- Planning A Romanian Road Trip
- Introduction: Transylvania Unknown
- Getting An International Driving Permit
- Review: The Club At ATL
- Review: Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class
- Review: IGA Lounge Istanbul Airport
- Review: Turkish Airlines A319 Business Class
- Review: DoubleTree By Hilton Cluj, Romania
- Romanian Road Trip: Amazing So Far
- Review: Art Hotel Sibiu, Romania
- Brunch In The Transylvanian Countryside
- Review: Copsamare Guesthouses, Romania
- Review: Casa Savri Sighișoara, Romania
- Romanian Road Trip: Part Two
- Review: Vila Economat Sinaia, Romania
- Driving In Romania: My Experience
- Review: JW Marriott Bucharest, Romania
- Review: TAROM Lounge Bucharest Airport
- Review: TAROM Business Class A318
- Review: Hyatt Place London Heathrow
- Virgin Atlantic’s Puzzling (But Still Great) New Business Class Seat
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Heathrow
- Review: NEW Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class
I’ve long been a huge fan of Turkish Airlines’ incredible business class soft product. Previously their flagship aircraft was the 777, which featured fully flat business class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.
That’s why I was really excited to try Turkish Airlines’ new 787-9 business class. They didn’t choose an especially common seat for the 787, as they selected a product that’s so far otherwise only found in Singapore Airlines’ 787-10 business class (used primarily for regional flights). These seats will be available on all future Turkish 787 and A350 deliveries, though existing planes aren’t expected to get these seats.
So, just how much better are these seats? First let me share how we booked this trip, and then I’ll get into the flight review.
Redeeming Miles For Turkish Airlines Business Class
We knew we wanted to fly Turkish’s new 787-9, and as of now their only US destinations for the plane are Atlanta and Washington. Atlanta seems to have significantly better award availability, and we managed to find space on our preferred date from Atlanta to Istanbul to Cluj (in Romania, where we were starting our road trip).
So we booked the following in business class for 57,500 Aeroplan miles plus $5.60 per passenger:
10/23 TK32 Atlanta to Istanbul departing 10:35PM arriving 4:40PM (+1 day)
10/24 TK1347 Istanbul to Cluj departing 6:45PM arriving 8:30PM
That’s a pretty fantastic deal. We transferred over those points from Amex Membership Rewards. Aeroplan’s redemption rates for this award were the best value, given the low mileage requirements and lack of carrier imposed surcharges.
Turkish Airlines Business Class 787-9 Review
Turkish Airlines 32
Atlanta (ATL) – Istanbul (IST)
Wednesday, October 23
Depart: 10:35PM
Arrive: 4:40PM (+1 day)
Duration: 11hr5min
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Seat: 8A (Business Class)
We boarded through the second set of doors, where we were greeted by the cabin chief and a flight attendant, and pointed left into business class. Turkish Airlines’ new 787-9 business class consists of a total of 30 seats, spread across eight rows.
Turkish Airlines 787 business class cabin
This was my first time flying in this kind of staggered business class seat, and I was impressed by the design. I thought the finishes were beautiful, from the logo on the bulkhead, to the patterns on the seats.
Turkish Airlines business class cabin 787
As is normal in staggered configurations, not all seats are created equal. That’s because the footrest for any given seat is to the side of the seat in front.
In the center section, odd numbered rows have the two seats that are closest to one another, which are often preferred by those traveling with someone. They’re also further from the aisle, so have more privacy from the aisle (though less privacy from your neighbor).
Turkish Airlines business class seats 787
Then even numbered rows have seats that are closer to the aisle. These center seats would generally be my last choice — you don’t have a window seat, and you’re also not close to the person you’re traveling with, if that’s something you value.
Turkish Airlines business class seats 787
Window seats follow a similar pattern. Window seats in odd numbered rows have the seats closer to the aisle and further from the window. Usually it bothers me the extent to which these seats feel “exposed,” though Turkish offers huge privacy shields, so that’s less of an issue than in other staggered configurations.
Turkish Airlines 787 business class seat
Turkish Airlines 787 business class seat
Turkish Airlines 787 business class seat
Window seats in even numbered rows are closest to the windows, so they’re the most private and have the best views, so these seats would be my first choice. These seats do still have privacy shields on the window side, so you only have an obstructed window view in most cases.
Turkish Airlines business class seat 787
Turkish Airlines 787 business class seat
I was seated in seat 8A, the window seat in the last row of the cabin on the left. Seriously, can we just appreciate for a second how beautiful these seats are? I loved the patterns, in particular the quilted felt pattern on the “shell” of the seat.
Turkish Airlines 787 business class seat
To the aisle-side of the seat was a storage compartment, which is where the headphones were located during boarding.
Turkish Airlines business class seat storage
That compartment could fully be closed, and there was also a cute pull-out mirror.
Turkish Airlines business class seat storage
To the right side of the seat at elbow-level were both the entertainment controller and seat controls, both of which were easy to use.
