Good morning from Istanbul! I’m kicking off my trip to Germany with my parents, and just flew Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 business class from Chicago to Istanbul, before connecting onwards to Frankfurt. I didn’t just fly any A350, though. Specifically, I flew one of Turkish’s A350s that was acquired from Aeroflot.
Oh my gosh, what a pleasant experience this was. I’ve always thought that Turkish had one of the world’s best business class soft products, and when you combine that with this amazing hard product, this is one of the world’s best business class experiences.
While I’ll have a full trip report soon, in this post I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the Turkish business class experience. This was my first long haul flight with the airline since before the pandemic, and it didn’t disappoint.
In this post:
Turkish’s A350 business class seats are amazing
All of Turkish’s Boeing 787s, and most of Turkish’s Airbus A350s, feature the Stelia Aerospace Opal product, which is a pretty standard staggered configuration. However, the Airbus A350s that were acquired from Aeroflot feature the Collins Aerospace Horizon product, for which Aeroflot was the launch customer.
I was curious what this product was like, since there aren’t too many firsthand reports, given how few planes have these seats. Well, I’m happy to report that this is an exceptional product, in my opinion. The seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, all forward facing and fully flat, and with a privacy door.
These seats almost feel like Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class. In some ways I like this product more, while in other ways I like Qatar Airways’ product more.
What I love is that each seat has a wardrobe, a massive television, and ample storage to the side of the seat.
In bed mode, this is also quite a comfortable product. Much like in Qatar Airways Qsuites, it’s a bit tight, but that’s to be expected.
This is a very impressive product, and I’m surprised more airlines haven’t committed to this. I’d rank this as one of the top five business class seats in the world, and definitely prefer this to what Turkish offers on its other aircraft.
Turkish’s business class food is scrumptious
One of my favorite things about flying with Turkish Airlines is the food. I love Turkish food, and the airline acts as a great ambassador for the country. Turkish Airlines has DO & CO catering and an inflight chef, which makes for a great experience.
The meal service on this flight was phenomenal, and keep in mind that this was the watered down version of Turkish’s signature meal service. When departing Istanbul, the chef plates the meals at your seat from a trolley, while when originating abroad, all dishes are pre-plated.
Before lunch, I had some champagne and warm mixed nuts. Turkish’s wine selection is impressive, by the way, and includes five red wines, three white wines, one rose, and one champagne.
Next up was a potpourri of seafood appetizer, a sweet pumpkin soup, and a garden salad.
For my main course, I selected the fillet of red snapper, which has to be one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever had on a plane. I mean, look at that attention to detail, from the cute salt and pepper shakers, to the fish knife, to the “candle.”
Lastly, for dessert was a tasty cheese plate, some Turkish sweets, and some tea.
Perhaps this is a controversial take, but in a way I appreciate how Turkish Airlines doesn’t offer a dine on demand concept. The airline has a really elaborate meal service, and then you can really rest interrupted. As much as I love airlines offering dine on demand, the constant smells, call buttons, sound of cutlery, and talking, can otherwise disturb rest.
Turkish puts so much effort into little details
Even beyond the excellent food, I appreciate how much effort Turkish puts into its soft product, as it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Whether it’s the very nice amenity kit with Salvatore Ferragamo products…
Or the complimentary Wi-Fi for business class passengers…
Or the Molton Brown amenities in the lavatories…
Or the tasty Turkish coffee and cappuccinos…
Or the excellent turndown service, where they even put a pillowcase on your pillow…
…Turkish just really puts a lot of thought and effort into the passenger experience.
I’m a huge fan of Turkish’s genuine hospitality and service
I think often people are confused by why I like Turkish Airlines so much. For me, a big part of it is the people. Turkey is an incredible country, with such rich history and culture, so much to see, amazing food, and genuinely hospitable people (and let me clarify that I think it’s important to separate the people from the government).
