Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles - Turkish Airlines new in *A: Feel like a star? More like an idiot!

A stern warning to all MM members contemplating TK. Based on my recent flights STO-IST-JNB here’s what you can expect:

** Book your ticket online but get no email confirmation or e-ticket information.

** Try call TK to get the confirmation and you can look forward to (i) TK office numbers out of order or (ii) phone queues that clock 45 mins before you give up.

** Make your way to TK office an experience the rudeness of their staff in person.

** Enjoy big hassles at check-in to get your MM number and *A status registered. Accept that the staff is incapable of making the information appear on your boarding card.

** Serious departure and arrival delays on both flights and no explanation during flight on neither flight.

** Seats in C-class on my long haul flight were of three types: fully flat, 165degrees and then the last row, mine, which was more like 140 degrees. Basically three classes in one!

** Notice the delight of economy passengers upgraded to seats better than your fully paid C-class seat.

** Complain to the FA about the seats and receive their understanding and sympathies but also accept their inability to shift seats because of full flight. Be advised by FA to complain directly to TK.

** Follow the advise of the FA and complain to TK over the highly differentiated seats and the treatment of full paid C-class, and have your complaint responded to in broken English platitudes that leave the substance of your complaint ignored.

** Find your MM mileage account un-credited with the miles for your trip.

It is appropriate a has-been actor is being used by this never-will-be airline in its most recent marketing campaign. So be warned. You won’t feel like a star. More like an idiot.

Seems that you got the full program this time? Congratulations!
When I travelled TK I usually only got one or two of the problems you mentioned ! :D

However I discounted these problems as the flight was dirt cheap in C. ATH-IST-BKK return was something like €1200 all in last year. On the upside, I could have coffee with Andre1970 in ATH !

Would I fly TK again ? Maybe - but only if it were really cheap.

It is so Good that you let us know how TK is operating these days so I can avoid them for any future travel ;)

Would I fly TK again ? Maybe - but only if it were really cheap.

Seem to me as if TK works on the being cheap quite well...:p

Cheers

Thomas

Seems that you got the full program this time? Congratulations!
When I travelled TK I usually only got one or two of the problems you mentioned ! :D

However I discounted these problems as the flight was dirt cheap in C. ATH-IST-BKK return was something like €1200 all in last year. On the upside, I could have coffee with Andre1970 in ATH !

Would I fly TK again ? Maybe - but only if it were really cheap.

Next time you're in ATH drop me a line, beer is on me, of course ;)^

I am sooooo looking forward to the first AI trip reports by hardenen *A users :D !

At a time when TK will only be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance.

I am sooooo looking forward to the first AI trip reports by hardenen *A users :D !

At a time when TK will only be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance.

I've tried a few dodgy airlines, but that's probably more than I can take ...

Seem to me as if TK works on the being cheap quite well...:p

Cheers

Thomas

Cheap price is TK's strong point.

I've had no problem with getting my FF numbers into my record at ARN when flying TK, and my *G status accounts register just fine there.

TK's call centers and ticketing offices are something I try to generally avoid, for good reason at that. :D

I am sooooo looking forward to the first AI trip reports by hardenen *A users :D !

At a time when TK will only be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance.

Well there is US Airways, TAP Portugal, Austrian, and EgyptAir, so I'm not sure TK is or will be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance even then. :D

I've been on quite a large number of TK flights this year and it's been no worse than a lot of the other Star Alliance carrier flights I've been on in recent times.

US Airways, TAP Portugal, Austrian, and EgyptAir...

you are one funny guy... :rolleyes:

Catually he is not funny at all and other than generally good experiences I have had with Austrian in the past I fully agree with him, and would add in Shanghai Airlines and Air China.

Well there is US Airways, TAP Portugal, Austrian, and EgyptAir, so I'm not sure TK is or will be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance even then. :D

I've been on quite a large number of TK flights this year and it's been no worse than a lot of the other Star Alliance carrier flights I've been on in recent times.

While I do not fully agree with your ranking, I must admit that flying these days requires a bit of masochism. This is not limited to *A carriers.
Comparing the crappy US Airways service with OS ... eh well ... have been on both during the last months, and had my fair share of troubles with TAP over and over again ... OS is by far better than the two IMHO.

While I do not fully agree with your ranking, I must admit that flying these days requires a bit of masochism. This is not limited to *A carriers.
Comparing the crappy US Airways service with OS ... eh well ... have been on both during the last months, and had my fair share of troubles with TAP over and over again ... OS is by far better than the two IMHO.

OS is better than US by leaps and bounds, but I am sure you get the point that TK isn't in the bottom 3 of the Star Alliance carriers and won't be there even if Air India manages to get its act together long enough to make it into Star Alliance.