Turkish Airlines business class seat entertainment controller
Then on the left side of the seat was a reading light, as well as several settings to control lighting at the seat.
Turkish Airlines business class seat mirror
The tray table extended out from the front of the seat, and could be folded over in half. While I liked how big and sturdy the tray table was, I found it hard to put the tray table back after use, as it required jerking the table around quite a bit before it would get on the right “track.”
Turkish Airlines business class seat tray table
One of my biggest issues with staggered seats is generally that the footwells are on the small side, so it’s tough to get comfortable. So, how was the footwell in Turkish Airlines’ new business class?
I’ve had tighter footwells, though I also wouldn’t call these spacious. So I’d say they’re more spacious than in a staggered “throne” seat, but less spacious than in Thai A350 business class, for example.
Turkish Airlines business class seat footwell
I did like that underneath the footwell was an open area where you could store shoes or whatever else during the flight. That’s a nice feature, since the seat otherwise lacks substantial storage.
Turkish Airlines business class seat footwell
The seat also had individual air nozzles — yay!
Turkish Airlines business class air nozzle
So, overall how does the seat rank? I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite business class seat, though I do think it’s an above average staggered seat, particularly for the privacy it affords. I’d say it ranks in the top five seat “styles” out there.
Waiting at my seat upon boarding was a pillow and blanket. When it’s time to sleep there’s more bedding, including a more substantial blanket, so this is mainly meant for when you’re relaxing.
Turkish business class pillow & blanket
While not Bang & Olufsen or Bose quality, the headphones at my seat were quite good.
Turkish Airlines business class headphones
Shortly after settling in, the extensive pre-flight service began. First the charming flight attendant taking care of me introduced herself by name and offered me a pre-departure drink, with the choice between fresh orange juice, lemon mint juice, raspberry juice, or water. It’s cute how the stirrers also state what you’re drinking.
Turkish Airlines business class pre-departure drink
A moment later the chef came by my seat to present me with the menu and drink list for the flight. The chef also gave me a pen, asking me to fill out the breakfast card before going to sleep.
Turkish Airlines business class menu & wine list
A few minutes later I was offered a sturdy pair of slippers along with a shoe bag.
Turkish Airlines business class slippers
Then we were offered Versace amenity kits. Turkish has separate male and female kits, as you can see below (stereotypical, much?). 😉
Turkish Airlines business class amenity kit
Turkish Airlines business class amenity kit
At around 10:30PM the main cabin door closed (with a full business class cabin), and at the same time the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 10hr21min, and our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet.
A few minutes later we began our pushback, at which point the safety video was screened.
We started our taxi and then held position. At 10:50PM the captain announced that we were number six for takeoff, and should be airborne within 10 minutes. Sure enough, at 11PM we took off on runway 9R.
As we climbed out I browsed Turkish’s excellent entertainment selection. They had an impressive variety of movies and TV shows. While I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best systems out there, it is substantial.
Turkish Airlines entertainment system
Turkish Airlines entertainment system
Turkish Airlines entertainment system
I also checked out the map for our flight to Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines entertainment system
Turkish Airlines has Wi-Fi on their 787-9s, so after takeoff I connected to that.
Turkish Airlines free Wi-Fi
Ordinarily Turkish Airlines charges $9.99 for a one hour pass or $14.99 for a 24 hour pass, which is extremely reasonable when you consider there are no data caps. But it gets even better than that. If you’re in business class Wi-Fi is free — you just have to enter your last name and seat number.
Turkish Airlines free Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi is such a nice touch. The catch is that on their older planes the Wi-Fi was really slow, while the speeds on the 787-9 were excellent. I’d say it wasn’t quite as fast as Viasat on domestic American flights, but was roughly on par with Gogo 2Ku on international flights, which is very impressive.
The seatbelt sign was turned off about 10 minutes after takeoff, at which point I checked out the lavatories.
Turkish 787-9 business class cabin
While there were two lavatories behind the business class cabin, only one was for business class passengers — the one in the back right was for business class, while the one in the back left was for economy (and the curtains were arranged in such a way that it was obvious). On top of that there was another lavatory in front of the cabin.
The business class lavatory behind the cabin was huge. It even had a bidet, which I haven’t seen on other Turkish planes.
Turkish Airlines 787 lavatory
Turkish Airlines 787 lavatory bidet
As is the norm on Turkish, they had lovely Molton Brown amenities.
Turkish Airlines Molton Brown toiletries
I was also impressed by how clean they kept the lavatories. They constantly refreshed them between uses, and they were spotless even at the end of the flight.
About 15 minutes after takeoff the crew distributed warm towels and bottled water.
Turkish Airlines business class warm towel & bottled water
Turkish Airlines has dine on demand on their long haul redeye flights to Istanbul, so after takeoff the first order of business for the crew was offering to make beds.
This consisted of them offering each passenger a mattress pad and a thicker blanket. Even through I wasn’t ready to sleep I still had them make my bed, since they can always leave it in the upright position.
