TURKEY: Adana and SunExpress 737-800 Merhaba, dear reader,
not since my last commercial flight has already been some time.
It goes back to November last year. To start
time to the flight in 2011, or not?.
have the Gold Elite status with Flying Blue, the frequent traveler on Star Alliance reached me, now is the main target for 2011 to include every trip a fresh start airport.
Not really simple, but this makes it more interesting.
This trip was originally planned for early March, but the airline decided to cancel all the flights on Thursday, money back for me.
A while later I have the weather status for End of February, viewed in the Southeast, it looked ok.
So new book, here is the current route map:
Trip Reporter's flights on a larger map And my current startup airports:
Departure airports on a larger map View Now we go to Adana.
Tuesday, 02/22/2011
STR (Stuttgart Airport)
ADA (Adana Sakirpasa Havalimani)
conducted planned flight 711 from XQ SunExpress
: 05.50 / / 10.25
As my is real and good tradition, this day will start again very soon.
departing at 05.50 clock and no online check-in available for international flights.
I am in the queue at 04.00 clock.
Please no, at least not for that flight.
SunExpress offers a late night check-in for flights the next day.
I am not far away from the airport,
shows local clock at 17.50 on Monday late afternoon, a switch the logo of the airline.
A middle-aged workers will clock at 18.00 and check in me.
After my successful issue for the last row window minutes later I'm back on the way home for a short night.
As always, my phone shows an early alarm clock 03.00, no change, on the road at 4:00 and clock in the terminal at 05:00 clock.
Boarding is printed for 05.05 clock.
The airport has changed parking conditions and fees over the winter, a little further way from now P2.
No Lounge Today, at this time is open yet.
I've booked via Exp.de, price 70.00 Euro's, ok for a flight of 3.5 hours.
little activities in Terminal 1 this morning
We'll see how comfortable it is
Almost no waiting time at the security checkpoint in Terminal 1, not even at the passport control and at the gate 113, where my machine has spent the night.
Not many passengers here, I am hopeful for a low workload.
Should I try this first flight on the screen, sometimes not?
no sign of Boarding begins 15 minutes later
Then boarding, without further-recently passengers.
A dark picture of the nose to the finger gate
TC-SUJ should I bring to the South.
It is a 737-800, in use by SunExpress since 03/06/2003, one of 25 active machines in the fleet.
route No. 52 on this type for me and very welcome, a new Registration.
Looks great
A young flight attendant greeted me at the door, I am the last passenger to board, so it looks always have the option for a short conversation to find other places.
"Does not look like a good utilization of today, good for me, bad for the airline"
"Yes, as usual, with no vacation time on these routes. You can take after the start the place they want to"
"This is nice, thank you "
A man and three women on this service.
Some free places around me, I take 33A, the second to last row window for better adjustability the seat back, three places for me
The Turkish pilot logs, there are two passengers with ID problems at the security checkpoint in Terminal.
We will wait a maximum of ten minutes, then the baggage is unloaded.
very thin and not really clean, hard leather seats
Well, it's actually a 737-800
The magazine, a lot of advertising, but at the same easy to read an interesting article about the Turkish textile industry, more and more previously completed contracts in China takes
The temperature is - 2 degrees with light snow, which means de-ice before the start of the track 07.
Well explained by the pilot.
then start clock at 06.00 for the 3 hours 15 minutes in Turkey.
the cabin with a workload of 60% and it looks as if I the only one German passenger was here, more on that later
Yes, that's my direction
Cloudy over the entire route via Klagenfurt , Ljubljana, Belgrade, Sofia, Istanbul and Ankara.
What is the place feeling?.
Ok for me today, but not particularly with a full load
In this way I'm learning more and more Turkish
bread and butter for me, the cheese cake not my thing
And the coffee tastes very good, more please
The young flight attendant comes up to me after the service.
"Is it possible to ask you something?"
"Sure,"
"There is no vacation time for Turkey and it is always close to 100% Turkish travelers on the machine, but also repeated a few German.
Is there a relationship between Stuttgart and Adana?
I am interested in to know the reasons for your trip to Adana today "
" Sure, I would like to make some pictures and a story to write about this little-known city and the area with my travel impressions. "
is now surprised them.