OK Martin, so you too agree that OS may be better than TK, otherwise GU's ranking is too generous as he omitted the Chinese carriers. So even in a bestcase scenario this would place TK six or 7 from the bottom, i.e. in the middle rankings. I am no TK fan, just look at my postings over the last decade, but there are far worse, within * as well as outside it.

Wasn't the motivation behind this "feel like a star" campaign a product of TK's launch of a first class service on top of it's normal business class and economy class service?

I wouldn't think so as they did not feature it at all in the ad. Then again their continuity in the ad was terrible. The interior was the A330 in business, but the exterior(s) were A320's.

OS is better than US by leaps and bounds, but I am sure you get the point that TK isn't in the bottom 3 of the Star Alliance carriers and won't be there even if Air India manages to get its act together long enough to make it into Star Alliance.
OS is one of my all time favourite *A carriers :eek: .

TK is crap for the safety record alone! And US was never really bad to me .. so TK definitely is near the bottom in my prejudice.
Catually he is not funny at all and other than generally good experiences I have had with Austrian in the past I fully agree with him, and would add in Shanghai Airlines and Air China.
I love the Chinese carriers ... sure they are aren't the greatest of them - One World always gets these :( - but there really is little wrong with FM and CA.

Well there is US Airways, TAP Portugal, Austrian, and EgyptAir, so I'm not sure TK is or will be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance even then. :D

I've never had major problems with TAP Portugal on intra-European Y flights in the last 3 years. They have lost my suitcase once (so has LH) and haven't credited miles on my M&M card a few times, but now I can claim TAP miles online.

As worst *A carriers you should also consider United, SAS, bmi, Air China, Shanghai Airlines and Spanair.

I didn't have any of the problems experienced by the OP on my TK flights.

Even better, I actually thought they were quite good.

I agree with the OP on TK, used them once Autumn 2008 for a return trip, will never do it again. So let's try and make a ranking of the different Star Alliance airlines:

**** LH,LX,SQ

***OS (due to their crappy planes ), OZ, LO

** CA, FM

* TK

No Star: US, UA ( the scum of today's airlines )

- Star: AI

Where shall we put the others ?

OZ should be ****
AC ***
UA *

Guys, TK, MS, US, TP, you name them are pure paradise if you subject yourself to a dose of real flying from time to time:

I flew with an airline yesterday on a 41 year old plane with an interior well in line with its age, from a place where islamist militia have taken to braking people's gold teeth out, where you fly a sharp turn out to the sea right after wheels up in order to avoid SAM, where it was so hot the crew opened the overwing emergency exit during refuelling (from drums, btw) - I'm actually looking forward even to my next Alitalia flight! ;-)

(So, if anyone wants, that was a little riddle, please guess airline, type and place, price: A visit with me in the next Skyteam lounge, oops, never mind, I'm only silver, maybe Star ain't that bad at all ;-)

(So, if anyone wants, that was a little riddle, please guess airline, type and place, price: A visit with me in the next Skyteam lounge, oops, never mind, I'm only silver, maybe Star ain't that bad at all ;-)

Hmmm... Y-Tours slash GAF?

Guys, TK, MS, US, TP, you name them are pure paradise if you subject yourself to a dose of real flying from time to time:

I flew with an airline yesterday on a 41 year old plane with an interior well in line with its age, from a place where islamist militia have taken to braking people's gold teeth out, where you fly a sharp turn out to the sea right after wheels up in order to avoid SAM, where it was so hot the crew opened the overwing emergency exit during refuelling (from drums, btw) - I'm actually looking forward even to my next Alitalia flight! ;-)

(So, if anyone wants, that was a little riddle, please guess airline, type and place, price: A visit with me in the next Skyteam lounge, oops, never mind, I'm only silver, maybe Star ain't that bad at all ;-)

You had me thinking you were Michael Totten until you got to the part about looking forward to Alitalia...

Guys, TK, MS, US, TP, you name them are pure paradise if you subject yourself to a dose of real flying from time to time:

I flew with an airline yesterday on a 41 year old plane with an interior well in line with its age, from a place where islamist militia have taken to braking people's gold teeth out, where you fly a sharp turn out to the sea right after wheels up in order to avoid SAM, where it was so hot the crew opened the overwing emergency exit during refuelling (from drums, btw) - I'm actually looking forward even to my next Alitalia flight! ;-)

(So, if anyone wants, that was a little riddle, please guess airline, type and place, price: A visit with me in the next Skyteam lounge, oops, never mind, I'm only silver, maybe Star ain't that bad at all ;-)

Mogadishu was it? On one of those UN Air jobs? Pfft. In a real SAM threat zone, your flight engineer would be bailing flares out like it was 4th of July. :p
Anyway, call me snobbish but when I'm coughing out 2000 Euros for a more usual itinerary in C, I expect something a bit better than a renactment of Air America.

I didn't have any of the problems experienced by the OP on my TK flights.