Turkish Airlines business class bedding
Turkish Airlines is known for their incredible business class meal service, though the service isn’t quite as intricate on some flights to Istanbul. On flights from Istanbul they serve both the appetizers and desserts off trolleys, so you can choose exactly what you want (see this trip report for a sense of what that’s like).
Meanwhile on some flights to Istanbul (especially relatively shorter flights departing late at night) they have dine on demand so that you can eat what you want when you want, and as a result everything comes pre-plated.
Anyway, the dinner menu read as follows:
Then the drink list read as follows:
50 minutes after takeoff the chef brought out tablecloths. Around this time I was asked what I wanted to eat and drink by the flight attendant taking care of me.
Interestingly throughout the service I was addressed as “Mr. Justin” (which is my middle name — I guess my ticket showed my first and middle name smushed together).
Service was a bit on the slow side (probably due to the full cabin — the crew was hustling), and about 70 minutes after takeoff I was served my first glass of champagne. Turkish has Taittinger Brut Reserve in business class, which is quite nice. To go along with this I was offered some canapés as well as some warm mixed nuts.
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — canapés
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — mixed nuts
About 85 minutes after takeoff I was offered the starter. Even though Turkish doesn’t have the fancy trolley service on flights to Istanbul, they still place everything from the main meal directly on your tray (rather than bringing it out on a tray), which is a nice touch. Turkish also has those super cute faux-candles.
For the appetizer I selected the Turkish mezze as well as the pumpkin soup, both of which were excellent. I was also offered bread to go along with the starter.
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — appetizer & nuts
I was served the main course about 90 minutes after takeoff. I had the grilled swordfish with sautéed vegetables, potato mash, and lemon butter. Yum.
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — main course
Lastly for dessert I had the traditional Turkish desserts, along with some chocolate ice cream (which came a bit melted).
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — dessert
Tiffany had the cheese plate for dessert, which I snapped a picture of.
Turkish Airlines business class dinner — cheese plate
Overall I thought the meal was very good. No, it wasn’t quite as extravagant as you’ll get when departing Istanbul, but it’s a really fair tradeoff on an overnight flight, since you do get dine on demand.
The service throughout the meal was excellent. In general I love service on Turkish — I find that it’s friendly, professional, genuine, and consistent, which is a combination I can’t say about many airlines.
Upon the conclusion of the meal I was also presented with a snack menu, which read as follows:
On the 777 Turkish has a small walk-up snack bar, so my guess is that the snack menu is intended to replace that, since the 787 doesn’t have any sort of snack bar.
By the time the meal was done we had just over eight hours remaining to Istanbul, and were over the Atlantic, east of Halifax.
Moving map enroute to Istanbul
Moving map enroute to Istanbul
I decided to recline my seat and try to get some rest. On the plus side, I loved how the seat felt like a cocoon due to the shell. This is a really private seat.
However, it is also a bit on the narrow side. I’m a side sleeper, and I could easily sleep on my left side, with my knees pointed towards the fuselage.
However, it was hard to sleep on my right, since my knees would hit the side of the seat. So I don’t think the seats are too tight, but if you are a side sleeper, then sit in a “far” left window seat if you like to sleep on your left, and sit in a “far” right window seat if you like to sleep on your right.
Turkish Airlines business class bed
I got nearly five hours of mostly solid sleep (the flight was smooth and the cabin was cool, plus I had an air nozzle), and I woke up with just over three hours remaining to Istanbul, as we were over Western France.
Moving map enroute to Istanbul
Moving map enroute to Istanbul
That was perfect, since it was just after 6AM ET, so it would allow me to get a bit of work done before getting to Istanbul. I ordered a cappuccino to drink. Not only are Turkish’s cappuccinos tasty, but I love the mugs they come in.
Turkish Airlines business class cappuccino
About two hours before landing the lights were turned on in the cabin and warm towels were distributed. At this point breakfast was served. They had collected breakfast cards before everyone went to sleep, so they knew what people wanted. That sure makes things easier.
The breakfast menu read as follows:
Breakfast was served on a tray. To start I ordered some plain yogurt and muesli. On top of that, everyone was served fresh fruit and a selection of cheese. To drink I had a cup of coffee and a strawberry and banana smoothie.
Turkish Airlines business class breakfast
About 10 minutes later I was brought my main course, which was a cheese omelet with sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and roesti potatoes.
Turkish Airlines business class breakfast
The omelet was better than your typical airline omelet catered out of the US — it was fluffy and not overly cheesy, which I can’t say about a vast majority of airline omelets.
I worked a little longer after breakfast, and then started watching Hotel Transylvania, in preparation for our time in Transylvania. 😉
Hotel Transylvania
At 3:35PM Istanbul time the captain announced that we’d be starting our descent shortly, and would be landing in about 45 minutes. 20 minutes later the crew prepared the cabin for landing.
View approaching Istanbul
We had some beautiful views on our descent.
