Dalaman fiasco

[SuzzPuss]

My solution is to travel with Easyjet and get everything you need into your cabin baggage, print off your own boarding card and go nowhere near check in   

Not always possible or practical I realise. 

We do that Scunner.  We check in online and take our clothes in hand luggage.  Monarch allow you quite a large piece of hand luggage weighing up to 10kg!  Plenty for me, even for 2 weeks.  I just do a wash half way through.  Everything dries in no time in that heat.  At busy times of year when the plane is fairly full they request that you check in your hand luggage anyway but they don't force you or charge you.  We always do it because we don't want to be antisocial and the luggage lockers get very full.  Gets you through the cues faster though and when the flights aren't full it saves waiting for luggage at the other end.

[Scunner]

 and when the flights aren't full it saves waiting for luggage at the other end.

It does that even when the flights are full Suzz  

[SuzzPuss]

Except when the flights are full we check it in so as not to be antisocial.   

[John H]

We flew out from Dalaman late on Friday,28th.
Entry to the airport and check in went well and fairly quickly but the security check before Duty Free and departure areas became a bit of a shambles. We each had a small haversack as carry on luggage and these had to pass through the scanner twice before were told to empty them.
The items of interest in my wife's luggage were two boxes of Turkish delight and a small one cell Maglite torch attached to one of the straps of my haversack seemed to totally confuse the security staff. This torch has been carried in this way to Turkey for the previous 18/19 years without comment.
My wife's passport was demanded and an entry made in the "naughty book".
The male security officer dealing with us was very agitated and constantly shouting at his colleagues and a seemed a bit detached from what he was actually doing with us.
I noticed at the other security counters that there was a lot of bag emptying going on.
Deliberate attempt to annoy or just an awkward shift?

[marina]

I think that it is unfair to blame Dalaman check-in.

Have a close look at the delays caused by your fellow travellers with their oversize/overweight cabin and hold luggage . None of whom have ever flown before and knew nothing of baggage restrictions.

I have no doubt at all that some of the delays are caused by fellow passengers, and not just people who have never flown before either but some who 'try it on' to get away with more luggage than they are entitled to.  But still think much of the problem is down to staff on the desks. 

[cobbydalers]

Our family flew home last night just had an email from my son he said it was a nightmare, queues booking in, queues at  passport desk and queues at duty free they were there in good time but still pushed to board flight. His main grumble was inhospitable staff and no air con. Welcome to Dalaman. !!

[HappyMonday]

Personally I cant fault Dalaman check in. Last year I sold our apartment and we were bring what we could back to the UK.  Most were in our cases but I accidentally did a REALLY STUPID thing and packed all my tools (power tools, basic tools and other things) into an item of hand luggage. At Security scanning I was taken aside and asked to empty my hand luggage  and with my wife Angela rolling her eyes in the background brought all this stuff out.  The Security guys were not concerned at all and suggested that I put these items into my main baggage. However, when we checked in we had already been over weight and got away with it and so I did not want them to check this (the total cost of the tools were about £25) so I just suggested that I leave the items there.  Immediately the Security guys got concerned and several started shaking their heads.  One left and shortly after the Captain of the plane that I was to fly in turned up. Despite my protests he demanded that I repack everything and that he would personally make sure that it went into the baggage on the plane.  I was very pleasantly surprised by all this and am sure that if the same thing had happened at the UK end it would have been a different story!

[AOK]

This is from the Dalaman Airport website

"Let us know your wishes and suggestions!"
Any information you will transfer to us carries utmost importance for to serve you better.

Please share your views, recommendations, criticisms and wishes with us.

info@atmairport.aero

     

[Lotty]

Wow Happy Monday, good to read such a great positive post about Dalaman airport. Its not all bad then! Yet only last year, bit confused as to what's happened?