed by a trip through Gansu and then Hunan. I’ll admit that international flights are leaving me a bit puzzled—I’m wondering how far in advance I should book to get the best deals. For most other international destinations, I usually book 6 to 9 months ahead, but for China, it’s a whole different story... For example, when I look at flight comparisons, the best prices are around 500 € or even less for departures within the next 3 months with Chinese airlines (Air China, China Southern, etc.). Not the most practical timing for planning a trip... Those same tickets jump to over 1,000 € for departures around October 20th. 🏴‍☠️ There are also flights in October at very reasonable prices with Finnair + Juneyao Airlines. Has anyone heard of them? I’m worried that if the first flight (Finnair) is delayed, it might be impossible to get rebooked on the next Juneyao flight... Anyway, if you have any recent experiences to share... 😇 Thanks in advance! !

Hi, I just booked a trip to Vietnam on OPODO. The reservation is confirmed, but I can't figure out if they send an e-ticket and when? The site is pretty unclear, and it's hard to get information. I couldn't find any answers on the forums about e-ticket issuance. The airline used is Turkish Airlines, but it's the travel agency (so OPODO) that issues the tickets and sends them to the customer. If anyone has any info or has had a recent booking with OPODO, thanks in advance. Have a good evening

Hi, So glad the site’s back up—I’ve always found great off-the-beaten-path tips here! This time, we’re planning a trip to Uzbekistan. Since time is a bit tight, we wanted to fly from Tashkent to Urgench, but we can’t find any direct flights between the two. Do we need to book from France, and if so, which site should we use? We’re thinking of going around mid-April. Thanks in advance for your help! Céline

Hi there, I need to book a flight from Saigon to Roissy with a layover in Hong Kong. The layover is only 1h10, so I’m wondering what happens if there’s a delay (it’s a very short connection) and I can’t catch the next flight—what are the extra costs involved? I can’t find the info on their website. Could anyone shed some light on this? Thanks in advance

Booked an Air Mauritius ticket via a flight operated by Air France, but my middle name was shortened to just an initial with "Ms" attached instead of being written as Lalina Alexandra Fernandez. On the ticket, it shows as Lalina Ams Fernandez, even though I booked with the correct name. Apparently, no one can modify the ticket. Do you think this will cause problems?

Hi Community,

I'm having trouble booking a domestic flight from Jakarta to Tual for September on Lion Air's website. The site keeps glitching. When I use a comparison site, the flight shows up just fine. I'd prefer to book directly on their site rather than through a comparator. Is anyone else running into this issue right now?

Thanks!!!!

Hi there, I just booked a round-trip flight from Brussels to Da Nang on eDreams, with a layover in Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Does anyone know the check-in procedure for these flights? 1) For flight CX294 BXL-HKG, I’ll need to check in on the Cathay Pacific website, 2) For the next flight CX5552 HKG-DAD, what should I do? I only have a 2h25 layover. Will I need to collect my luggage, go through immigration, and then recheck in at the airport counter, etc.? I’m pretty worried about this layover—I thought check-in could be done on the airline’s website and that my luggage would be transferred automatically during the layover, like with most other airlines... Thanks so much for any help from those who’ve been in this situation!

Hi,

I bought my flight ticket with my first (usual) first name, which appears first on my passport. However, I have two first names on my passport, and of course, it’s mentioned in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.

I booked with Turkish Airlines (through an online agency) for a trip to South Korea.

I wanted to know if it would be a problem that I only used my first first name on the ticket, while my passport has two. I had requested through the agency to add the second first name, but the airline refused because it doesn’t meet their general conditions. (They must have seen that the last name and first name were the same, and only the second first name was added.)

So, my ticket has my last name and first first name correctly spelled, and when I check in online, I’ll enter the passport details correctly.

I’ll have a layover in Istanbul on the flight.

Thanks in advance for your replies. Have a great day.

Hello, We're heading to Peru at the end of July 2026 for 18 days. We're a couple with two teenagers aged 14 and 16. I'm considering booking our Paris - Lima - Paris flight with AVIANCA because the fare is very competitive compared to other airlines. The return trip would include a 15h30 stopover in Bogota, with the idea of spending the night in a hotel near the airport to catch the 1:30 PM flight the next day. The arrival and departure times in Bogota work well. Have any of you already flown with AVIANCA on a Paris - Lima route? What was your experience with this airline? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. I'm hesitant to book with them, but the price difference with the cheapest alternative (Air France) is 1500 €, which is significant... thanks for your help! !

Hi there🙂, I’ve applied to renew my Austrian passport but I have to wait 3 weeks. I found some really interesting flights to Fès, but unfortunately I don’t have a passport number because I assume the old one isn’t valid anymore?

Is it possible to book with the old number and provide the new one later? Or any other solution? The airlines are Air Arabia Maroc and Ryanair. Thanks for your help!

I’m booking a flight operated by Luxair for my wife and me. 30 hours before the scheduled departure time and as requested by them, I complete the online check-in. I’m then offered the option to choose our seats. Looking at the cabin layout, I see that two seats have already been assigned to us—one in the middle of the cabin on the left side, the other at the back of the cabin on the right side. I notice that both have an adjacent seat available, along with dozens of other seats.

I move one of the seats so we can sit together on the plane... and I’m charged 19 €! When I complain, Luxair (or rather, the platform) responds that there was no way to get adjacent seats.

This tactic to push passengers into pre-reserving seats for a fee is really bordering on a scam! And now I’m getting messages encouraging me to upgrade my seats!