I’m not sure how exactly to describe what impresses me so much about service on Turkish Airlines, but let me try. When you think of airlines traditionally known for amazing service:
- Obviously All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have amazing service, but that’s because Japan is a one-of-a-kind place, and you get amazing service there even at a fast food joint
- Singapore Airlines also has incredible service, but Singapore is a small country with a generally great service culture
Other than those airlines, I can’t think of another airline where you get such hospitable service a high percentage of the time from people who are actually from that country, rather than imported labor (as you’ll find at the Gulf carriers).
It’s not that the crews on Turkish Airlines fawn over you, fake smiles, and constantly address you by name, but there’s something I appreciate about the generally high service standard. On a “bad” day, crews on Turkish are nice, but perhaps not all that attentive. On a good day, Turkish crews are ambassadors for their country, encourage you to try every dish on the menu because they want you to experience it, etc.
I’ve flown Turkish dozens of times over the years, and service has ranged from good to exceptional. I’ve never had bad service on the airline, and there aren’t many carriers I can say that about.
Bottom line
Turkish Airlines’ ex-Aeroflot Airbus A350s offer a heck of a business class experience. These are some of the best seats that you’ll find on any airline. When you add in Turkish’s exceptional catering, amenities, free Wi-Fi, and friendly service, this is one of the world’s most impressive business class experiences. What an absolute treat!
What do you make of Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A350 business class?
"Singapore is a small country with a generally great service culture"
This made me spit my noodles out of my nose. Singapore is known for its appalling service and dreadful, entitled staff. How do I know? Unfortunately I live there.
If you want terrible service, try living in the UK these days!!! I've lived in Malaysia, and the UK and been to Singapore many many times - and would be delighted to swap places with you.
I flew this product last week in business class and I thought it was awful
The seats are easy too narrow to be comfortable, sure I have wide shoulders but even my wife who is a fairly petite person felt the same. I think UA Polaris is better and I'm not really a fan of that product either. Old Turkish biz class seats was much better.
In flight entertainment and food was great but these seats are pretty bad.
Agreed. I haven't flown this, but could see just from the photos that the seat is way too narrow. Could they not fit something like ANA's The Room into the A350, or is there not the fuselage width?
I like Turkish and have flown them multiple times NYC-BKK connecting in IST. It's the perfect flight on this route because IST is the halfway point.
While it's generally decent, I've had 2 bad experiences with flight crews, coincidentally both on the IST-NYC flight.
On one A333 flight Business Class customers were denied access to the single restroom in the Business Class cabin, being told that it was reserved for the flight crew....
I like Turkish and have flown them multiple times NYC-BKK connecting in IST. It's the perfect flight on this route because IST is the halfway point.
While it's generally decent, I've had 2 bad experiences with flight crews, coincidentally both on the IST-NYC flight.
On one A333 flight Business Class customers were denied access to the single restroom in the Business Class cabin, being told that it was reserved for the flight crew. This despite having unlimited access to that same restroom on the A333 BKK-IST flight a few hours before.
On my most recent IST-NYC flight I took my CPAP machine out of my hand bag to stow in the footrest cupboard for easier access during the flight. The flight crew stopped me and made a huge scene over the machine. For those unfamiliar it's a small machine which increases air pressure in one's upper respiratory tract allowing persons with sleep apnea to sleep comfortably. I've been told that it's a medical device universally allowed on all flights regardless of luggage restrictions. I've never had a problem with using it on a flight.
I took the machine through the extra security at the NYC gate in IST without issue. I showed the crew information on what the machine was on my phone. They had me surrounded by several crew members and delayed departure while calling security officers onto the plane and making phone calls. I had the entire Business Class cabin glaring at me, wonderful what my horrendous digression was.
Eventually they closed the doors, pushed back, and we departed. No confirmation that the machine was indeed okay, no apology for treating me like a criminal terrorist.
Two bad experiences, but big ones! I don't understand the hype for this airline,
I flew Turkish economy for the first time with family and friends. A company of eight in total. I must say I was impressed by
1. Leg room.
2. Delicious meals
3. and on overall courteous staff.
4. Tour Instanbul was a great experience - whenever you have a longer layover.
5. The humongous airport provides a lot of options - things to do between connecting flights.
6. Affordability....
I flew Turkish economy for the first time with family and friends. A company of eight in total. I must say I was impressed by
1. Leg room.
2. Delicious meals
3. and on overall courteous staff.
