Fly Turkish Business Class to Istanbul from 44K Points

Fly Turkish Business Class to Istanbul for 55K Points — Turkish Airlines Business Class

Fly Turkish Airlines Flat Bed Business Class to Istanbul from 44K Citi points each way on select dates February-May 2026, thanks to a current 50% Citi transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines Business Class has various layouts; the older product on the Boeing 777 and A330 are in a 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 configuration. Look instead to fly on its 787 Dreamliner or A350 aircraft, where each seat has direct aisle access.

While Istanbul is well worth exploring, it's also easy to fly elsewhere in Europe; nonstop flights to Athens take 1.5 hours, Vienna is 2.5 hours, Rome and Prague are less than 3 hours, Nice is a little over 3 hours, and Marrakech is 5.5 hours.

Turkish Airlines U.S. Gateway Cities and How to Book

Turkish Miles&Smiles frequent flyer program charges 65,000 miles each way, but there's a current 50% Citi ThankYou points transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines, such that 44,000 Citi ThankYou points transfer into 65,000 Turkish Airlines miles. Keep in mind these are saver level rates; consider checking award availability via United or another Star Alliance partner to pinpoint the saver level award dates. Also note that if you've only just opened a Turkish Miles&Smiles account, points transfers may not be instant.

It's also possible to book with 69,000 Avianca LifeMiles or 88,000 United miles, but only flights from Atlanta ATL.

Alternatively, reserve using United MileagePlus miles; United charges 88,000 miles each way.

Atlanta: a few March-May and July-August 2026 dates available for ATL-IST; a handful of March-May 2026 dates for IST-ATL
Chicago: decent availability Jan.-April and Aug.-Sep. 2026 for ORD-IST and Feb.-April 2026 for IST-ORD
Montreal: decent availability Feb.-May and Aug.-Sep. 2026 for YUL-IST and Feb.-May 2026 for IST-YUL
New York JFK: decent availability Jan.-May and Aug.-Sep. 2026 for JFK-IST, and Feb.-July 2026 for IST-JFK
Newark (A350 and A350 with Suites): a few dates Jan.-Feb. 2026 and good availability March-May and Aug.-Sep. 2026 for EWR-IST; a few dates Jan.-Feb. 2026 and good availability March-May 2026 for IST-EWR
Washington, DC: decent availability Jan.-May and Aug.-Sep. 2026 for IAD-IST and March-May 2026 for IST-IAD

Something to note, however: we don't recommend Turkish Airlines for passengers with severe peanut or nut allergies, as there have been a number of unfortunate incidents involving allergy sufferers. See Nut Allergy? Don’t Fly Turkish Airlines

Where to Stay in Istanbul

We recommend staying at the new Peninsula Istanbul.

If venturing southwest to Marrakech, we recommend The Oberoi Marrakech or Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains; January-February is an excellent time of year to visit Morocco.