Which Flight Details Should You Give Your Transfer Company When You Have a Connection?

If you're flying direct, there's usually only one flight number to enter when you book an airport transfer.

A connecting journey is different. Your itinerary may show two or three flights, several airports and more than one arrival time.

So which one does your transfer company actually need?

Use the flight that lands at the airport where your transfer begins.

If you're travelling:

Manchester → Istanbul → Antalya

your Antalya Airport transfer should be booked using the Istanbul → Antalya flight.

That's the flight bringing you to your driver.

Start With Your Pickup Airport

The easiest way to avoid confusion is to work backwards from where you're being picked up.

If your transfer starts at Antalya Airport (AYT), find the flight on your itinerary that arrives at AYT.

If you're being picked up at Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport (GZP), find the flight that arrives at GZP.

For example:

London → Istanbul — TK1984
Istanbul → Antalya — TK2410

For an Antalya Airport pickup, the flight number you need is:

TK2410

Your London flight is obviously part of your journey, but it ends in Istanbul. It doesn't identify your arrival in Antalya.

A useful rule of thumb is:

Use the flight you'll step off just before meeting your driver.

What If Both Flights Are on the Same Booking?

It doesn't make a difference.

You may have booked the whole journey in one transaction and received a single PNR, but each flight is still a separate leg of the trip.

Take this itinerary:

Hamburg → Istanbul
Istanbul → Antalya

Even if both flights are with the same airline and appear on the same ticket, your Antalya transfer should use the details for the second flight.

Your PNR identifies your airline booking. The flight number identifies the flight that's actually bringing you into Antalya.

Which Arrival Time Should You Enter?

Use the scheduled local arrival time for the flight landing at your pickup airport, unless your transfer provider specifically asks for something else.

For example:

London → Istanbul
Arrives: 14:10

Istanbul → Antalya
Arrives: 17:45

For your Antalya Airport transfer, enter:

17:45

Don't use the Istanbul arrival time.

And don't change 17:45 to 18:30 because you think it might take 45 minutes to collect your bags and leave the terminal.

If the booking form asks for your flight arrival time, enter the time shown on your itinerary.

Do You Need to Add Time for Baggage Collection?

Usually, no.

Your flight arrival time and the time you walk into the arrivals hall are two different things.

A flight scheduled to arrive at 18:20 doesn't mean you'll be in your transfer vehicle at 18:20. You may still need to get off the aircraft, go through passport control where applicable, collect your luggage and make your way through the terminal.

But you shouldn't turn that 18:20 flight into a 19:00 arrival on the booking form.

If the form asks for the flight arrival time, use the airline's scheduled time.

If it asks for a requested pickup time, follow the transfer provider's instructions for that field.

What Happens If Your First Flight Is Delayed?

It depends on whether you still make your connection.

Let's say you're travelling:

Berlin → Istanbul → Antalya

Your flight from Berlin leaves late.

You still catch the original Antalya flight

If you make your connection and board the same Istanbul → Antalya flight you were originally booked on, your Antalya arrival flight hasn't changed.

There's no new flight number to provide.

You miss the connection

This is when you need to update your transfer company.

Suppose your original booking was:

TK2410
Arrival in Antalya: 18:15

After missing your connection, the airline rebooks you onto:

TK2420
Arrival in Antalya: 21:40

Your transfer company now needs the new flight details.

A useful update would be:

“I've been rebooked onto TK2420, arriving at Antalya Airport at 21:40.”

That's much more useful than simply saying:

“My flight is delayed.”

The transfer operator needs to know which flight you're now arriving on.

What If You're Rebooked for the Following Day?

A missed connection can occasionally turn into an overnight delay.

If your replacement flight arrives the following day, update your transfer provider once the airline confirms your new itinerary.

Send the new:

• flight number;
• arrival date;
• scheduled arrival time;
• and arrival airport if it has changed.

Your airline and your transfer company use separate booking systems. A change made by the airline won't automatically update a transfer reservation you booked elsewhere.

What If the Airline Changes Your Trip Before Departure?

Airlines sometimes change schedules days or weeks before travel.

You don't necessarily need to worry about every change to an earlier flight.

What matters is whether the flight bringing you into your pickup airport has changed.

For example:

Original itinerary

Berlin → Istanbul — Flight A
Istanbul → Antalya — Flight C

Updated itinerary

Berlin → Istanbul — Flight B
Istanbul → Antalya — Flight C

Your first flight has changed, but you're still scheduled to arrive in Antalya on Flight C.

From an airport pickup perspective, the important arrival remains the same.

If Flight C changes as well, send the updated details to your transfer provider.

What If You Have Two Connections?

The same rule still works.