Even better, I actually thought they were quite good.

I second this - my wife and I did PRG-IST-PRG on Y class M&M award tickets in May 2008. Not only both of us got upgraded to C on both trips (they have been overbooked in Y) but the service was more than reasonable. Yes, I admit, it was shorthaul... But Istanbul was soo good!!! The worst part was the confusion about immigration at IST and then actual imigration on return to Prague (three immigration officers for CZ citizens and ONE only for the rest of us)...

I agree with the OP on TK, used them once Autumn 2008 for a return trip, will never do it again. So let's try and make a ranking of the different Star Alliance airlines:

**** LH,LX,SQ

***OS (due to their crappy planes ), OZ, LO

** CA, FM

* TK

No Star: US, UA ( the scum of today's airlines )

- Star: AI

Where shall we put the others ?

Hmm, I guess that it depends where one puts the requirements, but if I was going to rank on seats, UA would get 5*. But then, I use them only between SYD and SFO where they have new HW... Did SYD-SFO-FRA-NCE||BSL-FRA-BKK-SYD recently on UA,LH,TG respectively and UA had best seets (fully flat beds), second best food and service, TG was worst. Food on FRA-BKK by LH was unedible, but I hope that was one off experience only. LH best for service overall.

I agree with the OP on TK, used them once Autumn 2008 for a return trip, will never do it again. So let's try and make a ranking of the different Star Alliance airlines:

**** LH,LX,SQ

***OS (due to their crappy planes ), OZ, LO

** CA, FM

* TK

No Star: US, UA ( the scum of today's airlines )

- Star: AI

Where shall we put the others ?
How did LH end up there with SQ and LX? Other than for intra-Europe Biz, I do not see how the flag carrier of the largest European nation could fit into this scheme?

I might be an oddity here, as I definitely prefer flying UA over flying LH .. but even with a more moderate view on things, I don't see where LH could score? Old C product, terrible Y spacing, no real-world IFE in Y, terribly maintained main hub, no WiFi in the lounges (yes no WiFi at least not for people who aren't willing to sign up for life-long serfdom).

How is such a thing a **** carrier?

I didn't have any of the problems experienced by the OP on my TK flights.

Even better, I actually thought they were quite good.

Of all the problems experienced by the OP, I only encountered the fourth and the last. On all my eight flights on TK, I've never once gotten my FFP number on the boarding pass, although in the first 6 times, my SQ*G was reflected on the BP and the points were ultimately credited to my FFP albeit delayed. It was only on the last two flights that the check-in counter girl at TLV said that she was unable to get my SQ*G reflected on the BP and probably as a result the points have not yet been credited to my FFP (it's almost 3 weeks now).

I had no problems getting email confirmation and e-ticket info of my bookings and in fact I also received email confirmation of rebookings made over the phone to the reservations office in Tel Aviv; the rebooking over the phone also went smoothly as did the pre-selection of seats.

Hmm, I guess that it depends where one puts the requirements, but if I was going to rank on seats, UA would get 5*. But then, I use them only between SYD and SFO where they have new HW... Did SYD-SFO-FRA-NCE||BSL-FRA-BKK-SYD recently on UA,LH,TG respectively and UA had best seets (fully flat beds), second best food and service, TG was worst. Food on FRA-BKK by LH was unedible, but I hope that was one off experience only. LH best for service overall.

I second the UA seat part. I can't believe I'm saying UA is good but purely on the seat factor they are way up there with the new C seat. I just flew SIN-HKG and will be going HKG-ORD in a few days and am looking forward to some decent rest. Fully flat does make a whole lot of difference. Even the food (breakfast) was good on UA this time. I remember them serving the same breakfast in C on SIN-HKG in 2007 then SQ would serve in Y, but this time I got two very nice poached eggs on potato corn roesties with hollandaise sauce and chorizo sausage. It was actually very good.

My food on a few LH C longhauls SIN-FRA-SIN (op up - thanks LH not complaining ;)) was just about okay. TG C FRA-BKK was a very poor showing.

You won’t feel like a star. More like an idiot.

Just one lil' remark: Those two concepts are not mutually exclusive...

I agree with the OP on TK, used them once Autumn 2008 for a return trip, will never do it again. So let's try and make a ranking of the different Star Alliance airlines:

**** LH,LX,SQ

***OS (due to their crappy planes ), OZ, LO

** CA, FM

* TK

No Star: US, UA ( the scum of today's airlines )

- Star: AI

Where shall we put the others ?


I would add SK, SN and SA to 3*^ and move TK to the scum of *A :td:

Of those I have flown:

*****SQ, OZ
****LX, NZ
***LH, SK, TP, OS, TG, AC
**UA, CA, JK, TK, SN, LO, JJ
*US, RG

0 stars to CA domestic. I included RG and JJ (former and upcoming member, resp.)