View approaching Istanbul
We ended up touching down in Istanbul at 4:10PM.
View approaching Istanbul
Istanbul’s new airport is massive, so it took us about 20 minutes to taxi, and then we ended up pulling up to a remote stand.
Taxiing Istanbul Airport
Remote stand Istanbul Airport
It was only at this point in the flight that I realized the Turkish 787-9 has a nose camera.
Turkish 787-9 nose camera
As much as I usually don’t like arriving at a remote stand, I was excited about getting such a cool perspective on this brand new 787-9!
Turkish 787-9
Turkish 787-9
What a beauty, eh?
Turkish has separate buses for business class passengers, which means the buses leave sooner and are also more comfortable, with seating for just about everyone who wants it.
Business class bus Istanbul Airport
Turkish Airlines business class bus
The drive to the terminal took about 15 minutes. We then had just over two hours before our connection to Cluj, Romania.
Turkish Business Class 787 Bottom Line
I’ve long thought that Turkish Airlines has one of the best business class soft products out there, though their hard product wasn’t competitive.
Their new 787-9 is a massive improvement, and all things considered this business class experience ranks in my top three in the world, and maybe even top two.
There’s so much to love about Turkish’s business class product — comfortable seats, individual air nozzles, fast and free Wi-Fi, genuine and professional service, and amazing food. I absolutely love Turkish Airlines.
I will say, however, that I quite like Turkish’s 777s and A330s when flying with someone, because there is something I like about their standard forward facing business class seats, where you don’t have to put your feet in a small footwell, and can sit next to a travel companion comfortably. Cutting edge isn’t always better…
Very well done, Turkish Airlines!
What do you think of Turkish Airlines’ new business class? Would you rather fly this or their A330/777 business class?
Can you comment on the air and warmth of the cabin on the 787 vs. 777? I see the 787 has air vents. But the times I'm looking at for a flight work better on the 777...
Why does the date of the review say October 2021? It's not even October 2021 yet.
Just tried Turkish airlines business class from Moscow. Disgusting experience. First of all they didn't provide business lounge, though didn't mention it then I ordered tickets.in the flight in toilet room the recycling bin was full of garbage from the beginning and no paper towels. The lunch was a real mess. Bit they proudly took more then 2000 dollars for this service. Russian call center was rude and useless. Operator Inna answered I do not...
Just tried Turkish airlines business class from Moscow. Disgusting experience. First of all they didn't provide business lounge, though didn't mention it then I ordered tickets.in the flight in toilet room the recycling bin was full of garbage from the beginning and no paper towels. The lunch was a real mess. Bit they proudly took more then 2000 dollars for this service. Russian call center was rude and useless. Operator Inna answered I do not know what do you want for all questions. Hope never to use this company again. After very good flights with Russian companies and Qatar airways business class this was waste of money and nerves in the New Year Eve.
This is my first time reading your reviews, and I have to say, I am impressed that you pay attention to the air nozzle and the cabin temperature. I can't tell you how many times I couldn't sleep while flying first class on Emirates or business class on other airlines, simply because the cabin was too hot or the air nozzles weren't there to begin with. I am glad someone else is noticing that. Great job Lucky
omg, me toooooo. it can literally suck the entire enjoyment out of the experience. When I did IAH-Taipei ...not terrible (amazing service). But then on Singapore air SIN-ZUR -- i literally couldnt sleep and fell ill bc it was so damn hot.
I forgot to add the first part of the article:
It is reported that Turkish Airlines will be changing the configuration of the Business Class of their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Turkish Airlines has a firm order for 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with the option to purchase 5 more and has made a decision in regard to their current Business Class configuration.
@Lucky: Turkish Airlines is updating their current Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Business Class seats following complaints they are uncomfortable and narrow based on negative feedback from both the passengers and the airline's technical department.
It is important to note Turkish Airlines will not be retrofitting their current 787's with the new Business Class cabins. The upgraded cabins will be included beginning with future deliveries of the Dreamliners.
Hopefully there will be more information on...
@Lucky: Turkish Airlines is updating their current Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Business Class seats following complaints they are uncomfortable and narrow based on negative feedback from both the passengers and the airline's technical department.
It is important to note Turkish Airlines will not be retrofitting their current 787's with the new Business Class cabins. The upgraded cabins will be included beginning with future deliveries of the Dreamliners.
Hopefully there will be more information on what kind of seats Turkish Airlines has chosen to replace the uncomfortable seats used by Singapore Airlines in regional flights.
Here is the link (in Turkish): https://www.airporthaber.com/thy-haberleri/thyden-yeni-dreamliner-karari.html
I have translated the article here:
AirportHaber (AirportNews) has learned Turkish Airlines will be updating their Business Class cabin on future Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners they receive going forward. Turkish Airlines decided to change the Business Class seats based on negative feedback from both customers and the Turkish Airlines technical department. This year, Turkish Airlines added 6 Dreamliners to their fleet and will receive an additional 9 next year in 2020.