"Thank you, this is more of a business background"
"Well, that would be to see as well as possible."
This is probably the reason for the next surprise, the co-pilot will respond with detailed information in English, followed shortly afterwards with the whole again in German, we probably have a German co-pilot today.
The maximum altitude is 39,000 feet.
The seats in detail
The weather forecast shows no rain,
but some clouds in the morning and more sun in the afternoon
an idea where the center of Turkish vegetables and fruit industry?
Probably Tarsus
is short before landing on the 2750 meters of track 05, 10:30 clock, five minutes to plan, it is partly cloudy and the temperature is 16 degrees
interest directly to a multi-story building behind the track end
A machine of the Turkish government
The terminal
Who likes an airport with short distances in the city that fits here.
Only three miles from the center and surrounded by houses.
Turkish Airlines also here
Parked on the ramp, there is no finger-gates are in Adana
New colors on this machine
Under the wing
A full view, looks much better than the earlier, virtually all-white painting
to walk to the terminal, just fine for me in this weather for a few pictures.
Less than five minutes at the immigration control until I have another stamp in my passport.
No luggage and quickly in the audience.
Well, usually, at least in my environment, friends and acquaintances come to pick up someone with the car to the airport.
not here, a little red tractor with a trailer parked right outside the door, because you can not help laughing already!.
people everywhere, it looks like a large tour group, all in Dishdasha's or long dresses and veils, we are not now in southeastern Turkey is not it?.
The Syrian border is just around the corner and also close to Lebanon.
According to my favorite information site for transportation to airports, there is a bus service into town, no sign here, I'll wait until an old taxi driver is his turn, entered and on the way to the center, no excessive prices, always my way to the young, smart taxi drivers give up.
thousands of people around me, this city has
close to 1.6 million inhabitants, that's impressive.
My first goal is the train station which runs the famous Baghdad Railway, to Baghdad but have not been for years.
There is a weekly service to Aleppo in Syria, some departures per week on to Istanbul and Mersin, the Mediterranean several times daily service.
The very old-fashioned train station
beautiful with the palms
My ride for 2.00 Euro's
Well, that looks oriental, wagons and large palm trees
A discussion between the taxi drivers at the entrance
The life is here Horses and unfinished buildings
transport in Adana style
And modern locomotive of the Turkish State Railways, with which I have come to Mersin
How do you make the most money with the construction of railway lines, if you get paid by the kilometer?.
Now, German engineers about 100 years ago knew a solution.
There is hardly a long straight section, each curve provides more distance and therefore more money.
Mersin sea
I am impressed with docked many people in the city and a huge cargo terminal with ships from all over. How does
Cargo of China in the successor republics of the Soviet Union, as long as there is no functioning train?.
We drive around Asia through the Suez Canal to the nearest port, Mersin and then by truck or train to the destination.
A mosque near the sea
How about a view from above
This is the Taksim International Hotel.
to go a long way, but the friendly security staff told me that the hotel is closed.
It seems with the withdrawal of the U.S. military in Iraq, there is no need for it anymore.
A historic building
absolute match the current EU rules here at this level crossing, no barriers, only a man with a small trowel in hand, stops the traffic when a train
cows and then a mosque
matters interesting, as we that slow-moving, heavy freight train to pass
Tashkent was not aware that these tracks go to Uzbekistan!
This is the old train on the way back, and as far as now with the sunny weather in the afternoon
The old steam locomotive
tracks and an abandoned restaurant
people between the moving trains and no one run interest to ensure
I am impressed by the contrast between the people here.
Old men in traditional long dresses and pants along with young men in business suits.
Older women with long dresses and veils followed or led by well-dressed, without me to get me wrong, sometimes very good looking, young girls or women, now that's really special.
time to go to the corner of one of the main attractions of the city.
Well, what looks like on my card around the corner would be a good reason for a taxi, but then I get to the
Sabanci Merkez Camii
sees as spurious from
Near the Seyhan River
It is the largest mosque in Adana
Absolutely impressive
But no people around to come
Some black clouds, the perfect base to near Seyhan Hotel going to look back to an elderly taxi driver to the airport without being cheated, cheaper than driving into the city.
