Good afternoon!
Today I'm going to discuss how to get the most bang for your buck at the Batumi-Hopa Airport, and how to go about checking in if you decide to purchase the cheapest tickets. First, some background information!
The Batumi-Hopa Airport has two airport codes- BUS and XHQ. This is because the airport is used as a domestic airport by both Georgia and Turkey, and is located very close to the border. Tickets from the BUS code are much more expensive, which as a tourist, makes purchasing tickets from XHQ a better financial decision. However, there are some hoops that you'll have to hop through. Sound intriguing?
This is where the airport is located:
The first step to buying tickets from XHQ is going to Turkish Airlines' website, http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-us/. This page has a search engine on it for available flights. Make sure that when you pick the airport of departure, you pick the XHQ code.
Secondly, you must decide where you want to go! The most popular flights out of this airport are to Istanbul, and at this time this blog was written, they were around 70 USD per person for a round trip. However, flights are beginning to be available to London-Stansted, for absurdly low prices.
After you decide where and when you want to go, and buy your tickets, the slightly troublesome part begins. You see, as a XHQ customer, you must check-in at the Hopa 'terminal' in Turkey, from which you will be shuttled across the border to the physical airport. Even if you are coming from Georgia, the country in which the airport is located, you must still check-in in Turkey.
This may sound like a gigantic hassle, but I assure you, it's well worth it. There are mini-buses running from the border town of Sarp to Hopa, as well as taxies, and the terminal is well-marked with signs on the main road. The bus from the terminal to the airport passes through customs at the border with no inspections or stamps, and you don't have to exit the vehicle.
You may also be concerned about how early you have to get to the airport- this is also a non-issue due to the 2 hour time change as soon as you cross the border into Turkey. Let me show you my itinerary for when I flew out of this airport:
Time of flight on ticket for XHQ: 4 pm local time (Georgia)
Time we had to get to the terminal: 2 pm local time (Georgia)
Time that I left the Georgian city of Batumi: 8 am local time (Georgia) *I was VERY concerned about not getting there on time*
Time that I got to Hopa: 7 am local time *We traveled for an hour, and gained back 2 hours*
Time we were allowed to check-in at Hopa terminal: 2 pm local time (now in Turkey)
Time that we actually took off from Batumi-Hopa Airport: 6 pm local time (back in Georgia)
You will notice some very odd things happening with the timing of things, but the flight landed at the time that it was supposed to in Istanbul. I never reconciled the time that it was supposed to leave with the time that it actually left, but I can safely assume that the time printed on the ticket and listed online was accidentally on Turkish time.
A final note on this airport code- if you return to XHQ, and wish to return to Georgia, you have to cross the border again. The bus that took you from the Hopa terminal to the Batumi Airport must take you back to the Hopa terminal, where you will disembark. I suppose, if one were determined, one could simply walk through passport control and claim that one had a ticket from BUS...
My pieces of advice for you:
1) Although I arrived horribly early, the border crossing sometimes becomes very congested. I got to the border just as it opened, and was one of the only people there. Also, sometimes the mini-buses won't leave unless they're full. Allow 2 hours for unforeseen problems, which basically means cancelling the time change that you'll have when you enter Turkey.
2) Know how to say basic things in Turkish or Georgian. My second language of choice is Russian, and it got me nowhere in Turkey. Just knowing how to say 'airport' and 'terminal' will be very helpful.
3) Change money into lira (Turkish money) before you get to the border. There were no ATMS there when I was there, so I made sure to change it well beforehand. Sometimes merchants will accept lari (Georgian money. *I had 4 currencies on me at the time of my border crossing :)*
Please enjoy your travels, this is a beautiful part of the world.
Mia
Today I'm going to discuss how to get the most bang for your buck at the Batumi-Hopa Airport, and how to go about checking in if you decide to purchase the cheapest tickets. First, some background information!
The Batumi-Hopa Airport has two airport codes- BUS and XHQ. This is because the airport is used as a domestic airport by both Georgia and Turkey, and is located very close to the border. Tickets from the BUS code are much more expensive, which as a tourist, makes purchasing tickets from XHQ a better financial decision. However, there are some hoops that you'll have to hop through. Sound intriguing?
This is where the airport is located:
The first step to buying tickets from XHQ is going to Turkish Airlines' website, http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-us/. This page has a search engine on it for available flights. Make sure that when you pick the airport of departure, you pick the XHQ code.