The new Turkish Airlines Business Class aboard the 787 is a 1-2-1 configuration; Turkish Airlines decided to upgrade the business class seats on future Dreamliners because the customers complained the current seats are uncomfortable and narrow for long-haul flights.
Turkish Airlines is not changing their locally designed economy seats because the seats got positive feedback from their passengers.
Going forward, future Boeing 787’s delivered by Boeing will have the new Business Class configuration.
I know in flight is main focus here but I am having ridiculous technical issues with Turkish website that defies logic.
Turkish considers slight flight time changes as little as 5 minute delays as flight changes and requires passengers to either confirm, change or cancel the flight.
Well the problem occurs when passengers had to take action on the changed flight through the Turkish Website and Miles and Smiles interface.
Page prompts passenger...
I know in flight is main focus here but I am having ridiculous technical issues with Turkish website that defies logic.
Turkish considers slight flight time changes as little as 5 minute delays as flight changes and requires passengers to either confirm, change or cancel the flight.
Well the problem occurs when passengers had to take action on the changed flight through the Turkish Website and Miles and Smiles interface.
Page prompts passenger to confirm, change or cancel the changes; fine.
However once prompt is OK’ed by passengers, there is no confirm option but only change or cancel which is naturally not an option to be considered for a 5 minute flight delay.
So now passengers are in dilemma, that there is no action they can take such as seat changes, adding flights to their Miles account etc.
Various communications with Turkish resulted in no resolution but template responses.
And this is happening to business class passengers and yours truly experience d just yesterday.
Sorry, wanted to share my business class flight experience. Experience with business class should also be counted with ticketing, website and other services. Unfortunately Turkish fails in most of those.
I just had my flight in the new TK biz on the B787
But i must say, i am not impressed at all. Basically the new biz is simply cutting space and reducing the openness in the cabin. I had the window seat, and the privacy shield just at the window is a joke. The whole seat feels claustrophobic and not very welcoming, though from distance the look is nice, but that's about it.
If...
I just had my flight in the new TK biz on the B787
But i must say, i am not impressed at all. Basically the new biz is simply cutting space and reducing the openness in the cabin. I had the window seat, and the privacy shield just at the window is a joke. The whole seat feels claustrophobic and not very welcoming, though from distance the look is nice, but that's about it.
If i compare it to the "old" biz seats, this one is a step back. I'd liked the ottoman, particularly if you put your seat in full bed position, you have all the width from top to toe. Now? You only have this shitty narrow foot box!!
Sorry, i have more to complain. I hate this new windows, i wasn't able to control them myself, so on approach i had the full sun on my screen and i could see nothing... FA couldn't help as well.
While sleeping, i hit all the available controls, i called a FA, switched on the screen many times etc. all feels so much more cramped, like LH biz class.
Bottom line, the seat looks nice, but the configuration is a complete disaster. The B787 biz toilet in front is a joke too, claustrophobic for biz class. Sorry, but i will avoid B787.
We fly as family of four with two kids. These seats are way to small and separated, they are family unfriendly IMO. I am concerned about our upcoming business class flight to Istanbul. 777s had more open seating, and less claustrophobic business cabin. With this huge negative, I am not certain if we would not be better off in the economy class considering the price difference between two options.
I just booked IST/ATL for NEXT October - Advance planning - LOL!
Looking forward to it. Have flown A330-300 and B777-300 in past and loved both. I agree with many of the comments here in that I prefer the "old" wide open seats that so many people disliked. I'm almost always traveling with partner - love the window and aisle seats and don't mind "climbing over" if necessary. I'm sure these new seats won't be a burden to experience - LOL!
Thanks for a great review.
@Chad - did you read the report? - Ben mentions the fact that these ARE the same seats that SQ chose - great review Ben as always
Awesome review - I love the way Turkish showcases Turkish wines and cuisine on their aircraft
Any major airport is asia is better than junks in the US. Don't understand why they can't build and staff large immigration halls with high ceilings. Airports are the first impression of a country and the US fails this miserably. Just copy what Changi, HK, Taipei and HND has.
Anyway, great review Ben. TK still is one of the better carriers out there.
Nice review about this new BC, thanks a lot.
But, need to say "bye-bye" real window seats. No doubt that all updated Business Classes all over the wolrd provide more and more privacy, thats excellent. But we will probably not have anymore real nice window seats - even if you chose a.......window seat.
I still love the configuration of the old Turkish BC, as well as old China Southern, Xiamen, LOT, etc.. That is...
Nice review about this new BC, thanks a lot.
But, need to say "bye-bye" real window seats. No doubt that all updated Business Classes all over the wolrd provide more and more privacy, thats excellent. But we will probably not have anymore real nice window seats - even if you chose a.......window seat.
I still love the configuration of the old Turkish BC, as well as old China Southern, Xiamen, LOT, etc.. That is (or better was) just an amazing feeling of space.......three windows just for yourself!!
