Compare 12 loyalty programs for Los Angeles to Istanbul award flights, with economy seats from 22,500 points.
Los Angeles to Istanbul is an ultra-long-haul US–Turkey route; nonstop award space turns up on Turkish Airlines. A full 12 programs price the route, and economy starts at 22,500 points through American AAdvantage. Over this many hours the cabin matters as much as the price, so look at business-class awards before settling on the economy price. This page compares every way to book LAX–IST on points.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American AirlinesAA | 22,500Lowest | 40,000Lowest | 57,500Lowest | 110,000pts |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 22,500Lowest | Not available | 200,000pts | 85,000Lowest |
 British AirwaysBA | 22,500Lowest | 40,000Lowest | 57,500Lowest | 85,000Lowest |
 Air Tahiti NuiTN | 22,500Lowest | 40,000Lowest | Not available | Not available |
 KLMKL | 23,000pts | 86,500pts | 117,500pts | Not available |
 Air FranceAF | 25,000pts | 48,000pts | 117,000pts | Not available |
 Scandinavian AirlinesSK | 30,000pts | Not available | 1,089,990pts | Not available |
 EmiratesEK | 35,000pts | 98,000pts | 109,000pts | Not available |
 DeltaDL | 40,000pts | 97,200pts | 368,500pts | 351,000pts |
 Turkish AirlinesTK | 40,000pts | 174,500pts | 65,000pts | Not available |
When award seats between Los Angeles and Istanbul price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 22,500 |
| Dec 2026 | 22,500 |
| Jan 2027 | No award data |
| Feb 2027 | 22,500 |
| Mar 2027 | 22,500 |
| Apr 2027 | 25,000 |
| May 2027 | 25,000 |
| Jun 2027 | 25,000 |
| Jul 2027 | 25,000 |
| Aug 2027 | 62,500 |
| Sep 2027 | 25,000 |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
16 airlines with award seats between Los Angeles and Istanbul, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Air CanadaACAlaska AirlinesAS
JetBlueB6British AirwaysBA
Copa AirlinesCMDeltaDLEmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEY
LufthansaLH
Qatar AirwaysQRScandinavian AirlinesSKTurkish AirlinesTK
TAP Air PortugalTP
United AirlinesUA
Virgin AtlanticVSWhat to know before booking Los Angeles to Istanbul with points.
About 6,840 miles, roughly 14h15 nonstop. Local time in Istanbul is 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles (11 while Los Angeles is on standard time). The data runs November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for ten months. Counting well-covered months only, November 2026, December 2026, and February 2027 are among the cheapest, at 22,500 points; pricier months include April–June 2027 (25,000).
Los Angeles to Istanbul is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France and 26 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 12 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 22,500 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Roughly 6,840 miles separate Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Istanbul Airport (IST), so a nonstop spends about 14h15 in the air, a little more or less depending on winds and direction. Nonstop award space in the data comes from a single airline: Turkish Airlines. The Boeing 777-300ER appears on those nonstop award segments. Expect mostly connecting results: only about 3% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
The cabin call comes first on Los Angeles–Istanbul; on an ultra-long-haul trip, the right program follows from it. The cheapest economy seat connects once; skipping the connection means an economy nonstop on Turkish Airlines at a higher price. The economy floor adds about $48 in taxes and fees, in line with the route's typical economy taxes. Stepping up costs about 1.8 times the economy points for premium economy and about 2.6 times for business, though the cheapest business award carries heavy fees.
American AAdvantage wins economy at 22,500 points, premium economy at 40,000, and business class at 57,500. Alaska Atmos Rewards' 85,000-point first-class fare connects; treat it as mixed-cabin until each segment's cabin checks out. The other 10 programs include United MileagePlus, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Avianca LifeMiles. American AAdvantage's lead holds until a transfer bonus elsewhere shifts the math; recheck before moving points.
Turkish Airlines is the only airline with nonstop award space on Los Angeles–Istanbul in the data, and its Star Alliance membership opens that nonstop to partner programs beyond Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. Connecting awards near the price floor run through Paris, Amsterdam, and New York. In business class, the floor sits on British Airways for the long-haul leg, booked through oneworld partner American AAdvantage.
For Los Angeles departures, Burbank (BUR) and Ontario (ONT) both price at the same 22,500 points in economy as LAX. Flexible on where you land? Los Angeles to Amsterdam starts from 9,500 points at last check. Check airport codes before transferring points: Los Angeles awards can also leave from Long Beach (LGB), and Istanbul awards can also land at Sabiha Gokcen (SAW).
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside Los Angeles to Istanbul.
From 4,000 ptsBusiness 15,000 pts
From 6,600 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
From 7,000 ptsBusiness 14,500 pts
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From 7,500 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the Los Angeles to Istanbul route.