4. Tour Instanbul was a great experience - whenever you have a longer layover.
5. The humongous airport provides a lot of options - things to do between connecting flights.
6. Affordability.
On one flight ✈️ though they ran out of blankets.
I would recommend 10/10 to anyone to tryout.
I look forward to flying business soon.
Gitts.
I’m literally typing this from the new A350 flying from Manila to Istanbul. The Collins seat is amazing and a massive upgrade from their regular business offering.
Aside from the privacy door, the new interior compartment is more spacious and can store your phone, wallet, passport, and amenity kit - unlike the old one, which could barely fit anything. It doesn’t have a lock, which is a pity - but, then, the combination locks...
I’m literally typing this from the new A350 flying from Manila to Istanbul. The Collins seat is amazing and a massive upgrade from their regular business offering.
Aside from the privacy door, the new interior compartment is more spacious and can store your phone, wallet, passport, and amenity kit - unlike the old one, which could barely fit anything. It doesn’t have a lock, which is a pity - but, then, the combination locks on the old never, ever worked for me anyway, not once. The screen seems bigger and the seat, when in full flat mode, feels more spacious and let me stretch out a lot more.
All in all, it’s definitely an upgrade - I’d love to see it on more TK offerings.
I came here looking to find out if this is going to be the new normal for the
"feels more spacious and let me stretch out a lot more"
Perhaps it feels that way to you, but the old seat space is both longer and wider.
I agree that turkish airlines food is one of the best in both business and economy, but the service is usually quite bad, above US airlines but similar to Lufthansa or British Airways which means it's either standard / polite but quite unfriendly and they seem very unhappy about their job. Even Easyjet Switzerland has friendlier crew. I have witnessed an elderly man struggling with carrying his carry-on in business class, crew watch but didn't...
I agree that turkish airlines food is one of the best in both business and economy, but the service is usually quite bad, above US airlines but similar to Lufthansa or British Airways which means it's either standard / polite but quite unfriendly and they seem very unhappy about their job. Even Easyjet Switzerland has friendlier crew. I have witnessed an elderly man struggling with carrying his carry-on in business class, crew watch but didn't bother and I had to step in.
This new criticsim of DOD is a new take/angle. Bit of a stretch imho.
I respectfuly disagree with this writer after having flown with Turkish Airlines which I enjoy. I have found service on my first class trips to and from Dublin a disappointment.
I can not agree with the meal services provided, nor was I ever offered a fish meal as shown . I find the rapid service insulting. On the Last trip I hadn't settled and they brought a tray of turkish starters while still eating...
I respectfuly disagree with this writer after having flown with Turkish Airlines which I enjoy. I have found service on my first class trips to and from Dublin a disappointment.
I can not agree with the meal services provided, nor was I ever offered a fish meal as shown . I find the rapid service insulting. On the Last trip I hadn't settled and they brought a tray of turkish starters while still eating these they tried to serve me dinner which I had to tell to bring back later of course even in business class one need to page attending staff. Unfortunately I felt as if I was intrusive. I was never provide an amenities kit ever in business class.
Buying upgrades to business class seems like a great deal however I find that not including access to IST fabulous lounges especially when a long layover to eliminate the cost difference.
The Dublin airport lounge is lacking and unfortunately doesn't offer the Turkish airline level of service which TA has no responsibility.
I found that the lounge in Instanbul to be one of the best in any international lounge. TA has been a favourite airlines on my many domestic and international flights. I continue to use them. Despite the many issues I have found them to be a good value friendly and
Focused on growing in their customer care.
The economy class has the same disappointing and disappearing staff. Economy offers excellent food . Comfortable seating
Luggage rules are industry Standard unlike budget companies.
I look forward to my next flights to Turkiye it is an excellent destination and I would not think of taking any other airline. As a world traveler I congratulate Turkish Airlines for their improvements and I look forward to my next trip to the Mediterranean in a few months.
