November 8, 2013
Tyrolean Airlines Vienna - Athens 1020a – 130p A320-200 Business Class
Turkish Airlines Athens – Istanbul 250p – 430p A320-200 Business Class
Turkish Airlines Istanbul – Kigali 640p – 210a 737-900 Business Class

In this day and age, not many people flying between Europe and South Africa would do so entirely aboard narrow bodied aircraft but that’s what I’m about to do, starting with Tyrolean Airlines’ mid-morning A320 flight between Vienna and Athens.

After clearing security, I paid a quick visit to Austrian’s Business Lounge at the head of the F Concourse. My first thought as I entered this lounge was that I was walking into a children’s reading area outfitted with low, pale blue and red chairs. They didn’t look particularly comfortable and combined with the dull wooden floors gave this lounge a very utilitarian appearance. The food offerings were limited mostly to different breads. An automatic coffee machine provided me with a café latte which I quickly drank and then began the long journey down to my gate. As is so often the case on this trip, my flight was scheduled to depart from the very last gate on the concourse. F36. Better get walking.

I have never understood why Europeans have put up with Economy Class seats in their Business Class sections for all these years when so many of the world’s other airlines see fit to provide a proper 2-2 arrangement up front. Isn’t the whole idea behind Business Class to offer more space? Oh whoop-de-doo, a guaranteed empty middle seat in each row.

I was assigned 2A but since nobody had sat in row 1 on the right, I relocated to 1F and enjoyed substantially more legroom with only the bulkhead in front of me. Mounted on the bulkhead was a plastic display rack containing timetables and postcards of Austrian Airlines’ 777 and A319. I hadn’t seen either timetables or postcards on any planes for about twenty years so I thought that was pretty cool. Also on the bulkhead was a plaque bearing the Austrian Airlines logo but indicating that this flight was being operated by Tyrolean Airlines. You’d never know it from the outside, which is painted in Austrian’s livery.

Flight time was projected to be one hour and forty-seven minutes cruising at some metric altitude which I didn’t bother to convert. Fact is I’ve never really much cared what altitude we’re flying at so long as it isn’t really high or really low.

Service started very shortly after takeoff. Drinks were offered followed by the delivery of our luncheon trays. Today’s meal included about a 6oz portion of grilled hamburger steak served with potato salad, a tomato slice, a small pile of salad greens and a flan with apricot topping for dessert. It was all quite good though I especially liked the bread roll which accompanied my meal. That was really good!



Luncheon Ground Round on Tyrolean



Approach Into Athens



Salamis Island on Approach Into Athens

It was a beautiful autumn day as we descended past Salamis Island and out over the Saronic Gulf before turning east for our final approach into Athens International Airport. We landed smoothly and taxied past a big Antonov AN-124 cargo plane preparing to lumber into the skies. Olympic Airways, once dominant at Athens, now appears to be only a shadow of its former self. I spotted only a couple of regional props and an A319 wearing the Olympic rings. Nowadays Aegean looks to be the straw stirring the drink at ATH. There were probably a dozen of its Airbuses parked around the terminal.

My connection here was pretty short by international standards – only one hour and twenty minutes. By the time I’d cleared passport control and security there really wasn’t enough time for any airport lounging so I headed straightaway to my gate. Along the way I liked what I saw of the restaurants in the terminal. Even though they were indoors they still managed to get a porch effect and the bars looked quite appealing as well. The nicest ones were landside and I could easily imagine coming down here regularly for lunch if I lived or worked in the area. What the heck – bring a date!

Narrow-bodied Airbuses of varying sizes really dominated the gates here in Athens. My white and red Turkish A320 was parked next to a good looking Etihad A320. A little further down the concourse were A321s from Lufthansa and Alitalia. This in addition to the plethora of Aegean Airbuses. An SAS 737-800 was the only Boeing I saw.

Once again I ended up in an Economy seat masquerading as a Business Class seat. One thing I did like though was the turquoise and dark blue patterned seat fabrics. Whoa! This is like a seventies flashback! Eastern Airlines had similarly upholstered seats. Also the Turkish flight attendants looked quite fetching in their stylish blue uniforms.

It’s a short one hour, 340 mile flight from Athens to Istanbul – about the same as Los Angeles to San Francisco. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of inflight service – perhaps a sandwich, if that. Boy was I in for a surprise!

