Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class A350 (ORD-IST)

Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class A350 (ORD-IST)

FROM: ORD
TO: IST
CABIN: Business
DATE: August 2023
REVIEW RATING:
SEAT MAP: A350-900 V.2
BEN SAYS: Turkish Airlines' A350 business class is exceptional, with an amazing hard product, great food, endless entertainment, free Wi-Fi, and good amenities. This is one of my favorite business class experiences in the world.
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To kick off the trip to Germany with my parents, I flew Turkish Airlines’ Airbus A350 business class from Chicago to Istanbul. This wasn’t just any A350, but rather it was one of Turkish Airlines’ handful of A350s that were intended to be flown by Aeroflot, but that’s no longer happening due to sanctions (for those curious, you can identify the ex-Aeroflot A350s by their seven rows of business class, rather than the eight rows on the standard Turkish A350s).

I’m happy to report that the experience was truly top notch. These A350s have some of the best business class seats you’ll find on any airline. When you combine that with Turkish’s excellent soft product, including amazing catering, lots of great amenities, and free Wi-Fi, this really is one of the best business class experiences in the world.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the review…

How I booked my Turkish business class ticket

Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles frequent flyer program has some sweet spot redemptions, so I booked my ticket through that program. Specifically, I managed to book the following in business class for 45,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles plus $285.80 in taxes and fees (including some carrier imposed surcharges):

8/09 TK186 Chicago to Istanbul departing 11:35AM arriving 5:50AM (+1 day)
8/10 TK1591 Istanbul to Frankfurt departing 11:40AM arriving 1:50PM

This has to be one of the best sweet spot award redemptions out there, as you can fly Turkish Airlines from anywhere in the United States to anywhere in Europe for that amount, assuming you can find saver level award space.

Keep in mind that Turkish Miles&Smiles is transfer partners with both Capital One and Citi ThankYou, so there are lots of ways to accrue these points. Lastly, since it’s something people are often curious about, I booked this ticket four days before departure, directly on Turkish Airlines’ website.

Turkish business class lounge & boarding

I had arrived in Chicago the same morning from Miami, and had a roughly three hour layover, prior to my 11:35AM flight to Istanbul.

At check-in I was given an invitation to the Swissport Lounge, though I decided to skip that, since I consider it to be one of the worst lounges in the United States. I tried to instead use the Scandinavian Airlines Lounge, which should have been allowed per Star Alliance lounge access policies, though I was denied.

The associate sort of chastised me. “See how your boarding pass says Swissport Lounge? That’s where you need to go.” I reminded her of Star Alliance lounge access policies, though it was clear she didn’t actually understand the rules. Therefore I decided to just head to the departure gate for my flight, which was M20.

Turkish Airlines departure gate Chicago Airport

As I got to the gate, I saw the one-year-old A350-900 with the registration code TC-LGL pull into the gate. What a beauty!

Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 Chicago Airport

While boarding was supposed to start at 10:45AM (an hour before departure), unfortunately it was delayed significantly, with limited communication from ground staff. They first explained that the delay was “due to aircraft servicing,” even though the plane arrived from Istanbul ahead of schedule.

Later the captain explained on the PA that there was a “minor technical problem.” We ended up boarding at 12PM, about 75 minutes behind schedule. While the flight wasn’t off to a great start, fortunately things improved once onboard…

Turkish A350 business class cabin & seats

I boarded through the second set of doors, where I was greeted by the friendly crew and pointed left into business class. Before doing so, I couldn’t help but snap a picture of the premium economy cabin, as these are the only Turkish Airlines aircraft to feature this. Since Turkish Airlines doesn’t typically offer premium economy, these are sold as extra legroom economy seats.

Turkish Airlines A350 premium economy cabin

The business class cabin consists of a total of 28 seats, taking up the entire space between the first and second set of doors. The cabin is in a 1-2-1 configuration, with seats being staggered in each row.

These planes have the Collins Aerospace Horizon product, and as of now Turkish is the only airline to have these seats (Aeroflot was the launch customer, but Aeroflot’s A350s are now flying for Turkish).

First of all, I have to comment on how the cabin is quite aesthetically pleasing, especially with the overhead bins in the middle removed, which gives the cabin a spacious feeling. Do keep in mind that the cabin finishes were designed for Aeroflot, which explains all the orange and blue, since those aren’t typically Turkish Airlines colors.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class cabin
Turkish Airlines A350 business class cabin

The configuration varies based on which row you’re in. In odd numbered rows, the center seats are in a “honeymoon” configuration, meaning the seats are close to one another and far from the aisle. This is ideal for couples traveling together. Though don’t worry, even if you’re traveling alone, there’s a partition that can be raised for full privacy.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class seats
Turkish Airlines A350 business class seats

Meanwhile in even numbered rows, the seats are closer to the aisle and far apart. Those would be my last choice seats, since you don’t have the benefit of sitting right next to a travel companion, and also aren’t by a window.