Tk has 400 + planes obviously the service is going to range . This is. Not McDonald’s where every burger has to be the same, even they can’t do it. Plus since it flies to 320 different places the people crew encounters is so wide . Crew does have a diffucult job in a world everyone seems to be offended .
Great trip report, makes me want to try A350 xAeroflot. U mentioned ANA & JAL hospitality service, SQ, can't leave out ASIANA & KAL from Korea. Those 3 countries r the benchmark of great hospitality services, forget those gulf carriers, wasted so many times connecting, its so very YESTERDAY.
.....and Eva Air from Taiwan .
Having flown Turkish dozens of times over the last decade, I struggle to understand Ben's love for the airline.
Service has been average at best, and on widebody jets, the seats are either outdated (B777/A333) or uncomfortably tight (B787/A350). While the food is great onboard,everything else, from soft product, lounges, IFE, ground sevices at IST are also very much average.
As with other posters, the customer service is just absolutely horrific, and it...
Having flown Turkish dozens of times over the last decade, I struggle to understand Ben's love for the airline.
Service has been average at best, and on widebody jets, the seats are either outdated (B777/A333) or uncomfortably tight (B787/A350). While the food is great onboard,everything else, from soft product, lounges, IFE, ground sevices at IST are also very much average.
As with other posters, the customer service is just absolutely horrific, and it sometimes takes weeks just to get a non-response from the team.
It’s funny how different the experience can be to different passengers. To me, Turkish has very good food, but very poor service. Usually, they don’t offer any drink refills and the FAs keep the restrooms locked during service, so that really annoys me.
This post smells so much of bribery it's embarrassing...
Just from the photos it's clear the food is disgusting!
I suppose they are there for us to know it's a paid post but for Ben to stay friends with Turkish.
Their product sucks on many levels. It has some good point but nothing to gush about.
And when you say that JAL is fantastic you clearly haven't flown them in years as it's become awful also.
I've flown them a good number of times, in economy and in business, and often had very friendly, even personal service, never a bad experience.
(Maybe part of it is how I interact with with them?)
They have the worst website ever. When you have a problem they go out of their way to deny you any resolution. When I call the US toll free number I can never understand the agent and they take forever to handle the simplest request. The food in Economy is just okay. I avoid Turkish Airlines like the plague.
Thanks for the post! With the exception of the lacking armrest, it looks very good.
I just have to disagree with some of the other commenters here. I've flown hundreds of TK flights in business (and two in Economy) since 2015 and I'm overall extremely satisfied:
- I like the spacious, non-restrictive A330/B777 seats, as well as their regional product
- I've generally found the service and soft product to be a...
Thanks for the post! With the exception of the lacking armrest, it looks very good.
I just have to disagree with some of the other commenters here. I've flown hundreds of TK flights in business (and two in Economy) since 2015 and I'm overall extremely satisfied:
- I like the spacious, non-restrictive A330/B777 seats, as well as their regional product
- I've generally found the service and soft product to be a lot better than their western competitors, with one exception (MIA-IST earlier this year)
- I've had no issues with irrops. I've always been rebooked proactively (upon reaching IST), gotten a very good transit experience, and have had no issues with the EU261 compensations. While I fully acknowledge that this does not seem to be the case for many others, this have been the case for me.
- I think that IST is a pleasant airport in general, with an effective priority business check-in, security and passport control. I've had no issues with any wait times what so ever, unlike most US and EU airports.
My only "issues" with TK have been:
- I once had a very difficult time to get an award ticket (to Baku) ticketed.
- A lot of delays, both to and from IST.
- I think that their B787/A350 seat is too narrow.
- I would prefer the airport in Istanbul to be a lot cooler, but that's probably not TK's fault :)
Regarding their food, I find it much better than average, but far from restaurant quality. That being said, I tend to sleep through most meal services and prioritize eating on the ground :)
For what it's worth, I hold a Star Alliance gold card and used to hold a TK Elite card.
"I've generally found the service and soft product to be a lot better than their western competitors"
Correct, but that is a low bar to compare with.