Some airlines, I have only flown in C, others only in Y. Some only intercontinental, others only regional. But this is my general opinion.

After reading this thread, allow me to summarize: All of * is bad :rolleyes: :confused:
(or are we just spoiled??)

I would add SK, SN and SA to 3*^ and move TK to the scum of *A :td:

TK is actually ok in C and quite nice (as I heard) in F.

So I'd put them above average.

Now MS (Egyptair) is another story altogether.

Their F is really really crappy. I only take them for MRs and I just have to grin and bear it! Their C is even worse than that TK's european domestic C... so think about it.

Bit exaggerated the OP's TK experience or very unfortuntate to have all these issues. But then again, the OP probably chose it because price was right.

TK F is great,in air as well as in IST ground experience and beats LH hands-down (well most F's do).

Of those I have flown:

*****SQ, OZ
****LX, NZ
***LH, SK, TP, OS, TG, AC
**UA, CA, JK, TK, SN, LO, JJ
*US, RG



Agree with most, but I would give LH and TG 3.5 stars for their F service. Also, NH gets a solid **** in F.

Their C is even worse than that TK's european domestic C... so think about it.

TK’s European C can also be great, if you are lucky. I have had several BCN <> IST flights in their A321 with real business class seats (instead of Eco seats with the middle seat free).

Of those I have flown:

*****SQ, OZ
****LX, NZ
***LH, SK, TP, OS, TG, AC
**UA, CA, JK, TK, SN, LO, JJ
*US, RG

0 stars to CA domestic. I included RG and JJ (former and upcoming member, resp.)
I quite like that rating.

Only perceived difference: I'd definitely move NH to the very top though in all classes and ground service, move OZ down to the LH level, move TG up to the LX level, move UA, CA and US up one level, and add FM to the current UA level.
Just one lil' remark: Those two concepts are not mutually exclusive...
:D :D :D

Wiser words haven't been spoken in weeks!

I am sooooo looking forward to the first AI trip reports by hardenen *A users :D !

At a time when TK will only be the 3rd worst carrier in the alliance.

Dirty planes? Rude staff? Well, you'll get that on quite a few other *A partners. US Airways as someone else pointed out - I wouldnt fly that if you paid me.

And AI's brand new 777s on the India - US run are actually quite good.

Fly domestic in India and AI actually gives you a full meal .. and AI is probably the only Indian airline that has C service on several routes, thanks to 9W eliminating C across most of their domestic route with their all Y "JetKonnect" service.

I was upgraded IST-SIN to C on the opodo.uk mistake fare so I have been pretty happy with TK heh.

My main complaint with TK is that their english is surprisingly poor. I had no issues with the seat and food in C on the A340.

Dirty planes? Rude staff? Well, you'll get that on quite a few other *A partners. US Airways as someone else pointed out - I wouldnt fly that if you paid me.
US Airways has always been good to me ... but I too read many ugly stories about them. Am not yet really willing to accept them as true yet.

AI I experienced myself, I would rather swis than even contemplating to ever use them again.
..Fly domestic in India and AI actually gives you a full meal .. and AI is probably the only Indian airline that has C service on several routes, thanks to 9W eliminating C across most of their domestic route with their all Y "JetKonnect" service.
Strong arguments, I concede .. if I wasn't burnt, I'd be tempted to give it a try.

Flew AMS-IST-SIN vv by TK... All I can say, the service was sucks... crews are rude, no intention to serve PAX, does not know how to speak english. Although 1 sector IST-AMS they upgraded me to C but again service in C was a disaster.. no smile, no name address, no thank you after flight, etc... being a star gold member truly a disaster to fly TK.. and in any case AVOID this airlines.... for whatsoever reason... will try AI once they join *A. :D

fully agree with you about TK

I flew them in F/C/Y in the last 1 year and they are cool

i m mainly impressed by the F product - 3 times

i was probably lucky too





I didn't have any of the problems experienced by the OP on my TK flights.

Even better, I actually thought they were quite good.

TK is actually ok in C and quite nice (as I heard) in F.

I have had both pleasures this month - TK's own A340 in C and the Jet 777 in F - and while the hard product is excellent on both, the staff are just nine shades of crap. In fact, in F the service was worse than in C. The problem with the suites concept, is that the isolation amplifies the service expectation - and when it is poor, it is very very poor.

TK F is great,in air as well as in IST ground experience and beats LH hands-down (well most F's do).
The IST ground service for F is pretty special, but it doesn't beat LH's in any way - and again - I've done both recently.

Well there is US Airways...
Strangely, I did my first Envoy segment this week - and was surprised by how good it was - and it was the older 757 hard product, not the newer nicer A330 with the LH style C seats. While physically TK's A340s definitely have the edge, as US was kind enough to supply their one and only polite hostess on the flight, this alone made it better than TK. :D

US was kind enough to supply their one and only polite hostess on the flight, this alone made it better than TK. :D

Did you buy a lottery ticket?

