We are in the initial stages of planning our next trip to Europe in September- October 2010. We are interested in flying to Istanbul, spending about 5 days and then on to Croatia (Split, Dubrovnik and possibly one of the islands) for 7 - 9 days. Eventually we will fly back home from Rome. Does anyone know of budget airlines that fly from Istanbul to Croatia? So far we have only found flights on Easyjet and that takes us to London or Basil and then Croatia. We would like to skip the extra stopover if possible.
Thanks for all your help and suggestions ahead of time!!!

I checked on whichbudget.com and didn't have a budget airline come up. But Turkish Airlines and Croatia Airlines will get you in or out but not sure if the price is right for you. You just need to fiddle with departure/arrival points maybe use Zagreb for Turkish airlines and Dubrovnik for Croatia Airlines, if that makes sense.

stormbird, thanks for your suggestions. Looks like we will have to keep searching!!!

I think your kind of stuck with either a stopover elsewhere in Europe or the national carriers in Turkey and Croatia.

Germanwings, for example, routes its flights through Cologne/Bonn. Looks like about 4 hours or more in travel time, though. It should be easier, eh?

Maybe this is a little ridiculous, but there are low cost flights from Istanbul to Italy (Venice, Rome, Milan). Perhaps you'd be interested in a brief stopover there and then a ferry to Croatia. Think of the adventure!

Venice is a much used entry point for Croatia. If you want to skip western Croatia, take a train to Trieste, bus to Rijeka and ferry or bus to Dalmatia