As far as window seats go, the seats in even numbered rows are the best, as they’re closer to the windows and farther from the aisle.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat
Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat
Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat

I had initially assigned myself one of these seats (6K), but there was apparently an issue with the seat, so I got moved to seat 1A at the gate. The seats in odd numbered rows are closer to the aisle and farther from the windows, so they’re not quite as good as the other seats, but they’re still great.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat

Let’s take a closer look at the features of the seat. The seat isn’t particularly wide, though I didn’t find the width to be an issue. It’s a bit odd how the seat doesn’t have an armrest on one side, though oddly at no point during the flight did that stand out to me as something that was uncomfortable. I just kept the pillow next to me while sitting up, and that acted as an armrest.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat

There’s a large counter to the side of the seat, as well as an enclosed storage compartment. The storage compartment even has a mirror.

Turkish Airlines business class seat console
Turkish Airlines business class seat storage

Underneath the storage compartment is the headphone jack, the AC power outlet, and the USB-A outlet.

Turkish Airlines business class seat outlet

The seat controls are located right next to the seat, and are poorly positioned, in my opinion. This was naturally where I’d rest my elbow, so I frequently hit these by mistake. Underneath the seat controls is the entertainment controller, though I never used that, since the personal television is also touchscreen.

Turkish Airlines business class seat controls
Turkish Airlines business class seat entertainment controller

A really impressive aspect of this seat is the entire console in front of it. Not only is there quite a large television, but there’s also a closet where you can hang clothes or store other things. It’s not often you find something like this in business class.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class seat
Turkish Airlines business class seat wardrobe

The way the tray table in this seat extends is different than I’ve seen in any other product. It’s essentially stored above the footwell at a 45 degree angle, and then you can lower it so that you have a small tray, perfect for placing a drink or a snack.

Turkish Airlines business class seat tray table

You can then pull the tray table out all the way, and it’s quite large.

Turkish Airlines business class seat tray table

Speaking of the footwell, one general challenge with these kinds of seats is that there’s a footwell you have to place your feet into, and sometimes it’s quite restrictive. I found the footwell to be a reasonably good size for a product like this.

Turkish Airlines business class seat ottoman

Another awesome feature of this seat is that it has a sliding door. I found this to be one of the best business class doors out there — it was quite large, and could be opened and closed easily.

Turkish Airlines business class seat privacy door
Turkish Airlines business class seat privacy door

A couple more notes about the cabin on this A350. Each seat has an overhead console that contains individual air nozzles, which is much appreciated.

Turkish Airlines A350 overhead console

On top of that, the windows have automatic blinds that you can lower. First the blinds lower almost in an aesthetic way, and then if you keep going, they’ll go completely dark.

Turkish Airlines A350 window blinds

Honestly, I was really impressed by this business class hard product. I’d say this seat is most comparable to Qatar Airways Qsuites, with some minor differences between the two. I’d consider those to be among the best business class hard products, after ANA’s “The Room” business class.

I’d also say that I prefer this to Turkish Airlines’ “standard” business class product, found on all Boeing 787s and most Airbus A350s.

Turkish business class amenities

Waiting at each business class seat upon boarding was a pillow and blanket. On the surface the blanket doesn’t look like something you’d expect in a long haul premium cabin, but this isn’t the blanket that’s offered when it’s time to sleep, as there’s a whole separate turndown service, which I’ll cover later.

Turkish Airlines business class pillow & blanket

Also waiting at the seat upon boarding were a pair of slippers that were quite sturdy. I also like how they come with a shoe bag, so that you have somewhere to put your shoes during the flight.

Turkish Airlines business class slippers

There were also a pair of noise canceling headphones waiting at each seat upon boarding, in this case from Denon. I found them to be high quality, and this is an area where many airlines seem to cut corners.

Turkish Airlines business class headphones

Once settled in, one of the flight attendants came by to offer pre-departure drinks, with the choice of lemon-mint juice, orange juice, raspberry juice, or water. While Turkish doesn’t serve alcohol on the ground in the United States, I love the quality of the carrier’s pre-departure drinks. I selected the lemon-mint juice.

Turkish Airlines business class pre-departure drink

Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits were also passed out, and they were pretty well stocked. They featured thick socks, eyeshades, a dental kit, earplugs, and some body lotion, facial mist, and lip balm.

