Are nested flight itineraries permitted and feasible?

Question

Suppose there is a PNR with this itinerary:

JFK -> CDG (layover) -> IST (Aug 21)

IST (Sept 3) -> AMS (layover) -> JFK

Suppose I wanted to book a tour around Turkey, working in between those two dates:

SAW (Aug 21) -> ASR

NAV -> SAW (layover) -> ESB

ESB -> ADB

ASB -> SAW (Sept 3)

Where each line is a separate booking

The ticket holder is a U.S. Citizen and resident with a U.S. passport, and has a valid Turkish e-visa.

Questions:

• Is something like this allowed?

• Is there a more favorable way to do this? I fear that I'm provided little protection if one leg of my trip gets cancelled or delayed, as all 4 legs would be under separate itineraries. Or does this not matter? It seems that there are many flights daily for regional Turkish destinations from the main airports here.

• Is there anything else I need to know about this?

Amendment

Originally, my question used the wrong dates. Please reference the updated dates.

The PNR from JFK to IST and back is on one ticket and is already bought.

The Turkey tour I provided is not strict, and is an example only. I plan to take 3-4 flights with a minimum of 2 days at a sub-destination.

Answer 1

Is something like this allowed?

yes, absolutely. Assuming that "ASB" is typo and you actually mean "ADB" these are all domestic Turkish flights. Once you are in the country you can do as many (or little) as you like

Is there a more favorable way to do this?

This is reasonable but I would make sure that arrive in Istanbul one day before your return flights as a extra satiety buffer,.

I fear that I'm provided little protection if one leg of my trip gets cancelled or delayed, as all 4 legs would be under separate itineraries. Or does this not matter?

That's in my opinion the best way of doing it. You could try to book it as a multi-city but that just makes it more difficult to change if something goes wrong one.

It seems that there are many flights daily for regional Turkish destinations from the main airports here.

Exactly. One way flights between most Turkish cities are plentiful and cheap. You can just throw away a ticket and buy a new one if things go sideways. If you need to skip a location, just buy a new ticket and let the unused one lapse. If you are lucky you even got some travel credit for these

Is there anything else I need to know about this?

Make sure you have safety buffers for the important and expensive legs of your trips. Plan on arriving in Istanbul on Sep 2. Make sure you have enough time on Aug 21 since this is a self connection. You need to clear immigration & customs on arrival in IST and transfer to SAW (which is over 100km away). Consider leaving SAW on Aug 22 instead. It's also nice to sleep off the jet lag.

Edit based on comment:

One ticket vs many tickets: Both have their ups and downs. If the AIRLINE changes something, it's better if you have a single ticket. If YOU need to change something, it's much better to have individual tickets. Any change you want to make will cause repricing of the entire itinerary which for a flight like this is likely to be more expensive than just buying a new ticket. However, if you buy a new ticket for just one leg, the airline will cancel all remaining legs of your ticket.

Another advantage of using separate tickets is that you can use both Turkish Air and Pegasus.

Turkish tickets seem to skyrocket by many multiples in price when you buy less than 4-5 days in advance

That's not what I'm seeing. I see them sell out, but if there is a ticket, it's generally cheap. For example if you look for SAW->ARS for Aug 12 (which is already today in Turkey), most flights are sold out, but the one that's available is about $55. Same for Aug 13.

Answer 2

You're not leaving allowance for transfer between airports in Istanbul.

Istanbul airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen (SAW, the new airport on east side on istanbul) are far apart.

If you are going to arrive IST, queue to clear customs, fetch bag, find taxi, argue with the taxi driver for the price, take taxi across the city (1 hour at best, more in traffic), check in again at SAW... you're looking at 6 hours in total, to be safe.

Remember Istanbul is a city of 15 million with corresponding amount of traffic, craziness and risk for delays.

If you didnt factor that in then obviously there's a risk you will miss flights.

Answer 3

It is allowed, as a US citizen you can enter the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 day period and this plan would take 4 days (each calendar day is taken as a whole day, even when you leave just after midnight or arrive just before midnight.)

But I think you are taking huge risks, with the number of flights cancelled or people being booked on an earlier or later flight.

If you want to do nested flights, have a couple of days between the arrival on an airport and leaving from it and even then you do run a risk if the flight is just cancelled and the airline can not re-book you in your window.

You can get stuck in Paris with no way to get to Istanbul, or in Istanbul with no way to get to Amsterdam. Or indeed miss your flight from Amsterdam as your flight from Istanbul is delayed (or re-booked) by a day or your airline re-books you a day early from Amsterdam.
If you book separate tickets, as this plan seems to be about, you are left on your own if any of the flights is not working out for you, often making it needed to buy a new ticket against the prices of the day (often very expensive.)

I think you are better off with a single booking (made up to be one ticket by a reputable airline) which includes all 4 tickets. In that case the airline will get you to your final destination (including home) if any of the flights is cancelled or the time changed to make the connection impossible.

Intercontinental flights are not things to go for the cheapest option these days, much to much risk of things going wrong.

Yes, the flights all on one ticket are more expensive, that is the insurance part of the ticket.

If you had a month in Europe and out of that you wanted to go a week to Istanbul, I would say go for it, but not with just a one day between flights.

All above is without the added risks of your Turkey travel plans, where also a lot can go wrong.

And that is also besides the fact that you will almost spend more time waiting in airports than walking in the cities you want to visit, better have 4 days in Paris and 3 in Amsterdam or fly direct to Turkey and have half your time in Istanbul and the rest in two (or even one) smaller town or some countryside or coastal destination.

Added after the change of the question, (flights to and from Turkey are already booked as a single ticket.)

You do not run the risk of getting stranded on your Schengen stops, as your airline ticket will cover you there. But you do still run the risk of being stuck somewhere in Turkey and you will still spend, relatively, a lot of time in airports waiting for flights.
I have personally noted that a flight of an hour will eat up at least half a day with getting ready and getting to the airport, checking in early enough to be sure to make your flight, and after your flight getting into the town and getting to your next hotel.

My personal advice is to base yourself in one place and see and do things around there, much less time spend in transit so much more time to see things. (It forces you to a different speed, you may see fewer different areas but you will see that one area much better, and have time to actually see things.)