Founded in 1933, Turkish Airlines is Turkey's national flag carrier airline. Its headquarters and main hub are located in Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey. The company has three additional centres in Turkey, with one at Esenboga International Airport, one at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport and one at Adnan Menderes Airport. The most common aircraft in its fleet of 300 planes is the Boeing 737.

The company is one of the world's biggest airlines when looking at the number of destinations it flies to. Turkish Airlines flights travel to nearly 300 different destinations in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. It also flies to more different countries than any other airline. Of those many routes, flights to Toronto, Tehran, Istanbul and Tel Aviv are among the most popular. Turkish Airlines joined the Star Alliance in 2008. It also has codeshare agreements with a large number of other airlines, including but not limited to Adria Airways, Air China and Etihad Airways.

Online check-in

Turkish Airlines passengers are able to check in online on a web browser by using their reservation number. Online check-in for Turkish Airlines flights opens 24 hours before departure and closes 90 minutes before the plane is due to leave. While checking in online, passengers can select or change their seat allocation on the aircraft. It is also possible to check in other passengers that are on the same booking (up to a maximum of 8 people). If passengers choose to check in online but also intend to bring luggage to check in, they can do so at the airport drop-off counters.

Hand luggage allowance

On a Turkish Airlines flight, passengers may take a different amount of hand luggage allowance depending upon their ticket type. Infants and Economy class passengers are entitled to 1 item weighing up to 8 kg and no bigger than 55 x 40 x 23 cm, while passengers in Business class are able to bring 2 items of hand luggage, each weighing no more than 8 kg and no larger than 55 x 40 x 23 cm. All passengers are also entitled to 1 personal item in addition to their hand luggage allowance. Personal items include cameras, purses, laptops and umbrellas. Items that are too large or heavy for the passenger's hand luggage allowance will be checked into the aircraft's hold and may incur an extra fee.

Checked baggage policy

Turkish Airlines flights have varying checked baggage allowances depending on the route. For domestic flights within Turkey, the allowances dictate 15 kg for Promotional tickets, up to 20 kg for Economy tickets, up to 30 kg for Business class tickets and up to 10 kg for infants. On an international Turkish Airlines flight, Economy tickets have an allowance of up to 25 kg, whilst Business or infant passengers share the same limitations as on a domestic flight. Infants are also entitled to a stroller. For certain destinations such as North America, South America and various African countries, the rules are different and passengers are advised to check their allowance before flying. Some sports equipment including golf clubs, skis and diving equipment will be carried without extra charge, as will certain medical and mobility equipment.