No doubt about privacy - but doubt about space - especially when sleeping. Not to mention the (very often) narrow footwells nowadays!
I was flying very often China Southern BC and sleeping was just as in your own bed - on back, on stomach, side-sleeping, what ever came to your mind, no bumping! But that old BC's are of course disappearing.
No beef on menu options?! Its a pass.....
I did not realize that TK flies from ATL to IST! Great to know. I love the look of the interior of their 787's.
I still have not flown TK, and need too. The food and presentation always looks impressive, and great to hear it was a good flight with them!
Looking forward to your next flight.
"The food looks good, as it usually does on TK, but I can’t think of a single reason to choose them over QR"
If you're a Star Alliance member? That's all I have...
That's what I'm wondering. I've flown QR quite a bit, especially the last couple years, by many reports the world's No. 1 Airline, and I adore DOH airport and even its little Sapphire Lounge. But I do have *A Gold status, and I'm tempted to give Turkish Airlines the old college try for the first time. I've heard good reports from other trustworthy passengers. Maybe this year 2023 I'll do it.
Great review as always. I love the way the seats look as well.
@JL
The emojis have to be put in the old fashioned way, with actual text.
:) ;) :/ :(
This looks very very similar to the SQ 787 seat
Many airlines do gender specific amenity kits. Besides do you find it stereotypical to wear men's perfume?
@lucky
If the have 30 seats in 8 rows and you were sitting on a window seat I can assume:
A- the middle seats on the last row are missing
B- or the bulkhead
C- or your have some math homework to do?
Please Confirm which is the correct answer?
Thanks
Andres
@ Andresbz -- Row eight only has windows and not middle seats.
This looks good and a great review.
Living in London and traveling east I often do use TK and they are almost always better than many. I'm not sure about the new seats. There's a part of me that still prefers the old ones even if they are not so private. The space, comfort and most of all no footwell do make them a great alternative. I'll continue to fly TK but won't go out of my way to seek out the A350 and 787.
(Referring to the grey seat padding with the WY comment, looks to me exactly like they inserted a Delta One seat into the WY F shell design).
Seat finishes (and slippers!) seem like they're copied from WY's new 787 F, but that isn't a criticism as that is a truly gorgeous cabin. Food looks very good for a flight from the US, frankly my experience on European carriers is the food is always poor compared to the catering from their home base (looking at you BA outside of JFK in particular).
This looks good enough that I'm tempted to try TK for the first time.
Cabin looks gorgeous- an upgrade over the 777s and A330s- but i also don't get the immovable shell- it blocks the view for window seats, and if you're in the center 'honeymoon' seats then you can't really talk to your neighbor without craning your neck. A retractable shell would be more functional.
Also, is this the same type of seat that Singapore Airlines has on their 787s?
Finally, Ben- I was wondering if you...
Cabin looks gorgeous- an upgrade over the 777s and A330s- but i also don't get the immovable shell- it blocks the view for window seats, and if you're in the center 'honeymoon' seats then you can't really talk to your neighbor without craning your neck. A retractable shell would be more functional.
Also, is this the same type of seat that Singapore Airlines has on their 787s?
Finally, Ben- I was wondering if you might also test out Economy on the Turkish 787s? I'm curious as to how tight/comfortable it is versus the other aircraft . (of topic, is Japan Airlines the only airline with a 2 x 4 x 2 on their 787s?)
Great review. Thanks.
The seat is gorgeous!
I’ve probably spent $50k this year flying on Turkish J. Love it!
Stop calling Flagship aircraft, flagship premium cabin, flagship this or that. Flagship is a trademark from American premium products. Flagship first, business, Lounge. Just like delta ONE.
@ Nestor -- No? Flagship is a real word with a definition, and I'm using that word as it's defined in the dictionary. Flagship First, Flagship First Dining, etc., are American specific terms, but using the word "flagship" as defined is very different than your "Delta One" comparison (because "one" otherwise doesn't describe an aircraft type, product, etc.).
I'm all for people correcting me when I'm wrong (and I appreciate it), but my gosh...
True in retail. A chain retail store will refer to its best stores that offer the best quality and most selection as flagship stores. So I don't see the issue.
I flew TK in business class from ORD to IST in late August and we had the trolley service for the first meal. Shame you didn't get to sample the snack menu. I found the snacks placed out on the 777 back from IST to ORD to be pretty pathetic. I wonder if this was an upgrade.
nice looking. And Denon headset is better for high end audio then the B&O one.
Just a tip: you can lower both armrests and it gives you more space when you sleep. It makes a big difference.
Design is both practicalities and aesthetics. The aesthetics of the new seat may be great, but the design is ruined by the privacy screens.
People travelling together in the honeymoon seats (sic) are unlikely to want privacy from each other; and at least a significant proportion of the people who choose window seats are likely to want to look out of the window.
This seat is a big fat fail, just as was the...
Design is both practicalities and aesthetics. The aesthetics of the new seat may be great, but the design is ruined by the privacy screens.