Secondly, you must decide where you want to go! The most popular flights out of this airport are to Istanbul, and at this time this blog was written, they were around 70 USD per person for a round trip. However, flights are beginning to be available to London-Stansted, for absurdly low prices.
After you decide where and when you want to go, and buy your tickets, the slightly troublesome part begins. You see, as a XHQ customer, you must check-in at the Hopa 'terminal' in Turkey, from which you will be shuttled across the border to the physical airport. Even if you are coming from Georgia, the country in which the airport is located, you must still check-in in Turkey.
This may sound like a gigantic hassle, but I assure you, it's well worth it. There are mini-buses running from the border town of Sarp to Hopa, as well as taxies, and the terminal is well-marked with signs on the main road. The bus from the terminal to the airport passes through customs at the border with no inspections or stamps, and you don't have to exit the vehicle.
You may also be concerned about how early you have to get to the airport- this is also a non-issue due to the 2 hour time change as soon as you cross the border into Turkey. Let me show you my itinerary for when I flew out of this airport:
Time of flight on ticket for XHQ: 4 pm local time (Georgia)
Time we had to get to the terminal: 2 pm local time (Georgia)
Time that I left the Georgian city of Batumi: 8 am local time (Georgia) *I was VERY concerned about not getting there on time*
Time that I got to Hopa: 7 am local time *We traveled for an hour, and gained back 2 hours*
Time we were allowed to check-in at Hopa terminal: 2 pm local time (now in Turkey)
Time that we actually took off from Batumi-Hopa Airport: 6 pm local time (back in Georgia)
You will notice some very odd things happening with the timing of things, but the flight landed at the time that it was supposed to in Istanbul. I never reconciled the time that it was supposed to leave with the time that it actually left, but I can safely assume that the time printed on the ticket and listed online was accidentally on Turkish time.
A final note on this airport code- if you return to XHQ, and wish to return to Georgia, you have to cross the border again. The bus that took you from the Hopa terminal to the Batumi Airport must take you back to the Hopa terminal, where you will disembark. I suppose, if one were determined, one could simply walk through passport control and claim that one had a ticket from BUS...
My pieces of advice for you:
1) Although I arrived horribly early, the border crossing sometimes becomes very congested. I got to the border just as it opened, and was one of the only people there. Also, sometimes the mini-buses won't leave unless they're full. Allow 2 hours for unforeseen problems, which basically means cancelling the time change that you'll have when you enter Turkey.
2) Know how to say basic things in Turkish or Georgian. My second language of choice is Russian, and it got me nowhere in Turkey. Just knowing how to say 'airport' and 'terminal' will be very helpful.
3) Change money into lira (Turkish money) before you get to the border. There were no ATMS there when I was there, so I made sure to change it well beforehand. Sometimes merchants will accept lari (Georgian money. *I had 4 currencies on me at the time of my border crossing :)*
Please enjoy your travels, this is a beautiful part of the world.
Mia
Actually, when flying from IST to BUS on a XHQ ticket, it is not recommended to skip the bus and go directly to the passport control (even if you do not have a checked-in luggage). The reason is that there will be no exit Turkish stamp in a traveler's passport. It won't be an immediate hassle but may present difficulties when re-entering Turkey at a later time. And if one has a checked-in luggage, then it will be transported to Hopa anyway :-)
ReplyDeleteI think this trick is on par with the "hidden city" loophole from an airline point of view. I'd also recommend researching another trick known as "Kaliningrad railroad transit" -- if you need to go from Moscow to Vilnius, you can buy a ticket to Kaliningrad (domestic) but exit in Vilnius.
Actually, when flying from IST to BUS on a XHQ ticket, it is not recommended to skip the bus and go directly to the passport control (even if you do not have a checked-in luggage). The reason is that there will be no exit Turkish stamp in a traveler's passport. It won't be an immediate hassle but may present difficulties when re-entering Turkey at a later time. And if one has a checked-in luggage, then it will be transported to Hopa anyway :-)
ReplyDeleteI think this trick is on par with the "hidden city" loophole from an airline point of view. I'd also recommend researching another trick known as "Kaliningrad railroad transit" -- if you need to go from Moscow to Vilnius, you can buy a ticket to Kaliningrad (domestic) but exit in Vilnius.