Pegasus Airlines Reviews and Ratings

What to expect from Pegasus Airlines

Amy Lancelotte

By:  Amy Lancelotte

Last Updated:  October 6, 2026

Pegasus Airlines is Turkey's largest privately owned airline, and the one most UK and EU travellers flying to Istanbul, Antalya or the Turkish coast will end up booking. This overview covers what to expect from ticket booking through to boarding, seat comfort, food, and what happens if things go wrong.

Who is Pegasus Airlines

Also known as Flypgs (IATA code PC, call sign Sunturk), Pegasus started out in 1990 as a charter operator and rebranded as a low-cost carrier in 2005. Its main base is Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, alongside several smaller bases across Turkey.

The airline flies to more than 140 destinations in over 50 countries across Turkey, Europe, Asia and Africa, and holds six codeshare agreements with Delta Air Lines, Flynas, ITA Airways, KLM, Nile Air and Qatar Airways. Pegasus was named Europe's Leading Regional Airline in 2015 and Best Low-Cost Airline in 2018, and Skytrax currently certifies it as a 3-Star Low-Cost Airline.

Pegasus flies three fare tiers rather than three cabins in the traditional sense: Economy, Pegasus Plus (its premium economy tier), and Business, which sits within its Business Flex package rather than a fully separate cabin.

How do you book a Pegasus Airlines flight

Booking is straightforward. You can buy tickets through the Flypgs.com website, the Pegasus Airlines app, over the phone on 0888 228 1212, or through a travel agent, and pay securely to receive an e-ticket.

Pegasus groups its fares into what it calls the Flight Smart Package Program, four tiers, Basic, Essentials, Advantage and Business Flex, designed to suit different budgets and travel needs. You can also add individual extras to a Basic fare rather than upgrading the whole ticket.

PRO TIP: Picking the right package upfront is usually cheaper than adding extras piecemeal later, and the higher tiers include free reissuing or cancellation if your plans change.

What are the Pegasus Airlines online check-in windows

Check-in opens at different times depending on your route:

You check in online using your booking reference (PNR) and surname, then either download a mobile boarding pass or print one at home.

If you'd rather not use your phone, Pegasus's self-service kiosks are open for 20 hours a day and handle check-in for both outbound and return flights faster than the desk. The kiosks also reprint tickets and travel documents originally booked through an agent or call centre.

When does Pegasus Airlines check-in close

Arrive at least 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international one, since missing the check-in deadline means Pegasus can deny you boarding altogether.

PRO TIP: If you've checked luggage, you'll need to return it to a desk before the deadline passes. If you're travelling hand baggage only, you can go straight to the gate once you've checked in.

If Pegasus lost or damaged your checked luggage, you can claim up to £1,600 in compensation.

How does Pegasus Airlines boarding work

Boarding gates close 10 minutes before departure on every Pegasus flight, domestic or international, so aim to be at the gate at least 20 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Arriving after boarding closes can mean losing your seat and any rights that come with it.

Pegasus boards by seating class, with economy passengers going last, and gives priority boarding to passengers with disabilities, wheelchair users, and parents travelling with infants.

If you were denied boarding because of overbooking, you could claim up to £520 in compensation.

What's the cabin like on a Pegasus Airlines flight

Passenger reviews consistently describe Pegasus's cabins as clean and well maintained. For a low-cost carrier, the seats are a step up too, leather upholstery, a recline function, decent legroom, and a seat-back pocket with a magazine holder, on a fleet that's entirely single-class.

Onboard entertainment is limited. Only a handful of the airline's Boeing 737-800s carry overhead screens, and those just show a flight progress map rather than films or TV.

Passengers can instead connect their own devices to the Immfly Network for channels including Fox, National Geographic, Euronews and the Financial Times, or use FLY&WATCH, Pegasus's paid entertainment platform, by switching to airplane mode, joining the Pegasus Wi-Fi network, and visiting fun.flypgs.com to pay for films, shows, games and magazines. Pegasus Magazine, the airline's in-flight travel and lifestyle publication, is also available to read on board.

The Flying Cafe sells food and drinks on both domestic and international routes, more on that below.

July 16, 2026
Excellent Experience with Pegasus Airlines
I had a great experience flying with Pegasus Airlines. The ground service was smooth and well-organized, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Onboard, the cabin was new, the seats were comfortable, and the crew was professional and attentive throughout the flight. Everything ran on time and efficiently. Highly recommended!