People travelling together in the honeymoon seats (sic) are unlikely to want privacy from each other; and at least a significant proportion of the people who choose window seats are likely to want to look out of the window.
This seat is a big fat fail, just as was the previous seat — without direct aisle access for all.
The food looks good, as it usually does on TK, but I can’t think of a single reason to choose them over QR; and there are other airlines whose design choices add up to a better overall compromise for me. No way is this among the top J classes.
Great review, thank you Ben! Regarding the seat, I think I prefer the old one. The massive privacy shield looks a bit ridiculous, and doesn’t make any sense on the window seats. The footwell looks really tight.
I can’t work out the rationale for the privacy shield on he window seat which obstructs the window view?
Also, i can’t understand the stereotyping on the amenity kits? Would it be too much if the blue came with condoms and the pink with tampons?
Five hours sleep is a solid result. The sense I had was a nice flight all around.
This looks far superior to the AF F meal served en route to Africa: well-presented, tasty, unpretentious.
Lovely review, as always, and a serious contender to Gulf Air/Oman Air/JAL Apex Suites for your second-placed business product, the Qatar Airways Qsuite being unsurpassable in all respects. The Emirati airlines are increasingly inadequate in front of QR and TK.
I found it interesting that you left out the name of the flight attendant, which you never do.
Lovely review, as always, and a serious contender to Gulf Air/Oman Air/JAL Apex Suites for your second-placed business product, the Qatar Airways Qsuite being unsurpassable in all respects. The Emirati airlines are increasingly inadequate in front of QR and TK.
I found it interesting that you left out the name of the flight attendant, which you never do. On your two recent QR flights you mentioned their names as Hadeer and Claudine. Who was this one?
@Ivan, I think it's more an issue about personal space, or not, rather than privacy per se.
Good review. I realise that when you fly business class one of the things you are paying for is personal space but I just don't get this almost obsession with bloggers and privacy when flying. Are they afraid of being recognised or something?
I believe the meal service from the US to İSTANBUL changed recently. I flew IAD-IST on their A330 in April. The appetizers were served from a trolley and were plentiful. I flew the same route three weeks ago on the 787 and the menu and service were exactly the same as in Lucky’s flight. On my return flight from İSTANBUL to IAH on the b777, the meal service was from the trolley. Compared to a...
I believe the meal service from the US to İSTANBUL changed recently. I flew IAD-IST on their A330 in April. The appetizers were served from a trolley and were plentiful. I flew the same route three weeks ago on the 787 and the menu and service were exactly the same as in Lucky’s flight. On my return flight from İSTANBUL to IAH on the b777, the meal service was from the trolley. Compared to a year or two ago, I feel that TK cut down on their business soft product. I think there was even more food options in the past. I still prefer the b777 business seats for sleeping but the new screen on the 787 was better than my laptop screen
A great review; shifts TK towards the top of my must-try list!
I think I could happily pick my way through that menu, in fact I would choose pretty much what you had. Would include the nice looking cheese platter as well.
It would come as something of a let-down to disembark at a remote stand though. You would think that a national flag carrier, at a brand new airport to boot, would...
A great review; shifts TK towards the top of my must-try list!
I think I could happily pick my way through that menu, in fact I would choose pretty much what you had. Would include the nice looking cheese platter as well.
It would come as something of a let-down to disembark at a remote stand though. You would think that a national flag carrier, at a brand new airport to boot, would score an airbridge gate. Although it's an unspoken thing and often denied, it is a real thing in other countries!
Nice review, I agree with most of it. Regarding the seat i find it quite good for sleeping, but the privacy shield should be redesigned, as it prevents using the arm rest, making the sitting position a bit unconfortable.
Overall still an nice improvement over the old 777 TK J seat IMO.
Ben - I could have sworn that you flew TO Istanbul in around 2013 from Tokyo Narita (I believe you flew Austrian to NRT, and LOT Polish swapped the 787 you were flying to Chicago to a 767 on the way back due to the battery issues the 787s were having back then), and I'm sure you had a trolley service - you even noted that the service on that flight was charmless? So the question becomes is this dine on demand business new?
Tattinger is a good champagne.
I do indeed love the finishes on the seats, though I do find the “privacy shield” quite in redundant on the “honeymoon” seats and the “true” window seats. It blocks the person next to you and the view of the window respectively.
Aren’t eva 787 regional biz also these seats?
Ben, was is narrow even after lowering the hand rest? Had the same issue with Singapore Airlines, but once the hand rests were lowered it was much better.
“Seriously, can we just appreciate for a second how beautiful these seats are?”. That’s hysterical because the first thing I thought was “Ew...looks like something out of the Flintsones”
Great write up..Always hear great thing about TA just have not had the chance to fly them...yet.