Service started on the ground with the presentation of large, hot towels that were not only hot but also scented. Well that’s certainly a nice start. Imagine then my pleasant surprise when shortly after takeoff our beautiful blonde haired flight attendant presented us with menus! No way! On a one hour flight? Way. Check it out!


MENU

TO BEGIN
Assorted Turkish Appetizers
Mediterranean Salad

MAIN COURSE

Beef Fillet
Served with scalloped potatoes and grilled vegetables

Oven Fresh Bread Selection

AFTERWARDS
Assorted Cheese
Homemade Chocolate Mousse Cake


When my tray was delivered, it was so full of food that I first thought the menu must have been in error and that chicken and couscous had been substituted for steak and potatoes. What I was goggling at though was just the first course, a large plate of assorted Turkish appetizers; to wit marinated sliced chicken breast, potato salad, couscous salad, grilled eggplant and the ever ubiquitous olive. Throw in the cheese and dessert and all of this would have been more than satisfying - but wait! There’s more!



First Course – On a One Hour Flight

In between courses I had a brief flashback to June of 1979 when, on a 40 minute flight aboard a 737 between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson, CP Air served us a hot dinner with a choice of entrees served on the airline’s finest porcelain. Back in 2002, Air New Zealand served me a hot snack (Some kind of Greek vegetarian pastry with a small salad and dessert) on a 25 minute 737 flight between Queenstown and Christchurch. Amazing.

The large appetizer plate was cleared and soon a smaller hot dish was presented bearing my steak and potatoes. Oh. My. God. This was more food than most U.S. airlines would serve you on a flight many times longer. And, it was really good, too. The beef wasn’t overcooked and the scalloped potatoes were exquisitely hot and cheesy. And there was wine!



Main Course – On a One Hour Flight!

With service like this, is it any wonder that Turkish Airlines has been named the Best Airline in Europe for the third year by customers at the 2013 World Airline Awards? Well done, TK!

The sun sat low over the Sea of Marmara coloring the sky in beautiful shades of gold and orange as we made our descent into Istanbul’s Atatürk Havalimanı International Airport. IST is a pretty good sized airport and any fans of Airbus A300s and 310s would be pleased to find a large collection of them, most now converted to freighters and wearing the colors of MNG Cargo and Turkish Cargo.

We taxied to a remote parking stand and parked alongside a group of 737s. Turkish Airlines operates a pretty diverse fleet comprised of Airbus (A310, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340) and Boeing (737-700, -800 and -900, 777-300) equipment. Most of the larger aircraft were parked at gates with jet bridges but on our way to the terminal we did drive past a good looking A330 named “Kapadokya”. Warm yellow light shown through its forward windows and I couldn’t help but picture myself comfortably ensconced in a plush Business Class seat in its forward cabin, ready to go wherever that plane was bound.

By now it had been a little more than fifteen hours since I left New York and, having gotten only about three and a half hours of sleep so far, the travel was starting to catch up with me. Both Athens and Istanbul were fairly muggy, so what I really desired most at this time was a shower. I’d heard good things about Turkish Airlines’ CIP Lounge here at IST and so I commenced to follow the innumerable signs that directed me along the half mile or so it took to finally get to that side of the airport.

The CIP Lounge is indeed very impressive, starting with the entrance – a massive wall of floor to ceiling glass with huge tawny colored curtains behind it. I got the sense I was entering into a big tent! But oh, what a tent! This lounge has it all starting with its impressive architecture and including a full service dining room, a library, a pool table, a prayer room, a business center and a suite of showers and day rest rooms that include real beds.



Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge at Istanbul



Library & Billiards at Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge

All I wanted was a shower, so I made my way to the concierge desk and added my name to the list of fellow hot and sweaty travelers. There was an approximately 45 minute wait time which worked out well as it gave me time to go and have a look at this marvelous lounge. I really liked the lighting and the colors, from the carpet on the floor to the fabric on the chairs. This lounge just radiated refined – not flashy – comfort. I took a couple of quick photos and settled into a comfy chair to await my turn at the shower suites.



Waiting for Showers at The Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge

In the tradition of the finest airline lounges, these spacious shower suites were well stocked with all the necessary amenities including robes and a hair dryer. They also included a sink and toilet. The lounge staff had warned me that my departure gate was a good twenty minute walk away (this time I was the third from the last gate down in the next terminal over!) so I was in and out of that shower quickly and feeling much better by the time I finally arrived at my gate.