The IST ground service for F is pretty special, but it doesn't beat LH's in any way - and again - I've done both recently.


Beating LH I meant the on board F experience, not the ground. Although ground TK F is good too, but of course limited number destinatoins/flights.

Sorry, been away from the internet a couple of days due to my oh-so exotic destinations :rolleyes:

>>>You had me thinking you were Michael Totten until you got to the part about looking forward to Alitalia...

LOL...

>>>Hmmm... Y-Tours slash GAF?

Nope, completely private, and GAF hasn't visited there for quite some time, dannybhoy, got it right:

>>>Mogadishu was it? On one of those UN Air jobs? Pfft.

MGQ yes, but on Jet Express DC9 opf Daallo Airlines.

>>>In a real SAM threat zone, your flight engineer would be bailing flares out like it was 4th of July.

Sure, if it was a real threat zone, they wouldn't be flying there. Was a weird feeling yet, to see the wreckage of the shot down IL76 lying next to the runway.

TK is growing so quickly that quality is suffering especially anything on the ground. They have lots of wide body aircraft coming to their fleet and are currently evaluating where to actually use them. Their passenger numbers this year have grown double digits compared to last year mainly due to premium and transit passengers (read: not due to Turks flying between Germany and Turkey).

TK is growing so quickly that quality is suffering especially anything on the ground. They have lots of wide body aircraft coming to their fleet and are currently evaluating where to actually use them. Their passenger numbers this year have grown double digits compared to last year mainly due to premium and transit passengers (read: not due to Turks flying between Germany and Turkey).

Their passenger number growth TK is getting is largely a product of discounting prices and flight count growth.

On the majority of my international flights on TK this year, Turkish nationals -- as you rightfully are indicating too -- do not seem to constitute a majority of the passengers on board those TK flights.

TK is growing so quickly that quality is suffering especially anything on the ground. They have lots of wide body aircraft coming to their fleet and are currently evaluating where to actually use them. Their passenger numbers this year have grown double digits compared to last year mainly due to premium and transit passengers (read: not due to Turks flying between Germany and Turkey).

Hmm, my both trips between PRG and IST were actually full of Turkish nationals returning from tour holiday. It was actually funny to watch how the checking lady refused request for upgrade by very arrogant tour guide (who was arguing that because of his status with TK is entitled to it) and then she offered op-ups to me and my wife (we were directly behind him in checking line) due to fact that the tour was 4 people bigger than amount of available seats in economy :-)

On the way back situation was similar, except that the op-up was given by Turkish lady after politely asking and suggesting that if she needs to offload some people from Y that we would be more than happy to oblige.

On the other hand, I have few friends in Turkey and they say that Turkey is quickly becoming "the holiday destination" for many Europeans and that would support the claims about having not many Turks on the flights.

vbrou, you are a decade late. Turkey has been a major European destination for Europeans for quite some time, tourism has been in decline from many Euro countries for the last 2 years.

Regarding your other comment, Prague is a big Turkish tourist destination, hardly any Turks are to be found on the last dozen added long haul destinations at any time.

But Istanbul was soo good!!! The worst part was the confusion about immigration at IST and then actual imigration on return to Prague (three immigration officers for CZ citizens and ONE only for the rest of us)...That would be three for EEA/CH citizens, and one for the rest. And this is like it is everywhere. I remember a similar discrepancy in SYD or JNB.

My past experience with TK on Y was good.

The food was standard airline food (like any other normal airline), and the schedule was kept (plus/minus the standard deviations). The seats in Y were not more packed than those in many other airlines (I flew mostly airbus 320 series with TK). True, I did with them only Europe ex-TLV, but they were not worse than SN, LX (on the A320), or even the LH's intra-europe flights. Their English was always sufficient.

On the other hand, I will not rate CA as something to write home about. I mean, they serve meals that were not even fully defrosted, the FAs speak less English than the standard Chinese, and the airplanes are falling apart (the cabin, I hope that they maintain the engineering parts of the plane in better conditions).

So I will fly US, UA (especially as I always get Eco+), SN (the airline of choice for supermarket runs), and I may even consider flying AI. But never ever CA. Not even if I am paid to do so (unless the payment allows me access to C, and bringing on board a translator Chinese<->English).

That would be three for EEA/CH citizens, and one for the rest. And this is like it is everywhere. I remember a similar discrepancy in SYD or JNB.

You are right about SYD - but being Australian, I obviously do not complain about that :D

vbrou, you are a decade late. Turkey has been a major European destination for Europeans for quite some time, tourism has been in decline from many Euro countries for the last 2 years.


Oh yes, you are right. It was major destination for some time now. But now it is becoming THE DESTINATION. Ask those who live there...