Turkish Airlines business class amenity kit

Toward the end of the boarding process, the inflight chef came through the cabin to distribute the menu and drink list for the flight.

Turkish Airlines business class menu & wine list

Turkish A350 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Turkish has an impressive entertainment system on its Airbus A350s. Not only is the entertainment screen large and high definition, but the selection is extensive as well.

Turkish Airlines entertainment system A350

The entertainment library included 660 movies and 1,188 TV shows, so it doesn’t get much better than that. On top of that, there was live TV, games, music, and more.

Turkish Airlines entertainment system A350
Turkish Airlines entertainment system A350
Turkish Airlines entertainment system A350

The one thing that disappointed me was the map feature, which was surprisingly low definition, and not very customizable. Fortunately these A350s do have tail cameras, so that’s what ended up entertaining me for much of the flight.

Turkish Airlines entertainment system A350
Turkish Airlines A350 tail camera

Turkish Airlines also has Wi-Fi on its Airbus A350s.

Turkish Airlines Wi-Fi Airbus A350

Turkish’s standard Wi-Fi pricing for long haul flights is as follows:

  • You can purchase a chat pass for $5
  • You can purchase 100MB of data for $8
  • You can purchase 250MB of data for $15
  • You can purchase unlimited data for $35
Turkish Airlines Wi-Fi Airbus A350

The airline offers free messaging for all Miles&Smiles members, and also offers free Wi-Fi for business class passengers. Taking advantage of this is easy, as you just have to enter your last name and seat number.

Turkish Airlines Wi-Fi Airbus A350

In the past, Turkish offered unlimited free Wi-Fi in business class, though now it’s capped at 1,024MB of data. That’s a lot of data that should be more than enough for a vast majority of people, though obviously no cap would be better.

Turkish Airlines Wi-Fi Airbus A350

I found Wi-Fi speeds to be very good, and the free Wi-Fi kept me busy for much of the flight, especially as I struggled to sleep.

Turkish A350 departure from Chicago

Boarding was completed at 12:30PM, around 30 minutes after it started. At exactly this time the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 9hr45min, and our eventual cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. He also apologized for the delay, which he attributed to a “minor technical problem.”

At 12:35PM the main cabin door closed, at which point the cabin chief made her welcome aboard announcement. For what it’s worth, there were five empty seats in business class, so the cabin was just over 80% full. We began our pushback at 12:45PM, at which point the sort of adorable safety video was screened.

At 12:50PM we began our taxi, and I quite enjoyed the views, including of the Etihad A350-1000 (I flew the Chicago to Abu Dhabi route on Etihad recently).

Pushing back Chicago Airport
Taxiing Chicago Airport

We taxied out to runway 28R, though there was quite the queue for takeoff. We ended up being cleared for takeoff at 1:15PM.

Taking off Chicago Airport
View after takeoff from Chicago Airport
View after takeoff from Chicago Airport

Our climb out was smooth, and the seatbelt sign was turned off about five minutes after takeoff.

Turkish Airlines A350 tail camera

Turkish business class lunch service

Shortly after takeoff, the lunch service started. Dining on Turkish is always such a treat, though let me note upfront that Turkish has a more extensive meal service on flights from Istanbul than on flights to Istanbul. On flights from Istanbul, the appetizers and desserts are all plated directly from a trolley in the aisle, while on flights to Istanbul they’re plated in advance, and just presented on a trolley. Still, this meal was a treat.

Below you can find the Turkish business class lunch menu for this flight.

Turkish Airlines business class menu

Then below you can find the extensive beverage list. I love how Turkish has such a big drink selection, and highlights so many Turkish wines. As you can see, there were three white wines, five red wines, a rose, and a champagne — there aren’t many airlines with so many choices!

Turkish Airlines business class drink list
Turkish Airlines business class drink list
Turkish Airlines business class drink list
Turkish Airlines business class drink list
Turkish Airlines business class drink list

The chef had taken the main course orders on the ground. Around 15 minutes after takeoff, warm towels were distributed on individual plates.

Turkish Airlines business class warm towel

A few minutes after that, drink orders were taken. I ordered some champagne, with Taittinger Brut Reserve being on offer, and that was served with a ramekin of warm mixed nuts. I appreciated how quickly the first drink was served, since some airlines seemingly take forever.

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — drink and nuts

About 30 minutes after takeoff my table was set for lunch. Turkish puts so much effort into its meal presentation, and I appreciate the faux candle, the salt and pepper shaker, and the side plate with butter, olive oil, and a bread basket (which didn’t exactly fit the pretzel stick!).