Istanbul, Turkey to Kigali, Rwanda. If that’s not an exotic route to fly, I don’t know what is! The lounge was filled with a interesting and varied collection of humanity that looked every bit as exotic as the route. There were colorfully dressed locals from Rwanda and Uganda, women in hijabs, two men in sports coats, a couple of scruffy backpackers from somewhere in Europe judging by their accents and two girls from Japan. And me, of course, with my tweed cap and daypack.

Once again we were remotely parked, so we all loaded onto busses that I was pleased to see didn’t have to wait until they were so full that there was no room for anything larger than a small dog. Now, as we drove out to our waiting aircraft, only one question remained:

Would this aircraft be a 737-800 or a 737-900? In terms of comfort there was a lot riding on this because the -800s, while offering a 2-2 seating arrangement in Business Class, have only a 35” pitch while the -900s have true recliner seats with leg rests and in-seat video entertainment with a whopping 55” pitch. When I looked this flight up on the Turkish website, it indicated a 737-900 as the equipment but when I checked in online yesterday it indicated a 737-800. Hmm… if only I’d made use of that prayer room back at the lounge…

Imagine then my delight as we drove around and then pulled up next to a shiny one year old 737-900 named “Mŭgli”. Yes!!! Praise Allah and Thank God for looking out for me on this, my 1,500th flight on a 737! Yes gang, you read that right. This is indeed my 1,500th flight on a 737. My first came on August 8th, 1972 aboard a United 737-200 between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. It’s been a great forty-one year relationship with Boeing’s little twin jet; an airplane that’s grown into not only the best-selling jetliner in aviation history but, in its largest version, an airplane that holds more passengers than its great grandfather the Boeing 707.

As we climbed up the covered stairway and paused on the landing at the aircraft door we were met by two Turkish flight attendants who inspected our boarding passes and then allowed us to pass. Walking through the galley and into the Business Class cabin was worthy of a harp glissando and a chorus from the heavens. Wow! This has got to be one of the nicest premium class cabins ever installed on a 737! It’s one thing to read about 55” pitch, leg rests, video screens and all that jazz but it’s quite another to actually see these things, especially aboard an aircraft with a fuselage width the size of a 737. They look nice enough on a 767 or A330 but on a 737 it all looked absolutely spectacular!



Excellent Business Class Seating on Turkish 737-900

Only four out of the sixteen recliners were occupied tonight and interestingly, three of us were assigned seats in row 2. It didn’t take my seatmate long to put 2 and 2 together and move from his aisle seat back a row to 3A. A flight attendant came around with a tray of colorful and fruity looking drinks –none of them more than 4oz in size. Aside from real juice, I’m not a big fan of fruit drinks so I selected the glass with the clear liquid and was pleased to find it was water and not some exotic Turkish fire water that would leave me looking like something out of an R. Crumb cartoon.

Hot towels made the rounds and once again they were refreshingly hot and deliciously scented. I believe this form of hot towels is a Japanese Tradition known as Oshibori Towels. Northwest Airlines introduced them to U.S. passengers on its Boeing Stratocruiser flights to the Orient back in the 1950s. Since then many other airlines have decided to offer this service as well – some doing so with varying degrees of success and other’s efforts have ended only in abject failure.

As we taxied past the main terminal building, I thought I’d see if I could get a decent photo. I like those old terminal buildings that have the name of the airport prominently displayed. I waited until there was a Turkish jet parked in the foreground and then took my photo.



Ataturk Havalimani Airport

As we taxied out to the runway, one of the flight attendants came around with a small tray of these little cubes of something or other dusted with powdered sugar. Hmm… alright, I’ll try one. Wow! They were chewy with this delicious nutty flavor and only a bit of sweetness. I made a point to ask the flight attendant about them later in the flight but unless I can find a Turkish supermarket in the U.S. it looks like I’ll have to return to Turkey if I want more. I do.

Flight time on this 2,970 mile flight to Kigali was projected at six hours and seven minutes. I couldn’t help but consider that my 4,200 mile flight from New York to Vienna last night took only an hour longer. There were no tailwinds tonight. In fact, the captain said that with few exceptions he was expecting pretty smooth conditions all the way down to Kigali though thunder storms in the area might affect our approach.



