Turkish Airlines
is nearly 100 years old. Founded in 1933 with five planes and less than 30 employees, the airline has grown significantly over the years, becoming a global carrier. Its first international overseas flight was in 1947.
The first flight to the United States (US) took place in 1988 when the airline had a flight to New York with a stop in Brussels. Since then, the Turkish flag carrier has grown its US network to 14 destinations. With the most recent addition of Denver, the airline is on track to double its pre-pandemic capacity throughout the summer.
When launched, Turkish planned to fly its Denver service thrice weekly and then increase to four flights in July. The airline recently announced that it would have daily operations between the two cities next summer.
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TK also plans to announce a number of new US routes in the new year.
According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, Turkish Airlines is serving all 14 destinations this month:
- New York (JFK)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Washington (IAD)
- Miami (MIA)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Houston (IAH)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Detroit (DTW)
- Seattle (SEA)
- Newark (EWR)
- Boston (BOS)
- Denver (DEN)
Of the fourteen destinations on this list, the first eight have more than one daily flight throughout the month.
New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
19 weekly flights
The busiest route in Turkish’s US network this month is from Istanbul Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Data shows there are 19 weekly flights between the two cities. On Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, there are three flights and on Mondays and Wednesdays there are two.
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
With 82 flights in each direction, Turkish has 54,712 seats available on the 5,001-mile route. Four different aircraft types are deployed to JFK, the Airbus A330-300, A350-900, Boeing 777-300ER, and 787-9. The most-used aircraft are the 777-300ER and the A330-300.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Twice daily
The second-busiest route is to Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX), which is the longest route on this list. The flight to Los Angeles is 6,852 miles long and is operated twice daily for almost the entire month except for three days. Only two aircraft types are deployed to LAX, making the airline’s daily seat offering the same on days with two flights.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Data shows that there is about an even split between the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER, the latter of which has a higher seat capacity. The 777 has 349 seats in a two-cabin configuration, 49 seats in business class, and 300 in economy. The A350 has 28 business class seats and 288 economy seats.
There are 114 total flights in November and 38,004 seats available.
Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD)
12 weekly flights
The third route, which has more than one daily flight, is to the home of Turkish Airlines’ Star Alliance partner, 
United Airlines
(UA). Data shows the airline has 12 weekly flights scheduled throughout November, with two daily flights on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Turkish only has one flight to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on Mondays and Thursdays.
Photo: MBekir | Shutterstock
The 5,474-mile route has 104 flights in November, with 34,140 seats available. The Chicago route is the first on this list to only have operations on Boeing aircraft. The 777-300ER is scheduled for a majority of the flights, but the 787-9 is also deployed regularly.
The 787-9s have 300 seats, 30 in business class and 270 in economy.
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
12 weekly flights
Washington Dulles International Airport
(IAD), located in Virginia but serving Washington DC, has 12 weekly flights for most of the month, but one less flight than Chicago. Turkish has two flights on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Mondays and Thursdays have one flight. There are 102 flights and 33,540 seats between Istanbul and Washington.
Photo: James Kirkikis | Shutterstock
The flight to Washington, also a hub for United, is 5,225 miles long. Like with Chicago, Turkish only deploys Boeing aircraft to IAD, the 787-9 and 777-300ER. Turkish has a lounge at the airport, one of three in the US and one of six outside of Turkey.
Miami (MIA) and San Francisco (SFO) airports
10 weekly flights
Miami and San Francisco both have the same number of flights in November but a slightly different seat offering because of aircraft deployed. Data shows that to Miami International Airport
(MIA), Turkish has ten weekly flights. On Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays there is one flight, while on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, there are two.
Photo: Miami International Airport
Turkish’s operations at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are the exact same as Miami’s in terms of frequencies and days of the week. The 777-300ER operates San Francisco flights and 787-9 and the same goes for Miami. Miami, although not at the top of this list, is another airport that has Turkish lounges in two different terminals.
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The airline’s first flight from Seoul to San Francisco took place in 1994.
Houston (IAH) and Dallas (DFW) airports
9 weekly flights
The two remaining airports on this list are Texas airports, one of which is home to 
American Airlines
(AA) and the other which is a United hub. Cirium shows there are nine weekly flights scheduled to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston. Sundays and Thursdays each have two daily flights while the rest of the week has just one.
Photo: via Jamal Hamza, Regional Marketing and Sales Operations Manager, Turkish Airlines.
Turkish is scheduled to deploy the 787-9 for most of the flights between Istanbul and Houston, but there are a few on the 777-300ERs as well. The airline’s operations to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) vary throughout the month, with daily flights this week but eight flights next week, two of them on Saturday. The 6,275-mile route has 70 roundtrip flights and 21,000 seats in November.
Unlike most routes on this list, DFW is only served by one aircraft type, the Boeing 787-9.