For example:

Edinburgh → Amsterdam → Istanbul → Antalya

For an Antalya Airport pickup, use the:

Istanbul → Antalya

flight.

Or:

Oslo → Copenhagen → Istanbul → Gazipaşa

For a Gazipaşa pickup, use:

Istanbul → Gazipaşa

It doesn't matter how many flights appear before it. You're looking for the one that actually lands at your pickup airport.

What If Your Arrival Flight Is a Codeshare?

A connecting flight can also be a codeshare, so you may see two flight numbers for the same final leg.

For example:

Istanbul → Antalya — AB200
Operated as XY300

You've already identified Istanbul → Antalya as the flight you need.

Now check the operating flight number.

If it's clearly shown, the operating number is generally the most useful reference to provide. In this example:

XY300

If you're unsure, give the transfer provider both:

AB200 / XY300

For more detail on this, see our guide to which flight number to use for an airport transfer, including codeshare and operating flight numbers.

Check Whether You're Flying Into AYT or GZP

If your hotel is in Alanya, don't assume that your flight automatically lands at one particular airport.

Alanya travellers commonly use:

AYT — Antalya Airport

and:

GZP — Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport

These are separate airports.

Check the destination code on your arrival flight.

For example:

Berlin → Istanbul → AYT

means your transfer starts at Antalya Airport.

Berlin → Istanbul → GZP

means your transfer starts at Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport.

The hotel destination may be Alanya in both cases, but the airport pickup is completely different.

What If You Arrive After Midnight?

Use the local date on which your flight arrives at the pickup airport.

For example:

You leave London on:

12 June at 20:30

After connecting in Istanbul, your flight arrives in Antalya on:

13 June at 03:15

For your airport transfer, the relevant arrival date is:

13 June

not 12 June.

On overnight journeys, always check the date printed next to the arrival at AYT or GZP rather than relying on the date you left home.

What If Your Arrival Airport Changes?

Contact your transfer provider if the airline moves you to a flight arriving at a different airport.

For example, changing from:

Antalya Airport (AYT)

to:

Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport (GZP)

isn't simply a change of flight number or arrival time. Your pickup location has changed.

The transfer company needs to know about that change before your arrival.

Do You Need to Send Your Whole Itinerary?

Usually, the flight bringing you into the pickup airport is the key information.

If your journey is:

Manchester → Istanbul → Antalya

the important flight for your Antalya pickup is:

Istanbul → Antalya

If your transfer provider asks for your full itinerary, you can provide it as additional information. But the flight arriving in Antalya should always be easy to identify.

What If Two Passengers Arrive on Different Flights?

This is different from having a connection.

Suppose two people want to share one transfer, but one arrives from London and the other from Berlin.

There are now two separate arrivals.

Give the transfer company both flight numbers and arrival times.

Whether the passengers can use the same transfer will depend on how far apart the flights are and the provider's waiting arrangements.

Don't enter only one flight and assume the second passenger's arrival will be covered automatically.

Before You Book: A 30-Second Check

Before submitting your transfer reservation, make sure these details all belong to the same arrival:

Airport
Is your flight landing at AYT or GZP?

Flight number
Is it the flight that actually lands there?

Arrival time
Are you using the scheduled local arrival time?

Arrival date
Have you checked the local date, especially if you land after midnight?

If your airline later puts you on a different arrival flight, send the new details to your transfer provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which flight number should I use if I have a connecting flight?

Use the flight that lands at the airport where your transfer begins. For London → Istanbul → Antalya, use the Istanbul → Antalya flight.

What should I do if I miss my connection?

Once the airline confirms your replacement flight, send the new flight number, arrival time and arrival date to your transfer provider.

Should I add extra time for baggage collection?

Not if the booking form asks for your scheduled flight arrival time. Enter the time shown on your itinerary unless the transfer provider specifically asks for a pickup time instead.

Which date should I use if my flight arrives after midnight?

Use the local date on which your flight arrives at the airport where your transfer begins.

How do I know whether I'm arriving at Antalya Airport or Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport?

Check the destination code on your arrival flight. AYT is Antalya Airport and GZP is Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport.

The Bottom Line

If your itinerary includes a connection, you don't need to overthink the flight details for your airport transfer.

Find the airport where your driver will meet you, then find the flight that lands there.

That's the flight to use.

For an Alanya transfer, check whether you're arriving at Antalya Airport (AYT) or Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport (GZP) and provide the flight number, scheduled local arrival time and local arrival date for that flight.

If you miss a connection and the airline puts you on a different flight, update your transfer provider once the new arrival is confirmed.

The goal is simple: make sure your transfer booking points to the flight you're actually arriving on.