Basically, airlines keep prices low but do everything to pressure us into paying for extras.

Hi everyone, I’m planning to go to Vietnam in 2026. Direct flights are super expensive, so I’m thinking of making a stopover to visit a city along the way. I’m considering Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong, but I’m open to other ideas. The goal is obviously also to get a better price than the direct flight from Paris (Brussels, etc.) to Hanoi. Anyone have a great tip? Thanks everyone

Hi there, we’re looking at a flight from Montreal to Zurich, then Zurich to Brussels (final destination). There are two couples and two kids in our group, and the layover is listed as 50 minutes. I wanted to check if this is doable before booking...

Hi there,

Do you know any tricks for traveling on a budget? With flight prices constantly rising, it’s a real lifesaver!

Hello, As a senior woman, I’m planning a 3-week solo trip (late April or early May) to explore the country by public transport, visiting the main cities (Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand), the Ferghana Valley, and if possible, the Aral Sea. I’m reaching out to the community to see if there are flights arriving in Urgench and returning from Tashkent—or the other way around? Thanks in advance to anyone with insights! 😉

Booking for October 28th to Varadero, on October 22nd I was notified that it was canceled. I called and changed it to November 7th, departure at 7 AM. On November 6th, an email informed me that it was delayed until 12:30 PM. My return from Varadero on April 14th, 2025—on November 17th, another email notified me that my return flight on April 14th would no longer be direct but would make a stopover in Toronto. So, a heads-up to those thinking of booking with Air Canada...

Hi there, we're flying with Air Caraïbes and bringing our dog—he'll be traveling in the cabin with us. The airline recommends a carrier size of 43×35×20 cm, but despite calling them several times, we can’t figure out if the 20 cm is the height or width, or if the carrier can be slightly larger. Thanks to anyone who replies and has flown with Air Caraïbes before!

Hi there,

When I run searches on Skyscanner, I see that only Lufthansa has flights to Seoul with just one stop. Air France doesn’t show up, even though I thought the French airline served Seoul? I can’t even log into the Air France website—it keeps glitching.

we have flights with Swiss and Lufthansa for January; our flights are still in our booking file. But after reading that the Cambodian ambassador in Paris advised against transiting through Bangkok (which is our case), I reached out to the airlines to potentially change our ticket via Singapore. However, both companies have canceled all flights to Cambodia, regardless of the day or airport. We’ll have our contact on the ground call us on Monday to figure out what to do, especially since no insurance covers war, conflict, etc. If anyone else is in the same situation with an upcoming departure, we can exchange tips

Hello, We’re planning to fly from Paris to Bangkok at the end of June with my wife, our daughter, and the baby who’ll be 4 months old by then. The baby won’t be born for another 2 months, and I was wondering if it’s possible to book the 3 flight tickets now and add the baby after the birth? I read that a ticket isn’t necessary for babies. Can you confirm this for me? Is there a risk that in 2 months they’ll tell me the flight is full and we can’t add our baby? Finally, is it possible to reserve a seat in the first row (where there’s the most space) right now? Thanks so much for your help

Hi,

My friend is supposed to leave on June 26th for Philadelphia. American Airlines called him last night to ask him to cancel or postpone his flight because they’re canceling around a hundred flights from Europe, mainly due to fears of retaliatory attacks after the bombings in Iran. Their offer is either to postpone with compensation (the amount would be known once he accepts) or to cancel completely with a refund and the standard compensation for flights departing from Europe. The airline gave him until 24 hours before departure to decide. Otherwise, he can still go to the airport for now with no obligation to board since he’s traveling alone—they’re prioritizing families in case of overbooking due to some flight cancellations. The same goes for the return flight. In short, it’s total chaos. We’re waiting until tonight or tomorrow to decide whether to cancel outright.

Hi there,

We’re heading to Chile in September 2025, and we booked a Paris–Santiago flight (AF) that was supposed to arrive in Santiago at 7:45 AM, with a same-day connection to Calama on LATAM at 2 PM. Air France just changed the arrival time to 8:45 AM in Santiago. Do you think we’ll still have enough time for the connection to Calama, or should we change our 2 PM flight to one the next morning? The other same-day options are too late. How long should we budget for customs, health checks, and baggage claim—since we’ll need to recheck our bags for Calama?

Is moving between the international terminal and the domestic terminal time-consuming?

Thanks so much for your help! :)

Hi, I’m heading to China at the end of March and I’ve got the question in the title.

Chinese airlines only sell the most expensive tickets on comparison sites or their websites outside China. For the best prices, tickets need to be bought in China. Has anyone ever bought a domestic flight there through a local agency or online? Same question for trains.

Thanks

It’s been over 10 years since I last went to Madagascar. Back then, I flew Corsair from Paris. I’m planning to go back in September 2025. I’ve heard about Air Austral... Air France: the issue is the flight arrives in the evening at Ivato. What do you recommend? Which airlines fly from Paris to Tana? Thanks for the help!

Hi there,

Lately, when I check Skyscanner (sorted by price low to high 😛), I don’t see Gulf airlines at the top of the list anymore. Instead, Air India dominates (I flew with them a few years ago, and my experience was pretty mixed). After that, there’s Royal Jordanian… and the first Gulf Air, Etihad, and others only show up at 7XX € or more (with endless layovers). What’s going on with these airlines? Did they change their target market? I really like these routes for Southeast Asia trips because they give you a perfect midway break.

Hi, my current question: which airline to pick—the cheapest one and also the one that takes the least time from TOULOUSE? Thanks for your help