fly747first

Dear everyone,

I haven't seen many full trip reports of THY F here, hence I felt the need to write this one. Enjoy!

CHECK-IN
Extremely friendly and courteous staff. The whole check-in process took less than 5 minutes.

LOUNGE
At HKG, TK uses the Travelers Lounge. Though the lounge is quite large, there is a small section exclusively reserved for TK F passengers with two computer stations and big comfortable seats. The only downside is that it is located right next to an "Emirates Crew Rest Area" so at times it can get a bit loud. All throughout my stay, the lounge staff was very eager to help constantly reminding me that there was a food menu for TK F pax. I was not hungry thus I cannot comment on what items were available from such menu.

BOARDING
At first sight, the gate area seemed a mess. There must have been at least 100 people congregated in front of the entrance to the jetways. However, once boarding began, the agents made it clear that only first and business class guests would be permitted to enter the aircraft and that economy class passengers would have to wait until their zone was called.

CABIN CREW
After reading numerous negative reviews about TK's cabin crews on airlinequality.com, I was expecting the worst. Fortunately, the cabin crew was fantastic! I can honestly say that they were at the same level of award-winning MH/OZ/SQ crews, though for some reason, TK's crews never refer to passengers by their last names. Two energetic, hard-working male attendants were assigned the F cabin (load was 3/8) and from time to time they were helped by the Purser and Business Class Chief, both of whom were equally outstanding. Every single request of mine was met with a sincere smile and either "Of course, sir" or "My pleasure, sir"... nothing was ever too much trouble for them. I could easily tell that they loved their careers.

AMENITIES
I was utmost impressed by the inflight amenities THY offers F pax. To start, it's worth mentioning that none of THY F's amenities are sealed in plastic, but rather, in soft silk-like cloth material, thereby giving these amenities a truly luxurious feel. The pyjamas and slippers, in my opinion, are better than those offered by Emirates and Singapore. THY also provides a small bag full of scents intended to help you sleep. The amenity kit was good, I'd say at the same level as EK, but not as nice as the SQ F kit. On the negative side, the F pillows, while quite lovely, aren't as comfortable as other airlines' since they are rather small and not very thick. The F mattress pad is even worse, for it fails to provide adequate cushion; the F duvet is decent but tends to fall and get stuck in a small gap within the suite (additional details of this gap on the following section).

THE TK F SUITES
If I had to rank TK's Suites (well, they are really the Jet Airways' Suites), I'd place them behind EK's Suites but above SQ's Suites. Yes, I realize most people would not dare to say that TK's Suites are superior to SQ's A380 Suites... Nevertheless, I strongly affirm that they are since they provide a much, much better sense of privacy whilst the inner window shades of SQ's Suites, even when fully extended, still allow other people to see through your Suites and the doors often do not close well. Having said that, I admit that in terms of sleep comfort, both the EK and SQ Suites surpass TK's, for the TK Suites leave a small gap between the leg rest and second seat by the IFE screen, meaning that when the TK Suite is in its fully flat position, short passengers may feel that their feet are falling.

MEALS
I'm including the full menu below. Overall, the meals were of high quality (tastier than my last EK/SQ F meals). My only disappointment was attributed to the desserts which could have been more creative.

Hong Kong - Istanbul
first class

welcome on board
welcome drink
salted mixed nuts

after take off
assorted canapees

caviar
sevruga malossol caviar
classic garnish / toast melba

hors d'oeuvres
marinated king prawn
smoked trout and salmon

or

roast beef
balsamic sauce / avocado
marinated tomato / gardenfresh salad

or

salad
Caesar's salad with chicken

soup
creamy mushroom & potato soup

catch of the day
pan-fried salmon fillet
sauteed asparagus / saffron risotto

or

beef selection
grilled lamb chops
rosemary sauce / polenta with vegetables

or

Asian style
grilled chicken breast
red pepper / potato and celeriac puree

or

pasta
mascarpone ravioli
sauteed mushroom and leek / cheery tomato
parmesan

cheese
assorted cheese

fresh fruit
fresh seasonal fruit

sweets
fried apple
mascarpone cream

home made profiteroles
chocolate sauce

raspberry ice cream

Turkish desserts

ovenfresh
ovenfresh bread selection

freshly brewed
espresso, Turkish coffee, regular coffee, selection of teas


Before landing or any time you like


fresh juices
freshly squeezed orange juice / grapefruit juice

smoothie
strawberry energizer

fresh fruit
fresh seasonal fruit

yoghurt
plain yoghurt

cereals
home made muesli / cornflakes

cheese & cold cuts
selection of cheese and cold cuts

made to your order
scrambled eggs
tomato and cheese toast / sauteed mushrooms
cherry tomatoes

