Pegasus Airlines is commonly known by the stylised name Flypgs, which I’ve always thought doesn’t read as very complimentary in English. It’s Turkey’s second largest airline after national carrier Turkey Airlines but has grown quickly since its first commercial flights took to the skies in 2005.
Billed as a low-cost carrier, Pegasus is undoubtedly a no-frills flying experience with prices that reflect as much. Yet in some ways, it also operates like a full-service carrier with features you don’t find in most budget airlines, such as the ability to book connecting flights.
Network and fleet
Headquartered in Istanbul, Pegasus’s primary hub is at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport on the Asian side of the city. Don’t get this confused with the city’s newer Istanbul Airport on the European side, which is among the best in the world – where it also flies a couple of routes from. Pegasus operates several other bases out of domestic airports including those at tourist hotspots like Adana and Antalya.
Turkey’s geography allows Pegasus to serve a huge international reach, despite its low-cost approach. While domestic and European routes are the primary focus, it also services North Africa, the Middle East and large swathes of Eastern Asia, including lesser connected destinations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. That network extends to 139 destinations across 53 countries, with around a quarter of those domestic. In 2023, passenger numbers were the airline’s highest ever – a shade under 32 million people.
Pegasus also operates a network of connecting routes that greatly extend its reach. These can be transfers directly between Pegasus flights or, thanks to interline agreements, with other airlines including Emirates and Air Transat. Connections can be something of a minefield, as different connecting routes come with different rules, especially if you’re self transferring.
When connecting, always check in to both flights independently. It’s also vital to know if your checked baggage needs to be collected at the transfer point or will be delivered directly to your end destination. Interline agreements mean the latter and also include guarantees for missed flights due to late connections.
The Pegasus fleet is now almost entirely made up of narrowbody Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, with planes averaging a very spritely five years old. There are a few legacy Boeing 737-800s operating but these are being phased out as part of the company’s modernisation and expansion plans.
Fares and classes
There’s only one way to travel with Pegasus, and that’s economy class. With its very modern fleet, that’s not necessarily a chore though, as the majority of its flights take only a few hours. In standard low-cost carrier fashion, it offers four fare packages with familiar sounding names – Light, Saver, Saver Plus and Comfort Flex.
You can check in for flights online and via the Pegasus app from between 72 hours and 45 minutes before your flight, or 30 minutes for domestic flights. Due to the nature of some of its destination airports, not all routes offer online check in so be sure to check before you fly.
When it comes to budget airlines, I’m usually a stickler for the ‘cheapest fare is best’ rule. I hate to pay for things I don’t need, like priority boarding or seat selection – especially on short haul flights, and even more so when it’s cheaper to add the extras I do want later. Pegasus, however, is slightly different.
I’m a big fan of how it organises its fare packages – what it includes or leaves to choice – and have almost always found the price increases from package to package to be very good value. And as many Pegasus flights are slightly longer than the average European short haul, those extra few pounds for food, in-flight Wi-Fi or extra legroom have usually felt like money well spent.
Light
The cheapest fare is available only on Pegasus international flights. It includes the bare minimum – your flight ticket and a 40cm x 30cm x 15cm personal bag that should fit under the seat in front. Pegasus is the only very few airlines that also stipulates a weight limit for that bag, at 3kg. The only other thing you get is BolPoints, if you’re a part of the Pegasus BolBol rewards programme.
As is the usual case, you can add a raft of extras to your Light fare during the booking process, from carry-on to checked luggage, seats, meals and flexibility around booking changes and cancellations. I’ve never been able to figure out why Light fares aren’t available on domestic flights, as it seems to me that would be the biggest market for this fare type. Or perhaps that’s exactly why it’s not available, to force flyers into paying for the Saver fare instead.
Saver
The cheapest option for domestic flights, Saver fares include both a carry-on bag up to 55cm x 40cm x 20cm and 8kg, and a checked bag up to 15kg on domestic flights and 20kg on international flights, including Cyprus. Saver fares don’t include seat selection or any food options by default, but you can add these as extras when booking.
A word of warning, Pegasus staff have quite the reputation as being sticklers for carry-on baggage restrictions. It’s commonplace to see them sizing up and weighing worried passengers’ bags at the gate, ground worker poised in the background ready to issue a penalty fee and whisk it into the hold. Don’t fall foul and stick to the weight restrictions – for both paid carry-on and your free personal bag.
Saver Plus
The next fare up adds to the pot with some nice in-cabin inclusions, alongside an increase in checked bag weight for domestic flights to 20kg. Notably, Saver Plus includes standard seat selection, which includes window, middle and aisle seats. When booking seats as a separate extra, Pegasus charges more for window and aisle seats than it does for the dreaded middle seat.
Alongside seat selection, you’ll get a sandwich on most routes (if not on yours they’ll tell you at the time of booking so you don’t board hungry) and access to the Pegasus in-flight Wi-Fi entertainment system, called Fly&Watch. Note that you’ll need your own device to access this, as planes don’t have in-seat screens.
Comfort Flex
The premium fare package is Comfort Flex, which as the name suggests adds an extra level of comfort and flexibility to your booking. Seat selection includes extra legroom seats which are infinitely more comfortable than the standard option. Even better, you can change flights or cancel and get a full refund (minus the service fee) up to two hours before departure time. Considering the minimal price increase for a Comfort Flex fare, it’s a great option if you have any doubts about your plans or if they might change.
Onboard – seats, food and facilities
Pegasus’s modern fleet means you can expect the onboard experience to be pretty good. My journeys have been in clean, well-maintained cabins with some nice touches that elevate it above the typical budget experience such as faux-leather seats, infinitely nicer than the cloth covers budget airlines usually plump for.
Otherwise seats are the standard narrowbody plane setup – non-reclining, narrow and no power socket or USB charging. Legroom (pitch) is 30 inches and seat width 18 inches, perfectly reasonable for short-haul but more challenging for longer flights. If you’re flying for three-plus hours, I’d definitely recommend upgrading to an emergency seat.
All flights offer WiFi and connectivity to the Pegasus entertainment platform, Fly&Watch. Some of the old 737-800s feature overhead TVs in the cabin, but these are largely useless for watching anything. Instead, if you’ve got your own device you can connect online and dip into the reasonably extensive film and TV library. The real value of Fly&Watch is the WiFi connectivity though, as most modern travellers are happy downloading content from their own streaming subscriptions before the flight.
Food comes via the Pegasus Café, a posh name for the usual trolley of sandwiches and snacks. You can also order hot food either in advance when booking or directly on board – although don’t expect all flights to have all meal options available at all times. If you’ve booked a Saver Plus or Comfort Flex ticket, you’ll get a sandwich as part of the deal. Happily, I’d rate Pegasus as having perhaps the best food of all budget airlines. One thing to note, if you’re buying onboard I’ve noticed that it’s more expensive to pay by cash than card.
Frequent flyer rewards
Pegasus’s rewards programme is called BolBol. Free to join, you’ll earn BolPoints on every flight no matter what fare you book. Once you have more than 2,000 points (and you get 1,000 automatically on your first flight as a member), you can start using them to reduce the price of flights.
The scheme has lots of nifty extras rolled in. There are several partner programs, a shop to spend points at, and even a dedicated BolBol Youth scheme with added extras for regular flyers aged 12 to 24.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
