Route competition + civil unrest = cheap direct flights from Malta to Istanbul this summer

Competition can be a very good thing for the air traveller. The introduction of Turkish Airlines to the MLA to Istanbul route has already seen Air Malta introduce its “€89 all in” one way fares to Istanbul (very good if not outstanding value), and Turkish Airlines responding with their “€98 all in” return flights (superb value).

While both offers have now finished, it does seem that a combination of the competition between airlines, plus (I would guess) people being a little put off by Istanbul by the civil unrest there, has led to some good value flights there this summer.

By way of example, both Air Malta and Turkish Airlines are currently offering a good range of “all in” returns from Malta to Istanbul for €160, which is certainly a very good value price for a flight in peak season (I regard anything at €200 and below as value for a return flight from MLA to Istanbul).

I appreciate that in suggesting that these prices may be low because of the civil unrest, you may likewise be concerned about this. On that point, I would firstly say that Istanbul is one of the safest, friendliest cities I have ever been to, and secondly, to the extent that there has been (and continues to be) trouble, it has been very much contained within a small area of the Besiktas district (i.e. Taksim Square). While I would still be perfectly happy to take my family to Besiktas (albeit perhaps not on a sightseeing trip to central Taksim Square while the police are visiting…), you don’t even have to go anywhere near Besiktas if you want to see most of the main sights in Istanbul.

So if you fancy a good value trip to a great destination, my advice is to take advantage of a bit of early competition and unjustified traveller nervousness, and give Istanbul a try!

Don’t forget to earn Air Malta KMiles or Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles should you choose to travel.