or

baked crepe with scrambled eggs
cherry tomatoes / grilled zucchini
fried potato

or

banana pancake
marinated berries

ovenfresh
ovenfresh bread selection / croissant / Danish pastry

freshly brewed
espresso, Turkish coffee, regular coffee, selection of teas

[MK_ER_HKGIST_FC_4]

ARRIVAL SERVICES & PRIME CLASS LOUNGE AT IST
Upon landing and reaching the gate, cabin crew curtained off the area by door 2L to allow F pax to deplane. A wonderful Prime Class ground staff was waiting for me to take me to the Prime Class lounge where a table had been reserved for me. Thanks to her, I didnt' have to wait in the transit line, which was huge and looked disorganized. I enjoyed breakfast at the Prime Class lounge and again, I appreciated the high quality of TK's meals. I inquired about the possibility of taking a shower at the lounge before my flight to JFK, but when I saw how small the shower was (it's inside the one and only restroom of the Prime Class lounge), I decided not to. Contrary to the TK C lounge, the Prime Class lounge does not have computer access except for a single laptop that is available upon request, but its Internet service is extremely slow. To make matters worse, the lounge is tiny and feels overcrowded.

SUMMARY
TK F might not be well-known yet, but it is already exceeding most products and services of leading carriers such as Emirates and Singapore. If TK's management takes additional steps to enhance F, e.g. training cabin crews to address passengers by their last names, upgrading the F mattress to compensate for the existing gap of the suite in its fully flat position, and building a larger Prime Class lounge with adequate space, computer access, and shower facilities, TK F may likely become the finest in its class. Overall, I strongly believe that THY F offers the best value for money.

sobore

Thanks for the nice report. Too bad about the F mattress and pillows.

sbm12

Thanks for the report. I'm booked in TK F with my wife on 30 Dec for IST-JFK and very much looking forward to it. This confirms most of what I've been expecting.

avm2806

Thanks for an excellent trip report. FYI - I know this because I was a regular on BOM-EWR-BOM on the 9W F suites, the visitor seat/ottoman extends out when you pull it and covers the gap between the fully extended main seat that you are talking about. Some of the earlier SIN based 9W crew knew this, and I realized this after feeling a gap at my calves when 9W Indian based crew had made the bed for me. Many crews are unaware of this so make sure you pull the visitor seat all the way out before reclining into bed mode and you shouldn't have this problem

Seat 2A

Mixed nuts, canapés, caviar AND hors d'oeuvres before the meal even gets started in earnest ~ YES!!! You lead a charmed life flying around in First Class on the likes of SQ, EK and TK. You also write a fine trip report. Thanks!

chanp

Thanks, I think I may give them a go this next year.

Mr. Roboto

Could you give a price comparison for F class on similar routings (ie ex-Asia westbound longhaul)?

fly747first

Some great examples:

JFK - IST for under $9,500 USD round-trip on TK

IST - HKG for under $5,200 USD round-trip on TK

versus

JFK - IST for slightly under $12,500 USD round-trip on BA

JFK - IST for slightly under $14,600 USD round-trip on LH

JFK - HKG ranging between $18,000 and $25,000 USD round-trip on CX

IST - HKG for slightly under $7,900 USD round-trip on BA

IST - HKG for slightly under $12,000 USD round-trip on LH

None of these competitors offer true suites with doors in F.

BIMMERKID2

EEK! is all i can say... thats a big difference!! Especially on the CX fares JFK-HKG ...up..to $25,000!! Thats about the price of a new car!

Mr. Roboto

Wow! It's even cheaper if booked as 2 one-ways:

JFK-IST F = USD 5647.10
IST-JFK F = USD 3238.60

TOTAL R/T = USD 8885.70

Gardyloo

At some of these prices you're really better off with RTW fares, e.g. Oneworld AONE3 ex-Jordan for ~US$8700; ex-USA at $11,600 or ex-Japan for ~US$10,700; *A prices similar to a little higher for FRWSTAR1 (29,000 mi.) tickets.