Holidays on the Turkish Riviera can be truly fantastic. For example, in the Robinson Club Pamfilya. It is an oasis far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to-do lists and hasty snacks during the (too) short lunch break. If you are looking for delicious food, a varied sports program and Caribbean conditions on the beach, you are in the right place. Our family vacation this summer confirmed this to me once again.
But enough flattery. Because the Mediterranean holiday hotspot has a big problem: travelling to Turkey and back is often a horror. On the one hand, it’s Antalya airport, which are unable to cope with the large influx of travellers in the high season. On the other hand, airlines are not completely exempt from this bad travel experience. For example, if – as in our case – the web check-in fails. So summer vacation travel can quickly turn into a challenge..
Tour operators lure you with VIP upgrades
Hotels and tour operators are aware of the chaos. That’s why they offer their customers VIP packages to Antalya Airport. This also includes the TUI travel group. It advertises such an upgrade with flyers and thus hits the nerves of many travelers. The TUI travel guide tells me that there is particularly great interest among Robinson Club guests in the VIP package.
We decide to book the upgrade as well. Although I have to swallow when I find out the price. The package costs 89 euros per person – including our two children, aged nine and twelve. For us as a family, that’s an impressive 356 euros. In order not to spend the entire holiday budget, we skip the planned off-road tour in the mountains instead. If that means we can get home without any effort, I’m happy to accept it.
The VIP package promises a touch of glamour: priority check-in, baggage and passport control, plus up to two hours in the lounge with free wifi, magazines and snacks. With the expected rush to the airport and the threat of delayed departures, which is always a possibility, especially in high season, it seems like wellness. For a place of rest in the midst of the madness.
Top marks for pace, deductions for lounge
Our departure day starts off relaxed. We don’t have to leave until noon. Before that, we have breakfast one last time, pack our bags and finally check out. Shortly before 11:30, the bus picks us up for the transfer to the airport.
The journey becomes a test of patience. Not because there is too much traffic, but because the driver takes it easy. Very easy. He keeps typing on his cell phone, which he has connected to a device on the dashboard. We crawl into the right lane while cars whizz past us on the left. There are also many trucks that travel faster than us. We need a quarter of an hour more than usual for the transfer. That means: we reach Antalya airport at 12:45, two hours and ten minutes before the scheduled departure.
At 12:47 we show up at the VIP counter in front of Terminal 1. Then we go through a separate entrance to the upstream security checkpoint. Right next to it are the check-in counters for priority passengers. The mood of the employees? Rather subdued! We are not exactly given to sitting on our hands. But whatever. The main thing is that the pace is right. And it does.
From check-in, an elevator quickly takes us to the upper floor, where security and passport control await us. Always there: an airport employee who allows us to move forward. Because there are no separate entrances for VIPs. We go through the security gates that all other passengers also use. The difference is that we do not have to stand at the back of the long queue, but can go straight to the front. Which understandably does not encourage other passengers to jump for joy.
At 13:11 – just 24 minutes after our arrival at the VIP counter in front of the terminal – we are in the lounge. It is impressive. Without preferential treatment it would have taken at least twice as long and a lot of nerves. That means: Part 1 of our update deserves top marks. It rightly bears the title “VIP”.
This no longer applies completely to the second part. The room is furnished a bit spartanly and at first glance it appears a bit squalid. Several tables are scattered, ours is sticky. At least we found free seats right away. This does not seem to be obvious. Because the room is quite full. What works perfectly is the WiFi. A factor not to be overlooked when it comes to wasting time until departure.
The food selection also met our expectations. Chicken, potatoes and vegetables are offered as hot dishes. There are also sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, sweets such as muffins and a wide selection of drinks. The quality is consistent. Some taste good, others not so much. The sandwiches, for example, are dry.
After exactly one hour our stay in the lounge is over. The two women at the reception advise us to go down to the terminal. A little early, as it turns out. We have to wait almost an hour at the gate to board because the plane is delayed.
Anyway: All in all, our time at Antalya airport was relaxed. No comparison to the nerve-wracking hours of last summer. That’s why it’s clear to me: the VIP upgrade was worth it after all. Although I think the prices for children are too high. Because the almost two-hour preferential treatment at the airport costs more than a whole day at Europa-Park Rust, including lunch.
In this case, an additional upgrade would be appropriate. This is only available for children under the age of six. And the prices are still quite high: for children from two to five years of age, the upgrade costs 45 euros per child. Only children up to the age of one are free. Conclusion: If you don’t want to get on the plane completely exhausted, you should treat yourself if possible. At least until Antalya Airport is completely expanded and is then on the same level as other holiday airports such as Mallorca. That should be ready next spring.