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — table setting

About an hour after takeoff, a trolley was rolled out with the starters. This included the choice of a potpourri of seafood or grilled goat cheese and beetroot salad. You could also have a sweet pumpkin soup and/or garden salad to accompany that.

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — appetizer trolley

I ordered the seafood starter, which had shrimp, smoked salmon, and grilled calamari, with some zucchini. I also had the pumpkin soup, as well as the garden salad. To drink, I had a glass of the sauvignon blanc. Honestly, what an impressive starter — I can’t think of another airline with starters that are to this level!

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — appetizer

About 30 minutes later, main courses were served. There were three choices, and I selected the fillet of red snapper with sautéed spinach with leek, chateau potatoes, and lemon herb butter. I appreciated how this was even served with a knife specifically for fish dishes. This was one of the best fish dishes I’ve had on a plane, as the fish was flavorful and moist.

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — main course

About 20 minutes later, the dessert trolley was rolled down the aisle. I chose the selection of Turkish desserts, and the cheese plate, and had some tea to drink.

Turkish Airlines business class lunch — dessert

My plates were all cleared around two hours after takeoff. What a fantastic meal this was. Turkish really is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of business class catering.

Turkish A350 business class lavatories

After the meal, I checked out the business class lavatory situation. Turkish has two lavatories in business class in front of the cabin. The lavatories were modern, but weren’t particularly large.

Turkish Airlines A350 business class lavatory
Turkish Airlines A350 business class lavatory

As is standard, they featured Molton Brown amenities, which is something I love about Turkish.

Turkish Airlines business class Molton Brown amenities

Turkish A350 business class bed

After the meal, I decided to try to get some rest, so I asked the crew to make my bed. Turndown service is a feature in Turkish business class, as there’s additional bedding that isn’t at your seat during boarding. The bedding included a (thin) mattress pad, and a proper blanket. On top of that, my pillow was put in a pillowcase.

I found the pillow to not have much padding, so I took a pillow from an empty seat next to me, which helped me to settle in.

Turkish Airlines business class bed A350
Turkish Airlines business class bed A350
Turkish Airlines business class bed A350

The good news is that I found the bed to be quite comfortable, and I liked the privacy afforded by the door. The bad news is that given the early departure of my flight, I really wasn’t that tired. I managed to sleep for about 90 minutes, but then woke up again, and was wide awake.

That was all the sleep I ended up getting on this flight. I ultimately didn’t mind that one bit, since it allowed me to get lots of work done. The crew did a good job keeping me hydrated, and I was offered lots of water, and also had a cappuccino and a Turkish coffee.

Turkish Airlines business class cappuccino
Turkish Airlines business class Turkish coffee

Turkish business class breakfast

About two hours before landing, the crew slowly started turning on the cabin lights, just as the sun was starting to come up outside.

Sunrise enroute to Istanbul
Progress enroute to Istanbul
Progress enroute to Istanbul

Below you can find the Turkish business class breakfast menu for this flight.

Turkish Airlines business class menu

Service started with the choice orange juice or water. Unfortunately this didn’t seem to be the freshly squeezed orange juice that Turkish ordinarily offers, so I kind of regretted selecting that.

Turkish Airlines business class breakfast

About 90 minutes before landing, I was brought a tray with the breakfast starter. This included some fresh fruit, cheese with tomato and cucumber, yogurt, smoked turkey, and chicken breast. I had a regular coffee to go along with this.

Turkish Airlines business class breakfast

For the main course, I selected the mushroom and tomato omelet with roasted potatoes and grilled tomato. It was honestly one of the best airplane omelets I’ve ever had. It was fluffy and wasn’t swimming in grease. Why can’t other airlines serve omelets this good?!

Turkish Airlines business class breakfast

Turkish business class service

I find service on Turkish Airlines to typically range from good to exceptional. At a minimum, crews are courteous, professional, and responsive. I’d say the crew on this flight was in the good category, but not exceptional (unlike on my connecting flight).

The crew was friendly enough and responsive to all requests, though wasn’t necessarily over-the-top friendly or overly hospitable, as I sometimes find to be the case on Turkish. That’s not at all to say that the crew wasn’t good, but rather it’s just to recognize that some Turkish crews really go above and beyond, in my experience.

Turkish A350 arrival in Istanbul

At 6:20AM local time the captain was back on the PA to inform us that we’d be descending shortly, and would be landing in around 35 minutes. I feel like the flights I take through Istanbul usually land at night, so I absolutely loved having an early morning arrival, as the views were breathtaking.

