Index:
The Turkish Airlines website celebrates its 30th anniversary
What is the “30 years on digital” retro website?
What awaits you on the retro website?
Let’s celebrate 30 years in the digital space together
The Turkish Airlines website celebrates its 30th anniversary
Anyone who remembers the internet in its early days probably recalls waiting several minutes for a website to load. Today, planning an international trip takes only a few clicks. Turkish Airlines has been part of this remarkable digital transformation from the beginning. Our website first went online in 1996 and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. To celebrate three decades of online history, we’ve introduced a special retro website that lets visitors experience how both internet technology and the way we travel have changed. The project brings this story together under the theme “From Pixels to the Skies.”
This interactive platform gives you the opportunity to revisit earlier versions of our website, explore flight search tools inspired by older interfaces, design a personalized commemorative ticket, and browse a collection of historical images.
You can visit the retro website at https://30yearsondigital.com/
What is the “30 years on digital” retro website?
The “30 years on digital” project is an interactive microsite celebrating three decades of the Turkish Airlines website. Rather than simply presenting a collection of old designs, it recreates the atmosphere of earlier internet experiences. As soon as you enter, an old-fashioned computer setup welcomes you, complete with a CRT monitor and floppy disks marked with different years. A message appears on the screen: “Rewinding Turkish Airlines History…” The experience goes beyond looking at historical website layouts. Some of the recreated features are still usable, allowing visitors to interact with the past while accessing today’s services.
What awaits you on the retro website?
The platform brings together several experiences that highlight different milestones in our online history. Here’s what you can discover during your visit.
Explore the timeline and revisit different eras
Selecting a year takes you to a page designed to reflect the appearance of our website during that particular period. The earliest version, dating back to 1996, features a straightforward layout with blue navigation tabs. As you move along the timeline, you can see how the design gradually changed over the years. The journey doesn’t stop with the historical versions. The timeline also includes 2026 and 2027. While the 2026 section reflects our current website, the 2027 page provides a small preview of the redesign planned for the following year.
Search for real flights with an old-school interface
One of the most interesting features of the project is that the vintage website layouts aren’t simply visual recreations. They also include working functions that connect to today’s services. For example, you can open the flight search form from the 2000 version of our website and enter your departure airport, destination, and travel dates. Your request is routed directly to the turkishairlines.com infrastructure, where you can view available flights and continue with your booking. This means you can experience the look and feel of a flight search from 2000 while actually searching for today’s flights.
Retro Ticket: Turn your first flight into a personal keepsake
If you’re looking for something more personal, the Retro Ticket section is one of the highlights of the platform. Its designs take inspiration from the original Turkish Airlines ticket styles used in earlier decades, bringing a nostalgic touch to your own travel memories. You can answer a few questions about your first flight and use the information to create a ticket inspired by the era you choose. The finished design includes your name and details of your journey, turning a memorable travel experience into a digital keepsake you can save and share.
Once you’ve created your ticket, you can post it on social media using #30YearsOnDigital and #RetroTicket. Every first flight has a story behind it. Maybe you traveled to another city for university, military service, or an important business appointment. Whatever the reason, your ticket represents a special moment in your life. Ahmet Olmuştur, Turkish Airlines CEO and Executive Committee Member, also joined the project by creating his own Retro Ticket. His design recalls a business trip he took in 2000, adding a personal memory to this celebration of our digital history.
How to create your own retro ticket?
- https://30yearsondigital.com/
- Open the Retro Ticket section on one of the pages featuring a historical period.
- Fill in the requested information about your first Turkish Airlines flight.
- Pick your favorite from the five available ticket designs.
- Save your finished creation or share it on your social media accounts.
The archive: A visual collection dating back to 1933
For anyone interested in the history of Turkish Airlines, the retro platform also includes a dedicated archive. This section brings together selected materials from our corporate collection, which has grown since the airline was founded in 1933. You’ll find historical photographs, iconic posters from various eras (such as 1940s advertisements inspired by Casablanca), and other items that reflect different periods in our history. Browsing these materials offers an engaging visual journey from the past to the present.
Exclusive GIFs and the “Read Me” file
There are also a few unexpected details hidden on the homepage. If you open the “My Documents” folder, you’ll discover a selection of GIFs created especially for this anniversary project. The folder also contains a short “Read Me” document, designed to recall the familiar desktop environment of the 1990s. It’s a small detail that adds another layer of nostalgia to the experience. You’ll also find a special badge created exclusively for the “30 years on digital” celebration.
Why is the retro website worth exploring?
Many projects built around nostalgia focus on displaying objects and designs from the past. Our “30 years on digital” experience takes a different approach by making those memories interactive. Instead of simply viewing an old website design, you can use a flight search interface modeled after the year 2000 and connect it to today’s flight options. For visitors who remember connecting to the internet through dial-up modems, the platform brings back familiar sights and sounds from an earlier digital era. Younger visitors, meanwhile, can discover how websites looked and worked before the modern online experience became part of everyday life.
Let’s celebrate 30 years in the digital space together
Our digital story started in 1996, but it has continued to grow with every new technology and improvement in the travel experience. The websites we’ve designed, the interfaces we’ve introduced, and the innovations we’ve embraced are all important parts of this journey. With our “30 years on digital” retro website, we’re bringing these memories together in one place, making it easier to revisit our history and share it with others. Now it’s your turn to become part of the experience. Visit https://30yearsondigital.com/ to explore earlier versions of our website, discover the stories behind our digital transformation, and add a personal touch to the 30-year journey of Turkish Airlines.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Turkish Airlines website first launch?
The Turkish Airlines website went online in 1996 under the thy.com domain, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026.
What is the “30 Years on Digital” website?
The “30 Years on Digital” website is an official retro experience created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Turkish Airlines online. It allows visitors to explore website designs from earlier decades, interact with vintage-style flight search tools, create personalized retro tickets, and browse historical photographs and other archival materials.
Which years can I explore on the retro website?
The timeline includes six historical versions representing 1996, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2014. It also features sections for 2026 and 2027.
Can I search for actual flights through the retro website?
Yes. The historical pages include flight search forms inspired by the interfaces of their respective periods. When you enter your travel details, the search takes you to the current Turkish Airlines website, where you can check available flights.
How can I create a Retro Ticket?
You can make your own Retro Ticket by entering details about your first Turkish Airlines flight. Visit the Retro Ticket section at https://30yearsondigital.com/, provide the requested information, and select one of the five available designs. You can then save your ticket or share it on social media as a personalized travel memento.
Is my personal information saved when I create a Retro Ticket?
No. The Retro Ticket creation tool operates entirely on the user’s end. The details you enter while preparing your ticket are not stored in our databases.
What does the Turkish Airlines archive section include?
The archive features a selection of historical materials collected by Turkish Airlines since 1933.