Their passenger number growth TK is getting is largely a product of discounting prices and flight count growth.

Not just prices and routes, also TK joining *A. This has kick started a phenomenal growth for them as they all of a sudden became an option for all those mileage junkies out there. ;)

TK is even considering flying their own metal to Australia once they receive all their 777s. But I guess once they look at the economics of this they might reconsider.

Yes, I live there (here), hence I am/was telling you how it is/what it was.

Oh yes, you are right. It was major destination for some time now. But now it is becoming THE DESTINATION. Ask those who live there...

I lived as an expat in Turkey for several years - and I can tell how accurately the national airline (and their "feel like a star" campaign) reflects the mentality of that country.

The famous Turkish hospitality is far less sincere than (for example) the Arab hospitality (compare with Qatar, Emirates, Etihad airways!).

Turkish hospitality is mainly fueled by a deep inferiority complex, where people try to fool others and themselves how rich/strong/important they are.

That also explains this sick ad campaign ("feel like a star").
Tam Türk! Totally Turk!

The hospitality and general service quality of THY are actually way below average.

P.S.: You can be sure there will be future security issues because of "honour" and hierarchy struggles in the cockpit.

I lived as an expat in Turkey for several years - and I can tell how accurately the national airline (and their "feel like a star" campaign) reflects the mentality of that country.

The famous Turkish hospitality is far less sincere than (for example) the Arab hospitality (compare with Qatar, Emirates, Etihad airways!).

Turkish hospitality is mainly fueled by a deep inferiority complex, where people try to fool others and themselves how rich/strong/important they are.

That also explains this sick ad campaign ("feel like a star").
Tam Türk! Totally Turk!

The hospitality and general service quality of THY are actually way below average.

P.S.: You can be sure there will be future security issues because of "honour" and hierarchy struggles in the cockpit.

Well, I have many reasons to agree with you. Most of those reasons are fueled by ethnocentric stereotypes I (unavoidably) grew up with, but also some fueled by own exposure and experience.

However, I also have several experiences not corroborating your analysis.

Honestly, my feeling is that this thread has very little to do with the M&L forum. The only link was that the OP failed to have his TK flight miles posted in their M&L account. Other than that, it would be a very nice ethread for the *A forum (or is there a TK forum?). Let alone that you just gave it a very distinct OMNI-esque flavor...

Honestly, my feeling is that this thread has very little to do with the M&L forum. The only link was that the OP failed to have his TK flight miles posted in their M&L account. Other than that, it would be a very nice ethread for the *A forum (or is there a TK forum?).

I agree this has little to do with M&M, however, the OP also posted (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/986830-feel-like-star-more-like-idiot.html) this in the TK forum. Interestingly, he got much less response there.

Not just prices and routes, also TK joining *A. This has kick started a phenomenal growth for them as they all of a sudden became an option for all those mileage junkies out there. ;)

TK is even considering flying their own metal to Australia once they receive all their 777s. But I guess once they look at the economics of this they might reconsider.
IIRC, I read on the news that Turkey was the only country in *cough* Europe *cough* that saw an increase of incoming tourists during the first half of the year. The problem with Turkish tourism is, the GDP attributed to the foreign national spending fell by almost 10% during the same period. So yes, cheap tourism has handed Turkey and TA bragging rights, the economics however, is uncertain.

The famous Turkish hospitality is far less sincere than (for example) the Arab hospitality (compare with Qatar, Emirates, Etihad airways!).



I've experienced Arab hospitality at the personal level but rarely if ever in commercial establishments e.g. hotels or airlines of the Gulf region. Doesn't help that the staff (especially frontline) at those places in the Gulf are often not Arabs, and almost certainly not Gulf Arabs.

Well, I have many reasons to agree with you. Most of those reasons are fueled by ethnocentric stereotypes I (unavoidably) grew up with, but also some fueled by own exposure and experience...
I always found that one of the most painful insights of becoming an adult is to learn that all the ugly prejudice we hold about others and they about us .. are by and large true.

That is except for airlines where I fell for slogans how great SR, LH, QF and the likes are .. and none of them wasn't terrible in most ways. But the negative prejudices never fail to live up to their potential :o.

I've flown mostly * products, and have experienced a generally good level of service throughout the alliance. On CA I always flew C, and the service was attentive, polite and thoughtful. TG was great in C and in Y, as is LH and OS. UA and US domestic C or F is not on the same level as LH,LX,OS short haul C, though the FA's do a professional job most of the time.

Short Haul and Domestic Carriers Y/C/F

**** LH, OS, TG, NH, OZ, (9W, IT though not part of the *network)
***+ CA
*** UA
**+ US

Long Haul Y/C

****LH, OS, TG, NZ

Thats what I have flown and what my experiences were. CA only got a 3*+ because the food wasn't always great, but I am not expecting a michelin menu in the sky. The rating was given according to professionalism of the crew, Attention to the passenger, food, on board experience, and in flight entertainment.