Tail camera approaching Istanbul
Tail camera approaching Istanbul

Istanbul is such a massive city, and I think the below really captures that.

Views of Istanbul on approach
Views of Istanbul on approach

We ended up landing in Istanbul at 6:50AM, with a very smooth touchdown.

Landing Istanbul Airport

As is standard in Istanbul, we had a lengthy taxi.

Taxiing Istanbul Airport

It took us around 15 minutes to make it to our arrival gate, where we arrived at 7:05AM, 75 minutes behind schedule.

Arrival gate Istanbul Airport
Arrival gate Istanbul Airport

From there I cleared transit security, headed to the Turkish Airlines Lounge, and then took my connecting Turkish Airlines A330 flight to Frankfurt.

Bottom line

Turkish Airlines business class is always a treat, in my opinion, though especially on the carrier’s subfleet of Airbus A350s. These ex-Aeroflot jets have incredibly comfortable interiors, which are the best you’ll find at Turkish Airlines.

When you combine that with the carrier’s excellent business class catering, free Wi-Fi, endless entertainment, etc., this is really one of the best business class experiences in the world, in my opinion.

What do you make of Turkish Airlines’ A350 business class?

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  1. The Fred Guest

    I don’t understand all this admiration of Turkish - I really, really don’t. In my opinion, that admiration is now at least a decade old. The 777s they operate for instance between JFK/IST are terribly outdated - across classes. Crews are some of the most passive and unhelpful in the sky. Often downright rude. Food is subpar. Seats are the worst - where they didn’t even bother to remove the footrest when they shortened the...

    I don’t understand all this admiration of Turkish - I really, really don’t. In my opinion, that admiration is now at least a decade old. The 777s they operate for instance between JFK/IST are terribly outdated - across classes. Crews are some of the most passive and unhelpful in the sky. Often downright rude. Food is subpar. Seats are the worst - where they didn’t even bother to remove the footrest when they shortened the pitch (you cannot use it anymore - it’s just, very annoyingly, in the way).

    Has some outdated love made people blind?

    IST as an airport is a mess. It’s massive and of course new - but you most often end up taxing around for at least 30 minutes. Super inefficient. All that national pride associated with it has made many blind to the fact that it’s not really a good and efficient airport. It’s just huge.

  2. Chris W Guest

    I can't see any 45k J availability from any US cities, either well in advance, or just 4 days in advance, like you booked.

    1. TheBestBlackBrent Diamond

      Just try harder, it will 'magically' appear 4 days before departure just when you conveniently need it!

    2. Am Guest

      How you find deal for 45.000 miles? I am looking for so many dates in OCT and NOV and all deals are 105.000 miles one way in BC.

  3. Trevor Guest

    Perhaps I’m missing something, but I just flew TK from DXB to IST and then BJV to PRG (via IST). All three flights had multiple aircraft swaps (to abysmal recliners). And major delays. The food tasted alright, but no where near QR or SQ. It’ll be a long time before I seek them out again.

  4. Baliken Member

    Those seats are great except for the placement of the controls and lack of proper armrests. Everytime I rest my arm the seat moves.

  5. Dick Bupkiss Guest

    "Baker's Field Cream" - interesting offering on the drink menu. Is that a knockoff product (I'm assuming to copy Bailey's) or just a bad translation? Did you give it a try?

    1. Santos Guest

      you could try taking 4 seconds to google it...

  6. jdink Member

    I’m all over that seafood appetizer!

  7. Hugo Guest

    I am platinum with TK. Everyone praises them. But I wish you would publish a review of a 7-8 hours business class ticket from Istambul to plenty of countries in Africa operated in a 737 max in business class for which they charge very high fares. Ridiculous seats for business class. Please review that because by now we all know how great their in flight experience can be in the A350 or their new aircraft.

  8. Too many points required again Guest

    Why am I getting 105,000 miles required for ORD - IST any dates in 2024?

  9. dillpickles Member

    I realize you don't have to, but please do not let lounges - particularly that SAS lounge at ORD - get away with turn away Star Alliance Biz passengers. They all act completely oblivious and have for years. They very much know what they're doing. If they at the SAS lounge do not like the rules, they should take it up with Swissport/Turkish/Star.

    1. GetReal Guest

      The SAS lounge is not even open for the morning Turkish departure - it doesn't open until 1230, and it's a joke of a lounge anyways. Turkish really needs to contract with Delta to allow business class to use their lounge at T5 ORD.