I'm pretty sure I just booked this from ATL to IST in Feb. It's an A350-900. I've been told you can tell if it's this aircraft if it only has 7 rows in biz class and mine has 7.
@ Holly -- Indeed, if it has seven rows, it's scheduled to be the new A350-900.
The plane was ordered for Aeroflot but Turkish probably spent quite a bit to redo it and the business class looks like business class on most airlines. What's the big deal, it is one of the standard seats out there...
@ iamhere -- Well, no, it's not one of the standard seats out there. To my knowledge, Turkish is the only airline to offer this product at the moment. Or could you tell me which other airline offers the Collins Aerospace Horizon seat?
Ugly tight seats and the purple was enough to induce my barf response.
Hard pass
The TK 350 (Aeroflot) seats are great except for the missing armrest on one side and the location of the seat controls on the other side. When resting my arm on that other side it almost always activates the seat controls.
Turkish's outdated back office technology is horrific. If you miss a connection because of a delayed flight, no one is able to help you until you physically reach IST airport. Their website will then lock up and advise you all additional flights on your itinerary are either cancelled or have to be changed. You will be kept "in the dark" for days. By the time you reach the aircraft all goodwill created by good catering is completely erased.
Looks phenomenal - We too have flown Turkish many times, always in business and always had exceptional service onboard. Hope they bring the A350 to Mexico/Central America for our next trip to Istanbul/Europe.
Is there a way to identify ahead of booking if the A350 will be one of the Aeroflot planes?
@ Iman -- Yep, if you're flying an A350 and it has seven rows in business class (rather than eight), then it's scheduled to be this new product.
Hi Ben!
How did you go about booking this flight with points?
Turkish is one of those airlines consistently raved by bloggers, that I will never understand. It's a decent airline in the air, and amateur hour for everything else.
My experiences with Turkish while "in the air" have been awful. Their 2-2-2 business-class configuration, surly flight attendants, and dreadful catering (even out of their IST base) are just three reasons that I avoid flying Turkish.
Agreed, in-air experience I would say is pretty decent. Have something go wrong (or basically anything out of the ordinary) and it all falls apart.
Call center reps are incompetent and not able to handle irrops, and as a previous poster mentioned there is nothing anyone can do until you reach IST, and even then it's rough.
No one is empowered to help, and if you don't fall in to an exact scenario...
Agreed, in-air experience I would say is pretty decent. Have something go wrong (or basically anything out of the ordinary) and it all falls apart.
Call center reps are incompetent and not able to handle irrops, and as a previous poster mentioned there is nothing anyone can do until you reach IST, and even then it's rough.
No one is empowered to help, and if you don't fall in to an exact scenario that they have been trained and empowered to handle you are screwed.
Also my last experience with reservations, I needed to cancel a ticket from BOS-DXB that was booked less than 24 hours before, and had multiple agents tell me that the 24 hour cancellation rule does not apply to Turkish because they are not a US carrier. Spent unnecessary hours resolving that.
I honestly dont think I've ever disagreed with Ben this strongly on something he has posted. While I thinkthe airline product is good, the crew have never, not once, been even remotely impressive or made me feel like they were welcoming. They are either adequate or at worst uninterested and going through the motions and honestly rarely smile. I just always feel on eggshells with TK crew
I flew this same product IST to ATL a few months ago. It was ok. The wardrobe was nice and the cup holder. The product felt pretty cheap though and it will be interesting to see how well it holds up. Also the color scheme was terrible. I disagree with Lucky on TK service. I don't care to fly TK at all, namely because of their service. Surly FAs. The chef thing is a joke. Good luck getting a second drink.
this is not tk's official color scheme. it's just an ex-aeroflot clolor scheme. They are using classy black-gold colors in new business branding.
WOW!Much better than the crap they fly out of SFO,LAX. they are usually 35 year old 777.
For me what set the food apart with Turkish was that it was just approachable tasty food. I don't know if that's normally a cost issue or a creativity issue but so many airlines either have horrible quality food so it will never be good no matter how tasty the concept sounds, or they go overboard on trying to make something "high end" that could never be executed well in the sky.
I've had better...
