How to book the Turkish Airlines Istanbul stopover

A Turkish Airlines Istanbul stopover is a pause in Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines itinerary, at the airline's main hub, Istanbul Airport (IST). [2] What those sources do publish is how Turkish Airlines-operated flights earn and redeem miles in two partner programmes, United MileagePlus and Ethiopian ShebaMiles, which is what decides how the Istanbul legs of such an itinerary are treated. [2] [3]

Facts checked: 18 October 2026

Key takeaways

Turkish Airlines is the national airline of Turkey and has its main hub at Istanbul Airport (IST). [2]
Flights operated by AJet are not eligible for mileage accrual or redemption in United MileagePlus. [2]
The same Turkish Airlines booking class can earn at different rates depending on which partner programme the traveller credits: business classes C and D earn 150% in ShebaMiles and 125% in MileagePlus. [2] [3]

What the sources publish

The two pages also give different pictures of the network, which is worth knowing before planning a routing. United's page says Turkish Airlines flies to 352 destinations, 53 in Turkey and 299 international, across 131 countries and five continents [2]. The ShebaMiles page says Turkish Airlines operates scheduled services to 146 international and 41 domestic cities, 38 domestic airports and 187 airports in total [3]. Where published figures differ like this, treat the more detailed route-level information on the airline's own site as the reference before committing to a connection [2] [3].

Earning on the Istanbul legs

Earning rules are programme-specific and apply to Turkish Airlines-operated flights; they do not carry over from one programme to another [2] [3]. In United MileagePlus, where the ticket was bought from another airline, a third-party website or a travel agency, miles are earned on the flight operator, the flight distance as determined by United, and the fare class of the ticket [2]. Business classes C, D, Z and K earn 125%, discount business J earns 100%, full-fare economy Y, B, M and A earn 100%, economy H, S and O earn 100%, discount economy E and Q earn 75% and deep-discount economy T, L and V earn 50%; classes F, G, I, N, P, R, U, W and X earn no miles [2]. Classes S and T are eligible only on United-marketed, Turkish-operated flights within Turkey [2].

MileagePlus excludes flights to and from Cuba and Iran, and flights to and from Venezuela other than Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas (CCS) effective 1 May 2026 [2].
United and Turkish Airlines reserve the right to change the eligible fare classes at any time without notice, and accrual follows the MileagePlus terms in effect at the time of travel rather than at the time of booking [2].
Where the ticket was bought directly from United, miles are earned on the fare price and MileagePlus status instead, with cardmember earn rates listed separately and a separate rate table for tickets issued before 2 April 2026 [2].

In ShebaMiles, business classes C and D earn 150%, Z and K earn 125% and J earns 100%; economy Y earns 100%, M, A and H earn 75%, S, O, E, Q, T and L earn 50% and V earns 25%, while classes W, P, F, U, X and I are not eligible for accrual on Turkish Airlines flights [3]. ShebaMiles credits miles only to members who board a flight, and gives no credit for flights not boarded because of delay or cancellation [3]. Only base miles earned on Turkish Airlines flights count as status miles in that programme, and missing miles can be claimed retroactively within 12 months of the flight date [3]. Registering the same flights with two programmes is prohibited, and miles already credited to one programme cannot be converted to the other [3].

Booking with partner miles

Under United MileagePlus rules, miles can be used for regular award flights on Turkish Airlines, booked online or through the reservations line [2]. Service charges may apply depending on the type of ticket, the travel dates and MileagePlus status, and award tickets cannot be issued at the airport [2]. Miles can also be used to upgrade a ticket with Star Alliance Upgrade Awards, and members with Premier status flying Turkish Airlines also receive Star Alliance Gold or Silver benefits [2].

Exceptions and limits

Scope of this page.
Not in the sources.
Airline scope. The MileagePlus exclusions show that eligibility on a Turkish Airlines itinerary is not automatic for every flight in the market: AJet-operated flights are outside accrual and redemption, and some destination restrictions apply by country [2].
Time of travel. Because accrual follows the terms in effect when the flight is taken, a stopover planned well ahead may be credited under fare-class rules that differ from those published at the time of booking [2].

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Turkish Airlines' own stopover terms, and programmes other than United MileagePlus and Ethiopian ShebaMiles, are not covered here.

United Airlines — Earn United Miles on Turkish Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles — Turkish Airlines partner page, checked 18 October 2026