  10. Mike O. Guest

    Just want to point out from memory that Philippine Airlines also had one of the best omelets you've had:
    https://onemileatatime.com/philippine-airlines-a350-business-class-review/

    And for the fish, comparable to the Cathay Pacific First reviews you did years ago:
    https://onemileatatime.com/review-cathay-pacific-first-class-777-300er-new-york-jfk-to-hong-kong/
    https://onemileatatime.com/review-cathay-pacific-first-class-777-300er-chicago-to-hong-kong/

    Based on the omelets I've had, it was boring, bland. And the breakfast meats would just be greasy and soggy along with the potatoes that usually come with it. I wish airlines would be more...

    Just want to point out from memory that Philippine Airlines also had one of the best omelets you've had:
    https://onemileatatime.com/philippine-airlines-a350-business-class-review/

    And for the fish, comparable to the Cathay Pacific First reviews you did years ago:
    https://onemileatatime.com/review-cathay-pacific-first-class-777-300er-new-york-jfk-to-hong-kong/
    https://onemileatatime.com/review-cathay-pacific-first-class-777-300er-chicago-to-hong-kong/

    Based on the omelets I've had, it was boring, bland. And the breakfast meats would just be greasy and soggy along with the potatoes that usually come with it. I wish airlines would be more creative with their omelets and meals in general especially plating and presentation. If I'm not feeling eggs, fortunately there are alternatives such as noodles, dim sum, congee, etc.

    I also enjoy a good baklava, knafeh (from the photo). I wish more airlines would have some local flair especially with their desserts. Cakes get boring after a while.

  11. Traveler Guest

    You slept for only 90 minutes. Had you been on a night time flight you would have found the seats too narrow for sleeping comfort. Sort of like sleeping in a casket. I belong to the apparent minority who like the comfort of wider sleeping space afforded on the older 777s.

    Furthermore, for those paying in currency, rather than points, while the Turkish lira has substantially depreciated the dollar cost has doubled, making the...

    You slept for only 90 minutes. Had you been on a night time flight you would have found the seats too narrow for sleeping comfort. Sort of like sleeping in a casket. I belong to the apparent minority who like the comfort of wider sleeping space afforded on the older 777s.

    Furthermore, for those paying in currency, rather than points, while the Turkish lira has substantially depreciated the dollar cost has doubled, making the product uncompetitive.

    While I enjoy the Scotch on the flight, why is it no longer available in the lounge in Istanbul?

    Otherwise I love the Turkish product as much as you do.

  12. AppreciateIt Guest

    Only question is here is how you book two award tickets. Every time I try to increase the number of tickets I’m booking (greater than 1) I get a message telling me they can only do the first ticket in my name (this is fine) but then do not allow me to buy a second ticket (less than fine).

    1. Matt Guest

      If you haven't booked an award through Turkish before, they only allow you to book one ticket for yourself for your first award. From my understanding it's a security thing to prevent fraud. Once you book a ticket for yourself, you'll be allowed to book multiple tix in the future.

    2. Ali Akgül Guest

      In addition to all this, from now on you can feel closer to your maker when you fly Turkish as they will from now on allow the pilots to pray in the cockpit... Have a safe flight guys :D

  13. Marcus Guest

    I flew their J for the first time this year on both the 777 and the 787. The turndown service on both flights was very chaotic, with many passengers needing to stand up at the same time, shuffling all our things into storage, pads and sheets all over, and finding a way to make room for multiple cabin crew moving around at once. And at least in one case it happened before the meal service,...

    I flew their J for the first time this year on both the 777 and the 787. The turndown service on both flights was very chaotic, with many passengers needing to stand up at the same time, shuffling all our things into storage, pads and sheets all over, and finding a way to make room for multiple cabin crew moving around at once. And at least in one case it happened before the meal service, which made everything feel even more messy. Has anyone else experienced this? It was the one uncomfortable moment in an otherwise very nice flight.

    1. Baliken Member

      I now skip the turndown service. I don’t find the seat cover comfortable. And it’s a pain when you want to sit later on. I just get the pillow case.

  14. Dolores Smith Guest

    I would not travel with Turkish Airlines ever again after nightmare experience last December- total lack of respect for passengers. They overbooked and offloaded a father of 3 young travelling with his wife and mother-in-law. No empathy whatsoever.

  15. Darek Guest

    What about a normal Turkish seats? Because as you wrote this is far much better than standard Turkish seat

  16. corpkid Member

    I love TK's soft product and their 787/350 hard product. I love when I find 45k flights to Istanbul (and keep a stash of Citi points for this reason).