For me what set the food apart with Turkish was that it was just approachable tasty food. I don't know if that's normally a cost issue or a creativity issue but so many airlines either have horrible quality food so it will never be good no matter how tasty the concept sounds, or they go overboard on trying to make something "high end" that could never be executed well in the sky.
I've had better meals in Turkish business class than Lufthansa first class on occasion (caviar aside).
Obviously this was a free flight or paid for positive PR. We’re not idiots
@ John market -- I booked this using Turkish Airlines miles that I transfered from Citi ThankYou. Not comped in any way.
I fly Turkish Airlines and ye atheist flight crew one of the best.But their customer and counter service are the worst.I don’t know how else to explain other attitude towards customers.
How they continue on top is because they have dominate their routes and made Istanbul their Hub ,since they are their most flight routes in the world.Could they do something about their customer service?
"I can’t think of another airline where you get such hospitable service a high percentage of the time from people who are actually from that country"
Asiana, Korean, Malaysia, Thai...
TBH I find Turkish crews to be all over the place. Some great ones, some ok ones, and some bad ones.
Glad you found the seat comfortable, the lack of armrests seem like they would make it not as comfortable as other seats.
In my humble opinion, beating everyone is Singapore Airlines. I have never failed to be impressed by their poise, friendliness, helpfullness, and high standard of service. They always go out of their way to make the travel experience as good as possible.
I'm an elite member having flown both Biz and economy to Maldives, Seoul, Jakarta, Boston, Colombo, Phuket and San Francisco on the long hauls. Have I simply dodged the bullet? I have had very nice flights and service from TK. I have never seen sour cabin crew. They have always been polished, polite and efficient. My only mishap was my seat was taken away from me on a CMB-IST flight, which was annoying. The checkin...
I'm an elite member having flown both Biz and economy to Maldives, Seoul, Jakarta, Boston, Colombo, Phuket and San Francisco on the long hauls. Have I simply dodged the bullet? I have had very nice flights and service from TK. I have never seen sour cabin crew. They have always been polished, polite and efficient. My only mishap was my seat was taken away from me on a CMB-IST flight, which was annoying. The checkin staff was apologetic and offered me an emergency exit seat. I wrote to customer services upon my return. They replied less than 24 hours, apologised, and credited me with 2,000 miles.
So, perhaps I have been lucky? I really do like Turkish Airlines, their product and their route structure. In the late 90s and 2000s, it was all about Qatar, Emirates, Etihad. But its like "been there, done that". Keeping my fingers crossed Turkish will continue to be a good carrier.
IM CONVINCED THIS GUY IS A PAID INFLUENCER!
DELTA HIS #1 CUSTOMER.
How do I know if my A350-900 will have this special business class? In October, I'm booked for both Chicago to Istanbul and Johannesburg to Istanbul in A350-900 business. Any idea if I will have the new Aeroflot planes?
@ John -- If there are seven rows in business class on the A350, then it's scheduled to be the new product.
Agreed about the customer service, by far the worst experience ever. They actually double charged me for a flight and refused to do anything about it. I had to file a complaint with Amex who after months was able to sort it out. Shame because the infighting experience is great, but the customer service is just horrific.
They once told me I had to go into a TK office to get a refund for a canceled ticket because my card had a new expiration date from the one I purchased the ticket with (the card number hadnt changed). I called Visa and they reversed the charge right away.
Alright, now you got me curious about what made the infighting experience so great. Was it just harsh reprimands or was physical violence involved?
is that a stitched patch on the headrest? is it covering the word "aeroflot"? A close-up pic would be nice!
The business class seat and suite itself look very similar to the Delta One Suites on the A350 which Ben reviewed about 5 years ago, about six months after the first DL A350 entered service. Ben says Delta's A350 suite is a modified version of the Vantage XL seat but it is heavily modified to include the sliding door and other features, some of which Ben found problematic when he flew but I haven't had...
