All Things Travel: Massport Adding Boston-To-Istanbul Flights At Logan
BOSTON (CBS) – Make it three in a row for new international service at Logan International Airport.
Massport announced Friday that Turkish Airlines will begin non-stop flights from Boston to Istanbul, Turkey, on May 12 of next year, starting with five flights a week and adding daily service on June 9.
The new Turkish Airline flights mean that the agency that runs Logan has added important new international routes for three consecutive years. Last year, Japan Airlines added flights to Tokyo and this month it was non-stop flights to Panama City on Copa Airlines.
Massport has its sights set on China for new service in 2015. International service now accounts for about 10 percent of airline passenger traffic at Logan. The airport expects to serve 30 million passengers this year.
The Boston to Istanbul flight will take about 9 hours and 40 minutes. It will depart Boston at 11:55 p.m. and arrive in Istanbul at 4:35 p.m. local time. The return flight will depart Istanbul at 2 p.m. and arrive in Boston at 5:35 p.m.
The Turkish Airlines flights will be on Airbus A330-300 aircraft equipped with 289 passenger seats.
"We are proud to announce partnership with Boston, one of the most historic cities in the U.S.," said Temel Kotil, chief executive officer of Turkish Airlines.
"Massport's international incentive program and the willingness of local political, civic and business leaders to meet with airlines helps us tremendously as we expand Logan's international routes," said Thomas Glynn, Massport's chief executive officer.
Turkish Airlines is a member of The Star Alliance and was founded in 1933. Today, it has a passenger and cargo fleet of 229 aircraft. The airline has won several awards for its on-board service.
The airline will operate out of Terminal E at Logan.
Bob Weiss reports on business travel on Mondays at 5:55 a.m. on WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
