We reported on Thursday that Turkish Airlines is launching nonstop service between San Francisco and Istanbul in April, 2015. Here is a launch sales fare — $699, nonstop between San Francisco and Istanbul. This fare doesn’t earn miles, but for Spring travel, we don’t think you will do much better than this. For those who like to get on inaugural flights, yes, it is available at this price.

Turkish Airlines and ITA are not properly sync’ed, so this fare isn’t searchable on ITA yet. (Update 7/27/2014 @ 9:20PM Eastern – It is now searchable on ITA)

While we do not normally do not feature Turkish deals because they are non-mileage earning, we do feature non-mileage deals when they are cheap. This is $300 – $400 less than what the normal San Francisco – Istanbul flights have been running and this is a nonstop.

Photo: David Spender, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• April 13th – 20th, 2015

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel on the outbound from April 13th – June 5th, 2015. Must purchase at least 1 day in advance of departure

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: SFO
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code: tk
  • Destination:  IST
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: tk
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “0-7” (the max date range is 7 days. So 0-7, 5-12, 7-14 etc)
  • You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions below.
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Fare Class:

• WY3PC

Routing:

• SFO – IST (Istanbul) – SFO

Mileage:

• 13,688 miles or 5.1 cents per mile. Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. This fare will earn 0% mileage with United. It will earn 25% mileage with Turkish’s program.

How to Book:

• Support us by using our Orbitz link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search. Make sure you select “Additional Search Options” and then “Narrow the search to my preferred airlines” and select Turkish

Accommodations

For hotel bookings, we recommend that you only book using online travel agencies (Hotels.com or Hotwire.com) if it is a non-chain hotel. We don’t want you to miss out on earning rewards with chain hotels.

• Accor Hotels
  • Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis
• CheapTickets
• Country Inns and Suites
• Design Hotels
• Expedia
• Hilton Hotels
  • Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2
• HomeAway.com
• Hotels.com
• Intercontinental Group
  • Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
• Marriott International
  • Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard y Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Springhill Suites, Delta Hotels, Moxy, AC Hotels, TownePlace, Autograph Collection, Protea Hotels.
• Orbitz
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts
  • Preferred, Sterling, Summit
• Radisson Hotels
  • Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Hotel Missioni
• Venere
• Wyndham Hotels
  • Wyndham, Tryp, Wingate, Hawthorn, Microtel, Dream, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Night, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Car Rentals

• Avis – US and Canadian Rentals
• CarRentals.com
• Fox Rent A Car
• Hotwire
• Orbitz
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Car Rental – Good Agency for Rentals in Europe

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – required prior to arrival for $20. Must apply online at Republic of Turkey – Electronic Visa Online Application System. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY). $1USD = 2.09 TRY

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals:

• Go to the The San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Orbitz, accommodation or car rental affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.