Sky Map – Istanbul to Entebbe

Shortly after takeoff, I decided it would be a good time to check out this seat’s recline function. Hmm… very nice! Forty minutes later I awoke to find the flight attendant serving drinks and passing out menus. Yes, please! I ordered a Crown Royal and then sat back to look over tonight’s dinner offerings…



Business Class Menu – Istanbul to Entebbe


DINNER
Istanbul to Kigali

TO BEGIN
Assorted Turkish Appetizers
Stuffed Zucchini in Olive Oil

MAIN COURSE

Grilled Swordfish
Presented with eggplant stuffed with red pepper and potato puree

Fillet Mignon and Chicken Medallion
Accented with a mustard and curry sauce
Served with sautéed mixed vegetables and buttered rice

Cheese Ravioli with Parmesan Sauce
Accompanied by sautéed mushrooms and marinated red peppers

Oven Fresh Bread Selection

AFTERWARDS
Assorted Cheese
Homemade Baked Rice Pudding

_______________________________________

SNACK SERVICE

Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich
Sour Cherry Cake


I consulted with the flight attendant about the possibility of sleeping now and eating later but ultimately decided to go with the flow and eat now in the hope that I could knock off another four hours or so after dinner. It was 8:00am back in Alaska but I pushed that thought out of mind and headed up to the lav to wash up for dinner.

The appetizer plate included sliced chicken, prawns, a barley salad, green beans, an olive and a salad. On the side were the stuffed zucchini and cheese course. I ate it all except the olive. For the main course I went with the old tried and true - Fillet Mignon and Chicken Medallion. The meat was not exactly a filet mignon as I’ve come to know it but it was good and flavorful. Its juice flavored the rice very nicely and the grilled vegetables made a nice accompaniment.



First Course – Turkish Appetizers and Salad



Main Course – Beef and Chicken

Interestingly, there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between this meal and the one I was served on the one hour flight between Athens and Istanbul. We had a choice of three main courses instead of one but otherwise it was a very similar service. Either way, it tasted good and it was filling. Good Turkish coffee was offered after dinner but I decided to wait until the Kigali – Entebbe leg before imbibing as I really wanted to get some sleep. By the way, the rice pudding dessert was excellent!

Well you know, those recliners were awfully nice – they didn’t recline to a full 180° flat surface of course but they did go back about 60°, which from an upright position is pretty good. Even so, I’d spent so much time sitting of late that my back was feeling none too good for it all. Here I had this huge amount of floor space in front of me, so I explained my situation to the flight attendants if they’d mind if I utilized the floor. I promised to keep my legs out of the aisle. No problem!

So that’s what I did, using my daypack and the pillow for my head and covering up with the light blanket provided. When I awoke about three and a half hours later, I felt much better.

One of the interesting things about flying into places like Kigali, Rwanda in the middle of the night is the lights. There aren’t many of them and what of them there are seem to be lighting up a residential street here and there. I never did see anything suggesting a downtown or big buildings lit up in the distance but then I had only my side of the plane to look out of. I never even saw a large lit up roadway until we crossed over the airport’s perimeter road. It looked like the best lit road in town.

We landed early at 1:14am local time and taxied briskly up to the small, dark terminal building. Only about a dozen passengers got off. The rest of us were instructed to remain on board during our brief 45 minute stop. A 737-800 and a pair of CRJ-900s wearing the blue and white livery of Rwandair were parked next to us on the tarmac. A little farther down the way was an all-white MD-80 bearing United Nations titles with a big UN on the tail. Just beyond it was a South African A319 awaiting its 6:00am departure to Bujumbura and on to Johannesburg. I could have chosen connecting through Kigali and taking that flight but the idea of sitting around in a departure lounge at little Kigali Airport did not appeal, especially since my Priority Pass membership would get me into a proper lounge at Entebbe.

Just prior to landing at Kigali I’d taken a couple of mosquito repellant wipes I’d brought along and applied them to my hands, face and neck. I’d had concerns that while we were parked in Kigali with the door open as well as during the time I was in the Entebbe Airport I might encounter mosquitoes. Disease bearing mosquitoes. Oddly enough, I never saw or heard even one at either airport. I used the repellant regardless.