How to Book Travel on Altyn Air

Altyn Air is a reasonably new airline in Kyrgyzstan. It's built to match the worldwide standard in airlines for domestic and international flights. Follow these steps to book travel to Kyrgyzstan on Altyn Air.

Things You'll Need

• Passport and valid visa
• Computer with Internet access
• Valid credit card

Instructions

Book Your Ticket for Altyn Air

1. Purchase your ticket for Altyn Air online. Altyn Air's Web site (see Resources below) provides an English translation and straight-forward directions. You'll also find a lot of other good information on their site. You can also call their booking office at 011 ([phone].

2. Purchase your ticket through a travel agent. Travel agencies are trustworthy and will do the work for you. Unfortunately, most mainstream online agencies do not cater to Altyn Air; so you'll have to find an agent familiar with this region.

Choose a Destination for Your Altyn Air Flight

1. Fly international to nearby cities outside of Kyrgyzstan. Flights from Osh only go to Urumqi and Dushanbe. Flights from Bishkek go to all Altyn Air's international destinations, except for the flights from Urumqi.

2. Fly domestic to one of Altyn Air's Kyrgyzstan destinations. Flights from Osh only go to Bishkek and Tamshy. All other cities except Tamshy flights connect to Bishkek.

Choose a Departure City for Your Altyn Air Flight

1. Fly international from Bishkek, Altyn Air's main hub, select Central Asian cities, a couple Russian cities and Hanover, Germany. Some additional short international flights depart from Osh as well.

2. Fly domestic from 5 different cities in Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek, Osh, Batken, Tamshy and Djalal-Abad. Most flights start at Bishkek or Osh.

Tips & Warnings

• Altyn Air recommends you arrive at the airport 1 and a half hours prior to a domestic flight and 2 and a half hours prior to an international flight.

• Make sure that your visa is valid for the arrival date on your ticket and that your surname is spelled correctly.

• Altyn Air awards a free one-way flight on every 10th domestic flight that you book. They provide a 50 percent discount on every 6th international flight that you book. See the Web site (below) for details.

• All phone numbers include the U.S. international prefix "011." When calling internationally outside the United States, substitute that "011" with "00."

• All country codes are within parentheses and begin with a "+" sign.

• Many major airlines will fly international to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Check out one of the mainstream online travel agencies to compare prices on Bishkek flights.

• The check-in counter will close 40 minutes prior to departure time. Make sure you check in before then.

• For most economy-class tickets, Altyn Air will allow 20 kilograms worth of luggage before charging additional fee. Business class will be somewhere around 30 kilograms. The exact limit will be written on the ticket.

• For most, U.S. citizens included, a visa is required for entry into Kyrgyzstan.