I'm a nineteen year old student at UCL in London studying German.
I'm a nineteen year old student at UCL in London studying German.
Member since:16.02.2005
Reviews:10
Members who trust:1
Cyprus Turkish Airlines is quite an anomaly of an airline; flying, as it does, between northern European countries and increasingly popular holiday destinations, they are clearly targeting the tourism market. However, they are doing so with outdated planes and customer service that leaves a lot to be desired and so they seem to be doing as much as they can to put people off travelling to the beautiful TRNC.
We have been travelling to the TRNC for the past three years and it does have to be said that much has changed, mostly for the better, in this time. But there are three main problems with this airline, and combined with the new alternative to flying with them it would put me off flying with them in the foreseeable future.
The first problem is that flying with CTA is just not a very nice experience. The planes, although fitted with leather seats which do have more than average legroom, are old and poorly cleaned. There is absolutely no in-flight entertainment; you do not even get the opportunity to crane your neck towards the ceiling to squint at a small tv screen to watch a film you don't even really care about. It can sometimes take seven hours to get to Cyprus, and you feel every minute of it. The food is a bit hit and miss, but more often miss than hit; it is dealt out to you by the stewardesses who often look as though they couldn't care less and is usually quite a disappointment when it arrives. We usually take packed lunches to make sure.
The second problem is that it's bloody expensive. CTA and its parent company, Turkish Airlines, are practically the only well-established airlines to fly the route to Ercan, so they have an effective monopoly on the route and so charge what they like. It would be fantastic if more budget-style airlines would open the route up to competition which can only have the effect of lowering prices, but that is probably not going to happen while the TRNC is internationally embargoed.
The third problem is that, because the TRNC is not internationally recognised by any other country than Turkey, you cannot fly directly there. Instead you must fly to Turkey, wait around for an hour and then take off again (although you do not have to get off the plane; in fact, you are not allowed to.) This adds hours to the journey and really makes it feel like a trial.
But fear not, CTA is no longer the only way to get to North Cyprus. I feel like a bit of a traitorous cheat, but you can now fly to South Cyprus with a budget airline (we go with Thomas Cook, who are not fantastic but at least they are cheap) and cross the border by taxi. It can save up to £200 per person so really there is no need to fly with CTA. I hope that the new competition will force CTA to pull its socks up and revise its understanding of customer service so that it is actually possible to support the TRNC's crippled economy without it feeling like an act of self-flagellation.
If CTA improved their services and cut their prices I would recommend them. As the title says, 'could [and probably should] do better'.
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Nice review there. They certainly dont seem like the best. No excuse really! Is turkish airlines better? Cheers, Daniel.
fritzthecat 25.05.2006 02:16
Ah, memories ! I lived in Cyprus for 3 years and used the KTHY a few times. Their planes have never been the cleanest, the food really can be horrid and I've been on flights on which I felt much safer then on theirs.
But they do reflect life in N-Cyprus quite a bit - old-fashioned, out of style and in need of improvement. It prepares you to what you'll be facing during our holiday .
Have you already come up with an idea where the money for the improvements should come from while the embargo is still in place and more and more customers are taking the advice you've suggested ? Nevertheless, good review, have a nice time on Ciao and I'll watch out for some more Cyprus reviews ! Sandra
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Advantages: Flies from a variety of airports to the beautiful North Cyprus. Disadvantages: Just about everything you would expect from a modern airline is missing.
Advantages: Flies from a variety of airports to the beautiful North Cyprus. Disadvantages: Just about everything you would expect from a modern airline is missing.
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