How much does seat selection cost on Pegasus Airlines

Seat allocation depends on your fare and whether you pay to choose. Business Flex and the higher Flight Smart Package tiers include seat selection, or you can pay for it separately when you book.

On international flights, Pegasus's seat selection starts from $6.99 for aisle seats, rising to $7.99 for window seats, $11.99 for front seats, and $15.99 for extra-legroom seats. Domestic Turkish flights are priced separately in Turkish lira. Prices vary by route and how far ahead you book, so treat these as starting points rather than fixed fees.

Economy gives you the most affordable fares along with reasonable legroom and recline, while Business Flex gets you a noticeably larger seating area. Seats are limited and allocated first come, first served, so if legroom matters to you, it's worth choosing early rather than leaving it to check-in.

Is the food any good on Pegasus Airlines

Don't expect complimentary meals, Pegasus doesn't serve free food on any route, but the Flying Cafe sells snacks, drinks and full menus on board, with 26 different meal options, one of the largest pre-order menus among low-cost carriers.

Ordering in advance gets you a 20% discount, a wider selection than what's available on board, and priority service. The airline works with Do&Co, one of the industry's better-regarded in-flight caterers, and passenger reviews consistently rate the food as surprisingly good for a budget airline.

February 23, 2025
I recently traveled with Pegasus Airlines 22.02.2025, and I must say, it was a profoundly disappointing experience from start to finish. My journey was marked by poor communication, lack of care for passengers, and a general sense of disorganization that left many of us feeling frustrated and helpless. The ordeal began at Amman Airport, where we were informed that our flight would be delayed by 90 minutes. While initially manageable, the situation quickly spiraled. At 2:30 AM, the crew served a meager meal: a sandwich, a slice of cake, and a can of soda. This was the last time we saw any crew member, and it was also the last communication we received from Pegasus regarding our flight status.

What does Pegasus Business Flex include

Business Flex isn't a traditional business class, it's an upgrade you can add to an existing Basic, Essentials or Advantage fare, and most passengers who've flown it say it's worth the extra cost. It includes:

• Free changes or cancellations up to 2 hours before departure
• 15kg of free checked baggage on Turkish domestic flights, or 20kg on international routes
• 12kg of free cabin baggage
• Seat selection, including extra-legroom seats
• A sandwich or hot meal included
• Up to 50% off other travel add-ons

What happens if your Pegasus Airlines flight is delayed or cancelled

Pegasus flights are cancelled or delayed by 3 hours or more often enough that it's worth knowing your rights before you fly. If your Pegasus flight departs from an EU airport, you're covered by EU261, even though Pegasus itself is a Turkish airline, and that gives you the right to claim compensation for cancellations, long delays or denied boarding.

Depending on how far you were flying, you may be entitled to up to €600 in compensation. AirAdvisor can check your eligibility and handle the claim on your behalf, no win, no fee, so it costs nothing to find out where you stand.

You can also request a refund or change your ticket directly through the Pegasus website, app, or its 24/7 call centre, though going through the claims process alone can mean a lot of back and forth with the airline.

Is Pegasus Airlines a safe airline to fly

Pegasus holds a 3-Star Low-Cost Airline certification from Skytrax, covering everything from airport service to cabin cleanliness and crew standards.

PRO TIP: The airline's most serious incident happened on 5 February 2020, when Pegasus flight 2193, a Boeing 737-800, overran the runway on landing at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen. Three of the 183 people on board died, and the remaining 180 were injured. More recently, a Pegasus aircraft overran a runway near Trabzon in December 2025 after departing Ankara Esenboğa, coming to a stop before reaching the sea with no fatalities reported.

Neither incident has stopped Pegasus continuing to invest in its fleet, average aircraft age is under 5 years, and in expanding its route network, and the airline remains one of the most widely used budget carriers across Turkey and the wider region.

Is Pegasus Airlines worth flying

Passenger opinion on Pegasus is genuinely split. Praise clusters around clean, comfortable aircraft, efficient ground handling, friendly cabin crew, and prices that undercut most competitors on Turkish and Eastern European routes. Complaints cluster just as consistently around an unreliable booking system, frequent delays, confusing refund processes, and baggage charges that catch first-time flyers off guard.

Taken together, that's a fairly typical trade-off for a low-cost carrier: a cheap, well-run product with the same friction points that come with almost every budget airline. Our own readers currently rate Pegasus 2.4 out of 5 across 18,963 reviews, reflecting real experiences rather than a marketing score, so it's worth reading a handful of recent reviews above before you book, particularly if you're flying a route or fare type you haven't used with Pegasus before.

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