I find it odd that airlines don't customize the seats for windows. In this case, the privacy shield blocking the window makes no sense. They're simply reusing the aisle seat from the left side of the plane
This isn't the only seat or airline with that issue
I've flown all, but most recently on the non-stop 787-9 IST-MEX (15+ hours). Loved it! Excellent crew, service and food. I am a side sleeper too. @ Lucky, Perhaps you didn't know but you can fully lower both armrests in a window seat which gives you added inches needed, more than enough room to cozy in. I got 9.5 hours of solid sleep which was wonderful, still giving me ample time to enjoy both meal...
I've flown all, but most recently on the non-stop 787-9 IST-MEX (15+ hours). Loved it! Excellent crew, service and food. I am a side sleeper too. @ Lucky, Perhaps you didn't know but you can fully lower both armrests in a window seat which gives you added inches needed, more than enough room to cozy in. I got 9.5 hours of solid sleep which was wonderful, still giving me ample time to enjoy both meal services, as well as watch a movie -- I was amazed! The only problem I encountered was the cabin lights did not seem they were dimmed enough for my liking, so in my "cocoon" seat I put a blanket over the wings since the seat behind me was unoccupied, so in essence It felt like I was in my own private pup tent. Probably one reason I was able to get so much sleep... Wouldn't hesitate flying TK's 787-9 again.
Great Review. I have only flown British First and Air Serbia Business in a premium cabin and am normally flying in the back of the plane. However, Turkish has always been the top of my (realistic) bucket list flights. The food always looks fantastic and you rarely hear anything bad about them
@lucky - Weird request, but can you enable your site to recognize emojis by any chance? I've seen others post them on here but every time I include one, it doesn't show.
I was on your flight too, back in cattle class though (which is obviously a joke considering TK has Do&Co catering)! See my comment on the intro post :)
@Lucky - May have been Houston then. Maybe on the 777, they always use trolleys for meal service?
I’ve done quite a few TK biz flights to and from the Us this and last year and some redeye flights to Istanbul (eg from SFO and LAX) have full cart service, though not ATL, BOS and other flights that leave later in the evening. I have used dine on demand for both breakfast and dinner and appreciate it very much.
@Lucky I have been fortunate enough to fly 8 TK long haul business class segments on the 777 this year and I have to say that I have never had better sleep on a plane. Yes, I get that my window seat means that I have to go around another passenger to get out to the aisle, but the room and privacy on these seats is really good. I can't say I am looking forward to more 787-9's getting rolled out.
Also, what is with the window seats having the view blocked by the seat?
Lucky, 2 questions:
1) Is the footwell in the bulkhead seat slight larger?
2) When you say dine on demand, does that mean you can order what you want, when you want? It seems both meal services are fixed, therefore not quite dine on demand (in the way it is on Qatar Airways)...
@ Aaron -- The bulkheads do have slightly bigger footwells, though are also closer to the aisle, so that's a downside.
The dinner service is dine on demand (perhaps not the breakfast). While there is a set menu, realistically you don't have to have the whole thing, and I'm sure they'd let you order a couple of appetizers if you wanted, etc., assuming they have enough. But no, I guess it's not quite like Qatar...
@ Aaron -- The bulkheads do have slightly bigger footwells, though are also closer to the aisle, so that's a downside.
The dinner service is dine on demand (perhaps not the breakfast). While there is a set menu, realistically you don't have to have the whole thing, and I'm sure they'd let you order a couple of appetizers if you wanted, etc., assuming they have enough. But no, I guess it's not quite like Qatar Airways in terms of there being a huge menu you can order off of at any time.
(And totally agree with the seat width. Also found that true window seats don't really have views, since the seat shell block pretty much most of the window)
Regarding the meal service to Instanbul...is this a new policy? I flew DFW to IST several years ago and the meal was served from the trolleys.
@ Luis -- Hmmm, maybe they have the trolley service on longer redeye flights to Istanbul? Also, are you sure you flew them out of DFW? Could be wrong, but I don't think they operate that route currently, and don't recall it in the past either.
Curious about the other airlines in your top 3. Qatar & Eva Air?
@ Quinten -- You know me well. ;) Will try the new business products of ANA, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic soon, and then hope to have a post with my all around favorite business class experiences.
Great review Ben. That seat and the finishes are stunning. With all the cost cutting that is going on amongst many major carriers, EY, CX, QR to name a few, in terms of soft-product (all of them serving Piper, for example) it is great to see TK investing heavily in both their hard and soft product as well as maintaining a strong staff morale.
Looking forward to your upcoming posts on the ground!
Style over substance. The new seats are way too tight for standard-tall-European people.
A brand-new airport that already has longer taxiing times than a maxxed out congested airport such as Heathrow is laughable. Even more so that such a flight gets a remote stand. An utter joke of new airport.
But the crown of this are the 'fake'-Versace kits. Probably straight from some shady backyard bazar in Istanbul.
@ Max -- I share your feelings about the airport and agree these aren't the best seats in the world. However, I'd say free wifi for business class, individual air nozzles, amazing food, and genuinely friendly service is substance, and not style.