Having said all that, I still love flying, and really enjoy every experience, except russian internal flights-- now that is something to complain about. where the plane stinks so badly of urine, that the even the FA are haveing problems, and give us a bottle of rum to help alleviate the smell. (LED-MOW):D - The rum really helped:D

I always found that one of the most painful insights of becoming an adult is to learn that all the ugly prejudice we hold about others and they about us .. are by and large true.That is one way to look at it. Another way would be that one of the most painful insights of becoming an adult is to learn how difficult it is to put oneself in a frame of mind other than the one we have been raised in, put oneself in somebody else's shoes and look at things from a different perspective (eg: what one regards as "rudeness" is clearly shaped and conditioned by one's upbringing and it takes time and a serious dose of exposure to another culture to recognise that one's values and perceptions are culturally posited and shaped rather than universals).

This is all so scary, I just purchased my tickets this morning for my XMass vacation. its looking like I might have made the biggest mistake ever. :mad::confused::confused:
Chicago to Istanbul to Beyrut and back

This is all so scary, I just purchased my tickets this morning for my XMass vacation. its looking like I might have made the biggest mistake ever. :mad::confused::confused:
Chicago to Istanbul to Beyrut and back

Don't worry. There are worse airlines ... and not necessarily everything you read here is true ...

I find TK not that bad!

Food is better than LH (in Y and C mid-haul).

Why is "propper english" so important. If I fly MUC-IST english is not an official language spoken in one of the airports. Most of the FA I had spoke fluently German.

TK has a propper C-Class seat on ther mid-haul 737. Which European carrier has this?

M&M miles did not post, but that happens with LX all the times. Please blame M&M for that.

This thread has developed into a direction that has not much to do with M&M anymore. I'll move this thread to the TK forum now.

Have a nice day

totti
M&M moderator

BTW: Strange coincidence that TK heavily advertises in the M&M forum at the moment :)

That is one way to look at it. Another way would be that one of the most painful insights of becoming an adult is to learn how difficult it is to put oneself in a frame of mind other than the one we have been raised in, put oneself in somebody else's shoes and look at things from a different perspective (eg: what one regards as "rudeness" is clearly shaped and conditioned by one's upbringing and it takes time and a serious dose of exposure to another culture to recognise that one's values and perceptions are culturally posited and shaped rather than universals).
Well the pain only comes if you do notice this. But yes, the frame of reference is certainly there.

I learned to accept the laws and morals of other cultures as random game-rules much like playing Doom. Trying to understand, let alone to accept other world's values is quite futile for me. So I stopped wasting energy on it.
Don't worry. There are worse airlines ... and not necessarily everything you read here is true ...
What :eek::confused:???

Tyrolean, I have flown over 50 egments on TK in Biz on 737's. They have a convertable seat with little legroom, please xlain hw this is anymore or less "proper" than most other European carriers which do the exact same thing?

IIRC, I read on the news that Turkey was the only country in *cough* Europe *cough* that saw an increase of incoming tourists during the first half of the year. The problem with Turkish tourism is, the GDP attributed to the foreign national spending fell by almost 10% during the same period. So yes, cheap tourism has handed Turkey and TA bragging rights, the economics however, is uncertain.

That kind of "problem with Turkish tourism" is not much different than places across Europe and other parts of the world have seen this year.

I've now flown Turkish for the first time, as they are one of the only *A carriers that go to FRU. The other one, BMI, uses a very old and dated 757 for their LHR-FRU run.

First experience - PEK - IST in C on their A330. Great price, good seats, good food, mediocre service. They had AVOD.

However, I had a 12 hour layover in IST, and asked the front desk at the lounge for a place to sleep. They told me they'd get me a hotel room, and asked me to go into the lounge until they called me.

Two hours later, they still had not called. I went to the front desk and they told me there was nothing they could do for me.

That evening I flew C from IST - FRU. 737-400. Truly dreadful seats (trying to make 3 sort of like 2). The food and service were much worse. No AVOD.

However, the points were credited without any delay. Overall, not bad, so I purchased more tickets.

This time, I did FRU - IST - FRA in Y. Their service was OK, until I got to the lounge in IST again. I asked for a towel. They gave me this very thin sheet of something that was practically useless. They apologized right away, but said that they had no control over this.

Lounge food not bad. WAY better than any RCC i've been to.

The IST - FRU flight was also in a 737, and the seats were very old and uncomfortable. The food was ok.

A few hours prior to my FRU - IST flight, I called to give them my AC Aeroplan card number and get a seat. I was assigned 5F. I got to the airport, and they gave me 15F, even though I was the first person to go through. They did not notice the *A, and I had to ask them to put on the "Priority" tag on my bag, and for the Lounge pass (which they gave me). However, in the end, my FFN did NOT end up on the itinerary anywhere. Brought this to the attention to the folks in the lounge in IST, and they had no clue what to do about it. In the end, they said they couldn't help me.