The business class seat and suite itself look very similar to the Delta One Suites on the A350 which Ben reviewed about 5 years ago, about six months after the first DL A350 entered service. Ben says Delta's A350 suite is a modified version of the Vantage XL seat but it is heavily modified to include the sliding door and other features, some of which Ben found problematic when he flew but I haven't had problems w/ and other users even then said they worked fine for them. Some of Ben's other criticisms are simply about DL's choices of finishes.
Since Delta is still the only one of the US big 3 that offers a suite with doors and they are supposedly working on an enlarged Delta One cabin and a new seat, they might be ready to up their game considering they were in the first couple carriers worldwide to introduce a suite with doors and other airline's products have improved. There is an ex-Latam A350 that has been in Singapore -where DL did the first mod on the ex-Latam to just get the other 8 airplanes into service in DL colors and finishings but w/ the Latam seats. This last aircraft - one of the first A350s that was built and which has been in storage more than in the air over its 7 1/2 year old - might be the prototype for the new Delta One cabin.
As for Turkish, it will be interesting to see if they harmonize their A350 cabins eventually.
As for the general comparison between airlines with similar onboard products - such as DL, QR, and TK's business class products - US and even European carriers don't have to deliver "soft onboard services" as fancy as carriers from the Middle East and Turkey that have much smaller local markets but the US and European flag carriers generally have more consistent ground service which as some here note, is more accessible than TK's.
The problem here is that Delta's A350 Business Class seats are great, but the majority of Delta long haul flights are operated by old B767s non refurbished Business Class seats that offer no privacy whatsoever.
that is incorrect, Tom.
Out of 158 widebodies in its fleet as of today, Delta flies 35 767-300ERs on longhaul routes, all of which have Premium Select but the older Delta One seat. There are 10 more 763s that fly transcon routes that do not have PS. Even the older Delta One seats are all direct aisle which not even Turkish has on all of its aircraft.
DL also has 8 A350s with...
that is incorrect, Tom.
Out of 158 widebodies in its fleet as of today, Delta flies 35 767-300ERs on longhaul routes, all of which have Premium Select but the older Delta One seat. There are 10 more 763s that fly transcon routes that do not have PS. Even the older Delta One seats are all direct aisle which not even Turkish has on all of its aircraft.
DL also has 8 A350s with the ex-Latam business class with 1/3 of the seats w/o direct aisle access and no Premium Select so combined w/ the 767s, there are precisely 43 out of 158 or 27% of its widebodies that do not have direct aisle or an upgraded business class.
And remember that Delta has 42 A350s and A330-900s that have Delta One Suites with doors, something AA and UA don't have on ANY of their combined widebody fleet of over 300 aircraft. and very few airlines have a widebody fleet with business class suites across their fleet.
And Delta is taking delivery of nearly 3 dozen new A339s and A359s in the next 3 years, all of which will have suites as at least 10 767s leave the fleet.
Im flying Turkish airlines Business class in October Chicago to Istanbul. I am hoping I get this seat layout.
" it’s a bit tight, but that’s to be expected."
Actual dimensions rather than feelings would be helpful. What's "a bit tight" for you may be incredibly undersized for others.
I had the same meal flying CUN-IST and the fish was super dry and flavorless the potatoes as well. The apps, soup and dessert were good but I received the identical main and mine and I didn't finish it, the greens were the best part
I was a little disappointed after reading about the great food on Turkish. Probably an anomaly, maybe because the flight was delayed. Well the food in Istanbul is amazing so it's a good place to arrive hungry
As someone who has been Elite/ElitePlus with Turkish for the last 10+ years, I assume you are joking about the excellent hospitality and service. There are exceptions of course, but dealing with Turkish Airlines for the most part is a "my way or the highway" proposition. Their customer support is beyond woeful. I love flying them (even in Economy) because their hard product is decent, but the soft product other than food is among the worst.
M&S is less attractive now after massive devaluation. While the partner awards are not bad, it’s impossible to book these straight - calling and booking is ok, but the payment process is pain. The agent always replies that they’ll call back to collect tax payments within 24hrs, but never did for my past four experiences. Had to contact the local branch which responds faster, but there is additional $30 fee or so to do this,...
