Follow the official 2h domestic / 3h international buffer; summer leisure banks still stack security and passport control.

TAV’s passenger FAQ recommends arriving at least 2 hours before domestic departures and 3 hours before international. Summer European leisure banks and overlapping SunExpress / Pegasus / Turkish Airlines peaks are when check-in and the second airside filter stretch — online check-in plus bag drop helps more than heroics at the curb. Silent Airport (from 16 Jul 2026) reduces PA clutter but does not shorten queues.

Two terminals linked landside; match curb and lounge to the terminal on your boarding pass.

International Terminal (2006) and Domestic Terminal (2014) sit side by side with a covered landside walkway (typically a few minutes with bags). Wrong-terminal curb drops are a common first mistake — check the boarding pass terminal before you unload. Airside, domestic and international sterile areas do not substitute for each other: the Priority Pass lounge in one terminal will not cover a boarding pass in the other.

Airside cafés cover the basics; Primeclass is the worthwhile paid/PP food seat when the lounge is not full.

Both terminals have airside cafés and retail after the sterile filter; landside options exist in the public halls but are thinner once you are racing a bank. Primeclass Lounges (PP / TAV Passport / published walk-up) are the most reliable sit-down food-and-seat product when open capacity allows — walk-up is €45 domestic / €55 international on the airport lounge pages. Peak charter evenings still empty the good café seats near popular gates.

İZBAN is cheapest into town if you tap out correctly; coaches/taxis win with heavy bags.

Follow “Subway-Izban” signs from Domestic departures/arrivals or the International arrivals travelator to the airport rail station. Northbound trains serve Hilal (metro interchange), Alsancak, and the wider İZBAN spine; southbound continues toward Selçuk / Ephesus country. 2026 İzmirim Kart distance fares start at ₺40 for the first 20 km adult band — the entry gate blocks a higher maximum and refunds the unused portion only if you tap out at the destination iade/exit reader. Havaş and ESHOT remain better with bulky luggage; official taxi ranks beat lobby touts.