    Everything is very good with them, except when you have a flight cancellation or the like. Dealing with Turkish Airlines is probably a notch above your local DMV, if you are lucky.

    That seems to be the gamble.

  17. Michael C Guest

    Besides ORD, does Turkish use the subfleet of A350's to any other US city?

    1. Ryan Guest

      Atlanta is getting them. At least currently.

    2. Baliken Member

      YUL, but thats not the US.

  18. Chris Guest

    How r u able to identify it’s the Aeroflot A350? TK changes their plane all the time, it’s lucky enough not to fly their 777, but so fortunate to fly this A350.

    What’s ur tips to identify and locate this A350 to fly it?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Chris -- The ex-Aeroflot A350s have seven rows of business class, while the standard ones have eight rows. Turkish seems to be pretty consistent with the markets in which it flies these planes, and we don't see too many last minute swaps.

    2. Chris Guest

      oh woah thanks for ur reply. And what other cities these ex-flot a350 fly to? I wanna fly this seat too because of ur review

    3. taylan Guest

      Apart from Ben's point above regarding the seating plan differences to differentiate A350s, one funny way I've noticed is the following: if you see aircraft type as 'A350-900' on the Turkish Airlines mobile app it should be normal Turkish A350s. If you see it as 'A350' then those flights are planned with ex-AeroFlot frames. This doesn't work on TK website (desktop) as all a350 flights are shown as 'A350-900' there.

  19. Clem Diamond

    So I know you love the Turkish Airlines food, but isn't it kind of a huge miss to not offer at least one Turkish main dish? The only local thing I could see on the menu are desserts. Whether or not they depart from the US or Turkey shouldn't be a factor, I'm sure they could cater Turkish food in the US. I remember this being such a huge disappointment when I flew them, the menu couldn't have been more boring even if the food was good.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Clem -- Agree with you 100% on that. Though in the past I've usually found the airline does have at least some Turkish main course options. I'm surprised that wasn't offered this time around. Very strange.

    2. Clem Diamond

      @ Ben - I last flew them about a year and a half ago, and it was that way already, FWIW (it was out of JFK).

    3. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Clem -- Then Turkish really needs to improve that. For what it's worth, my two previous (non-long haul) Turkish flights both had a lot more Turkish food options available.

  20. RichM Diamond

    The seat looks quite good and the food is very impressive based on the photos. But:

    - the lounge they send you to is dreadful, and then you were improperly denied access to a decent lounge
    - poor communication concerning the boarding delay
    - they messed up your seat allocation
    - the seat has a remote control where you can adjust it by accident very easily (this would annoy the hell out...

    The seat looks quite good and the food is very impressive based on the photos. But:

    - the lounge they send you to is dreadful, and then you were improperly denied access to a decent lounge
    - poor communication concerning the boarding delay
    - they messed up your seat allocation
    - the seat has a remote control where you can adjust it by accident very easily (this would annoy the hell out of me)
    - the pillow and the mattress are both noted as being thin, suggesting the bed was not particularly comfortable

    How on earth does this get 5 stars?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ RichM -- No product is 100% perfect, and I try to be detail oriented in my reviews, noting both the positives and negatives. There's not a product in the world that doesn't have some downsides, and I'd say this easily ranks in my top five business class products out there. So I do think it's worthy of five stars for that reason, even with a few areas for improvement.

    2. Sayed Guest

      What's the best airline food you think is better than Turkish?
      It's not definitely any North America airlines,I can bet on this.

  21. neogucky Gold

    Forget about the wine, they have a whisky above Chivas Regal! How awesome is that? As a whisky drinker I'm always disappointed that airlines seem to offer great Champagne but have whisky that costs less per bottle even if it would cost next to nothing per glas to have a decent one.

    1. Noah Guest

      Try ANA though... best airline for Whiskey drinkers

  22. Aaron Guest

    What’s with lounges denying access to business class passengers on alliance airlines?
    Was denied at Lufthansa Lounge in Boston when flying United Polaris to London, the ignominious front desk person condescendingly told me to go to the British Airways lounge… I also know that Qatar also does not use the BA lounge, sending people to the Air France lounge, which needs some renovation!

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Aaron -- I don't know why, but it does seem to be a pretty common issue, eh?

    2. Hugo Guest

      You can use LH lounge in Boston if you are a star alliance gold member. If you are not, then you use whatever lounge the airline you are using chose and paid for. I recently flew TAP out of Boston and being a star alliance gold member I could use LH lounge without a problem instead of the dreadful Jet Blue lounge TAP uses there.

  23. Chris W Guest

    The seats, especially from behind, look very boxy.