M&S is less attractive now after massive devaluation. While the partner awards are not bad, it’s impossible to book these straight - calling and booking is ok, but the payment process is pain. The agent always replies that they’ll call back to collect tax payments within 24hrs, but never did for my past four experiences. Had to contact the local branch which responds faster, but there is additional $30 fee or so to do this, and this seems to be the only option to play safe.
While the program is still generous on achieving *G and maintaining the status, I’m starting to look out for other programs to collect miles simply due to many inconveniences.
Those were days being able to book US West Coast to India for just 52.5k miles one way in business class when plenty of award space was available.
Agree with Ken. I have never in my life have had more issues with an airline. Ben - have you ever had to call their customer service line? They are unable to make any changes and make you go online and fill out forms that take weeks for them to answer. I am talking about basic things like paid seat assignments..... Also, good luck trying to catch a plane at IST. Might be the worlds...
Agree with Ken. I have never in my life have had more issues with an airline. Ben - have you ever had to call their customer service line? They are unable to make any changes and make you go online and fill out forms that take weeks for them to answer. I am talking about basic things like paid seat assignments..... Also, good luck trying to catch a plane at IST. Might be the worlds worst deigned airport. I would take CTL on a summer afternoon over IST any day of the week.
I agree worst costumer service ever.
Why would you be in Charleville? Royal Doctor's Air Service? (Spent a weekend there with the WHO).
What are the differences between this and Q-Suite? I'm not sure who makes Q-Suite -- is it the same manufacturer?
I thought TK didn't offer direct aisle access from every seat, and that is what has kept me away from them.
Can you do a post on which routes currently feature this hard product?
Have an issue on the ground? One of the worst airlines to deal with
I flew Turkish in J for the first time last year from JFK to IST, and based on the multiple raving reviews particularly on the catering, I was excited. The food was good, but there was ZERO Turkish/local options; it was just your standard western fare, pretty much like what you had on this flight. We were really startled that they wouldn't have more local food options to showcase, even though it was a US departing flight.
Hard product wise how would you compare this to ANA Room?
We completely agree with TK being excellent all the way around. We flew DFW —> IST on 787 and IST —> AMM on A321 all in business class and service, soft product, and hard product were all fantastic. The A321 was an awesome short haul business product but the food service on the long haul flight was certainly memorable.
Where do you put your right forearm?
Also what is the point of a cushy business class trip only to connect to a 2hr flight on a 321 or 330. Looks like a comfort loss to me
Agree. Except if it was purely to do a review of the product
I'm keeping my fingers crossed....I've got this aircraft booked for a IST-VIE flight that worked perfect for our schedule. We won't get the full 6-8 experience, but way better than any intraEurope business class. Hoping there is no aircraft swap.
Thanks for the write up!
Hardly a good comparison when these seats are a rare exception and all the other planes offer SQs tight regional business class seat or 2-3-2 rows in their 777 (and appearantly even still so in the Future). Should be something to consider...
Lucky, was the cabin temp a bit on the warm side?
It's interesting the seat they chose for their new flagship business class product is the same seat Singapore airlines chose for its short, regional business class. It seems to be about getting as many seats into a small space then making a comfortable experience for passengers.
P.S. on the TK service - it must have improved dramatically. I've found their business class service to be distant and cold. It's the only airline I've flown where...
It's interesting the seat they chose for their new flagship business class product is the same seat Singapore airlines chose for its short, regional business class. It seems to be about getting as many seats into a small space then making a comfortable experience for passengers.
P.S. on the TK service - it must have improved dramatically. I've found their business class service to be distant and cold. It's the only airline I've flown where they've kept the cabin curtains closed during boarding so they can hide from pax.
Definitely a positive sign for Air India who is also receiving 5 A350-900's transferred from Aeroflot by end of this year. Hopefully with same hard product.
Which routes are most likely to be serviced by the A350 with this new product?
Glad you had a good experience - it looks great!
I did not like my 787 from Istanbul to Washington this past March. The seat was narrow and I hated the hard shell. In addition, my service was not good and the food was only okay. Your experience was completely night and day. I hope that if I fly them again I can have something similar to the experience you had.