In summary, the C on the A330 was pretty good, and their price for it was really only a minor amount more than full Y. Their service was mediocre, and a smile was not found anywhere. Their 737-400 and 737-800's - YUK. Especially their "C" product, which does NOT justify the premium over "Y" IMHO.

I'll be fighting now for my AC miles. Let's see how that goes.

The more I read this thread the more depressed I become about the stupid choice I made for going out of my way to get TK in C on my upcoming ORD-IST-SVO. It sound slike the service is horrible... and the service is what I value the most on my trips (along with seats). Very sad mistake on my part. Good thing I am coming back on LH.

Relax. TRK's service isn't consistently horrible. It is inconsistent, ranging from superb to awful. You may very well have an excellent experience.

The more I read this thread the more depressed I become about the stupid choice I made for going out of my way to get TK in C on my upcoming ORD-IST-SVO. It sound slike the service is horrible... and the service is what I value the most on my trips (along with seats). Very sad mistake on my part. Good thing I am coming back on LH.

You are overreacting.

Overreact much?

I have flown TK C* more than 20 times and never had bad service. Of course it is not the same level as SQ but which European or American is?

Relax and enjoy your trip. TK food is the best onboard among all airlines.

The more I read this thread the more depressed I become about the stupid choice I made for going out of my way to get TK in C on my upcoming ORD-IST-SVO. It sound slike the service is horrible... and the service is what I value the most on my trips (along with seats). Very sad mistake on my part. Good thing I am coming back on LH.

Don't read too much into all of the complaining in these forums. A lot of it is just venting. I've flown with TK many times and I can honestly say that they are no worse or no better than DL, NW, CO, US, AZ, AF or LH in general.

after a couple of days in Istanbul I flew TK from ISt to BKK in Business on the B777-300ER and I had the nicest crew and perfect service.

Maybe I was just extremely lucky since I usually don't fly TK.
On the the other hand I never have pre departure trouble as I happily pay my TA a service charge to take care of all those issues.

The inflight experience itself was very good, not top notch but I even had MUCH worse flights on TG or LH, not to talk about *alliances real 3rd world airline: the friendly skies, as they used to call themselfes. All I have for the slogan is a big laughter

You are overreacting.

Overreact much?



I don't believe I was over reacting. I was reacting to the thread's multiple negative commentaries and simply stated that I feel that I made a mistake in choosing the carrier for my upcoming travel. I will be glad if most of the commenatries on this thread are just venting, as I hope they are (I have been around FT for a long time to know better).

I believe your quote "Overreact much"? is very uncalled for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Basar
You are overreacting.

Overreact much?




I believe your quote "Overreact much"? is very uncalled for.

Sorry, asnovici, but funnily you are now proving Basar's point

Quote:
Originally Posted by Basar
You are overreacting.

Overreact much?




Sorry, asnovici, but funnily you are now proving Basar's point

I disagree. I still think its uncalled for.

I disagree. I still think its uncalled for.


;)

The good news: the TK lounge at Atatürk airport - and visiting Istanbul if you have the time.

I guess the proof is in the pudding. Would you be good enough to let us know how your trip went (once you've done it)?

The more I read this thread the more depressed I become about the stupid choice I made for going out of my way to get TK in C on my upcoming ORD-IST-SVO. It sound slike the service is horrible... and the service is what I value the most on my trips (along with seats). Very sad mistake on my part. Good thing I am coming back on LH.

;)

The good news: the TK lounge at Atatürk airport - and visiting Istanbul if you have the time.

The TK lounge at IST is no that bad, but it's no great either. WiFi is/was a pain back in March. Showers no quite industry standard and hot food was very limited tho I found it perfectly palatable. Another one of the things that bugged me the most was that it was a bit of a hike to/from my gates, being at the 'wrong' end of the terminal.

The more I read this thread the more depressed I become about the stupid choice I made for going out of my way to get TK in C on my upcoming ORD-IST-SVO. It sound slike the service is horrible... and the service is what I value the most on my trips (along with seats). Very sad mistake on my part. Good thing I am coming back on LH.

I recently flew TK F from LHR to hkg and the service was fine. The J product looked superb.

I returned in J on LH and the service was not as good.

Interesting thread...not just about TK!
Anyhow I flew many times with TK in Y and I never had very bad feelings.
I just found rude one young guy at the entrance of IST lounge.
I think that TK is growing very fast and not able to keep the same average...unlike it happens with other airlines.
I only hope to not enjoy the same problems indicated in the 1st post.
Me I found ok sleeping on 3 seats in my Y class and food better than what AF-KL-AZ-LH serve...