    It's what I would imagine on a Japanese airline.

  24. Abidjan Gold

    Nice TR and impressive flight. Not a fan of the interior, though. And the ORD T5 lounge experience continues to befuddle.

    1. Julia Guest

      Unless you're flying on a Skyteam airline, and then you get access to Delta's new Sky Club. Haven't been to it myself but it does look nice.

  25. Ryan Guest

    I just took this flight yesterday. Definitely the best THY hard product. Looking forward to the return flight.

    I personally found the food bland. I don't know why they can't serve at least one Turkish main course when leaving the States. Your fish was much better cooked than mine was. And no fish knife. The appetizer was unimaginative. Again, Turkey has great appetizers. Why can't they offer a mezze plate?

    I hated the omelet....

    I just took this flight yesterday. Definitely the best THY hard product. Looking forward to the return flight.

    I personally found the food bland. I don't know why they can't serve at least one Turkish main course when leaving the States. Your fish was much better cooked than mine was. And no fish knife. The appetizer was unimaginative. Again, Turkey has great appetizers. Why can't they offer a mezze plate?

    I hated the omelet. It was bland and too dry. It needed cheese.

    I'm wider than you and did not found the seat narrow. Area for your feet was also fine.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Ryan -- Happy to hear you enjoyed the hard product! I thought the food quality was good, though yes, I totally agree the airline should have more Turkish food options, and those would be a bit more exciting. Regarding the omelet, it just shows you how we all have different preferences, and it's why there's no perfect product/meal. Hope you have a great trip!

  26. hbilbao Guest

    In case of being denied access (with no valid reason) to a partner lounge, how should you route a complaint? to the airline giving you a status or to the airline operating the lounge at fault?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ hbilbao -- It's a great question. I'd imagine you'd either want to direct the complaint to the lounge operator or to the alliance as such, though I suspect you probably won't get very far. Sometimes it doesn't seem like airlines are very interested in actually following alliance policies.

  27. Jason Guest

    Gosh that looks so much better than the 787 which I flew IST-IAD this past March. I found that shell around the seats to be very uncomfortable and made the seat feel very narrow. Plus I couldnt see out the window, which I hated. Plus, my service was just not good. I'd be willing to try it again, but am scarred from my bad experience.

  28. RetiredATLATC Diamond

    The fact that you found 45k saver awards 4 days out is mine boggling.

    Also, could this have been found and booked with Aeroplan?

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ RetiredATLATC -- Yep, it also showed as bookable through Aeroplan, though obviously for more points.

  29. Noah Guest

    Odd you had to clear transit security in IST. Usually, flights originating in the US do not need to re-clear. Its a bit hidden though, you need to present your onward boarding pass on the jetbridge and they will let you skip security and straight into the terminal.

    On the moving map, you need to hit the view map button to see the full modern map.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Noah -- Interesting about not having to clear security, as there was no one there to direct anyone in that way, and I just followed the standard signage. I did hit the button to try to view the full map, but it was still only a fairly low quality option that wasn't very customizable. Could it maybe be specific to these A350s?

    2. Ryan Guest

      When we arrived this morning, there were people checking onward BPs and letting those with connections directly into the terminal. No additional security required. A nice benefit of coming from the U.S. The other option was to go up the escalator to arrivals.

    3. Noah Guest

      US/UK should not have to clear. They should switch the sign for incoming US flights. Make sure you do not go up the escalator, and if you're first off the plane sometimes you have to wait a moment for a person to let you out. Easily saves you 15-30 mins.

    4. FunTraveller Guest

      Do you know if Canada is included in the no additional screening? I have a connection later this year from YUL through IST, and skipping the new screening would be nice.

  30. KK13 Diamond

    Great review!

    I have a question: There are two daily THY flights from MIA. Curious why you chose to fly via ORD instead.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ KK13 -- Thanks, and great question. I chose this flight for two reasons -- not only did it have award availability (while the Miami flights didn't), but I was also curious to fly the ex-Aeroflot A350. So it worked out.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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Noah Guest

US/UK should not have to clear. They should switch the sign for incoming US flights. Make sure you do not go up the escalator, and if you're first off the plane sometimes you have to wait a moment for a person to let you out. Easily saves you 15-30 mins.

2
Noah Guest

Try ANA though... best airline for Whiskey drinkers

2
Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ hbilbao -- It's a great question. I'd imagine you'd either want to direct the complaint to the lounge operator or to the alliance as such, though I suspect you probably won't get very far. Sometimes it doesn't seem like airlines are very interested in actually following alliance policies.

2
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