Tuesday, 22/02/2011
ADA (Adana Sakirpasa Havalimani)
STR (Stuttgart Airport)
conducted planned Flight XQ 710 of SunExpress
: 19.55 / / 22:45
re same € 70.00's booked for a return flight, on Exp.de.
The "Terminali" with the outcome of the arrivals
Stutgart, has anyone here a "t" stolen?. Jeddah and Ercan are the main objectives
All passengers and baggage are checked at the entrance to the terminal.
is now also clear to me what they wanted all the people outside the terminal in the morning, it was the queue at the entrance.
No waiting time for me and soon I am in the terminal.
Not really welcoming, small, uncomfortable and hard, the seats Kaya bar is closed prepares
Shortly an employee of the company handling two switches in front of their own laptops.
The confidence of SunExpress in the technology of the airport is probably not very high.
More staff arrives, the check-in and starts a nice middle-aged man Answered my usual question of exactly what I expect, 34F, window last row.
"No luggage?"
"Sure, no luggage!" A
Gedrücke at the counters, but then I'm checked in as a passenger, No. 6.
The passport control, opens a scene in the movie. The senior officer checks my passport, the stamps in his hand, he wants to stamp
already, then he noticed my date of entry, he checked me with a long, critical Look, shakes his head slightly and stamped.
No waiting time at the last security check and I'm in the very small departure lounge. Only two gates and certainly not a lounge here
Let this space and with 200 tourists from Jeddah.
There are only a very small, not cozy bar
Duty free is also nothing special.
Only a limited offer, one of my favorite perfume is excellent with 110.00.
"This award is in Turkish Lira".
"No, that is in €. Now I'm
shake your head, that's crazy expensive.
Not that I am tired after my early start
would know but if we assume that the planned arrival is at 22.45 clock, the night stop in Stuttgart starts at 23.00 clock with only a limited number of landings to 24.00 Clock, it does not feel really good when the screen is a delay of 50 minutes indicating
Passengers stay calm, I hear no further information. A
SunExpress machine arrives and parked near the gate, my flight to Stuttgart.
The track is now Stuttgart-Adana-Adana-Dusseldorf and Stuttgart, so I am mentally prepared to see the same maschine as the morning.
Two of the employees come to the gate and quickly begin the boarding gate of fifth
Turkish Airlines and what is behind it for a logo?
A positive surprise, it's TC-SUH, a new aircraft and a new registration for me. In use with SunExpress
since the 22.11.2002.
route No. 53 on the 737-800.
The nose in detail
boarding at night
close to the wing
Registration
Onur Air in addition to Turkish Airlines
up the stairs
same seats as on the first machine, 33F for me. The second to last row window and again three places for me
start of the web 5, as in the landing in the morning at 21.00 clock, 20.00 clock in Germany, more than an hour later, it is dry and the temperature is 12 degrees.
3 hours, 30 minutes to Stuttgart.
The security card
Two nice men and two women in the service not so nice.
The dark cabin with a capacity of about 50%
The cockpit crew is from Turkey, the pilot with a long and detailed announcement in Turkish, followed by the co-pilot in English, but hardly understood, therefore, no data the route or altitude.
fresh, warm bread, two for me, good service one of the young flight attendants.
coffee for me several times, good service
And a small cake, ok
Back to Stuttgart's runway 07 at 23.35 clock, delayed 50 minutes, the temperature is - 4 degrees, the sky is clear what a difference from Adana.
while waiting to disembark I talk with the young flight attendant on the change of aircraft in Dusseldorf.
He is surprised that I know the daily flight schedule and I noticed the change of aircraft.
Adana for the day, that there are not many times.
We parked the exact same as at the gate tomorrow.
at the passport control to ask the Officials of some passengers to the boarding documents, why not me is clear.
if not me, a quick check my passport and waved by micht, but then the whole thing lasts much longer than expected.
Many customs officials at the output, as well, some passengers will be checked again, but again not for me.
back home at 01.00 clock, 22 hours after I got up, well, we make the most of a day!.
SunExpress is ok, mostly pleasant staff and comfortable in this low utilization.
Certainly not as comfortable with a full machine.
Adana is a city with interesting sights and people recommended.
As always, if nothing intervenes, the next story will bring a new airport, Montpellier and a premiere on one at least for me, very new type of aircraft.
soon, the trip
Reporter
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