Leg 2: ATH-IST-SIN
Flight 1:
We returned to the Athens airport via the Metro, which was quick and efficient to leave the city center. Upon Arrival we Retrieved our bags from the luggage storage and proceeded to Check-in. The check-in Process with TK was very quick and we proceeded through security and immigration. We arrived at the contract lounge and where disappointed. The lounge used by TK is not the one indicated on the star alliance site and does in fact have no showers. A late evening departure followed by a tight connection in IST made this a huge let down for us. I even asked about a power adapter that they could also not provide. Disappointed, we headed to the gate. When boarding was announced the same hoard that had clogged the gate area in FRA appeared, and again we followed other forceful travelers to the head of the queue.
ATH-IST GCMAP Route
Flight/Origin-Destination: ATH-IST
Date: 2/16/2016
Cabin: J
Status: AC*G
Airline: Turkish
Aircraft: Boeing B737-8
Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Yes
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? Yes
Did you use the lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? The lounge has very limited offerings in terms of snacks and drinks.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? It was, but difficult to use due to other passengers.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delays
Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? The flight suffered a 35min ground delay due to traffic in IST (Surprising).
Was the IFE activated on the ground? N/A
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, Meal orders taken after take off.
Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service? Yes
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) ~1h
How was the quality of all the meals? Excellent, as always
Did the cabin crew continuously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes
Overall experience/any other comments
Our flight left approx. 35min late due to a ground hold (traffic in IST). Once airborn we experienced a typically very good TK service. One disappointed of the flight was the down-gauge; the original A333 was replaced originally by the 737-9 and then again down-gauged to the B737-8. So in essence, we went from a flat bed seat, to the super recliner seats, to EURO-J. Not that it was a big deal on such a short flight, however receiving the "Itinerary Change" Emails was a bit disappointing.
Flight 2:
On arrival in IST, we became very concerned for our connection. Our original 95 minutes had come down to now 60 minutes. Traffic was still heavy at around midnight local time and we where forced to taxi to the furthest possible remote stand (beyond the maintenance hangar). By the time we boarded the transfer bus we had less than 40 minutes. We arrived in an area of the terminal with no gate information so had to proceed one level up only to find out our gate was across the hall the entire time. We made a quick U-turn and arrived at the gate just as priority boarding had begun. Suffice it to say we did not get to visit the famous IST lounge on this trip.
IST-SIN Inflight Route Map
Flight/Origin-Destination: IST-SIN
Date: 2/16/2016
Cabin: C
Status: AC*G
Airline: Turkish
Aircraft: Airbus A333-300
Pre departure
Was check in quick and efficient? Through checked
Did you use priority security (if eligible) and if so, was it quick and efficient? N/A
Did you use the lounge and if so, any feedback in regards to service, food and drinks? Tight connection, no lounge visit.
Was priority boarding offered (if applicable to your status) and efficient? It was, but difficult to use due to other passengers.
If there was a delay, did the gate agent provide timely updates? No delays
Onboard - J cabin:
Were the crew professional & well groomed? Yes
If there was a delay, were you provided with timely updates? No delays
Was the IFE activated on the ground? Yes
Was a pre-departure beverage offered on the ground? Yes, love the lemonade!
Did crew offer to hang your jacket? N/A
Were newspapers & menus distributed and meal orders taken (Please specify when meal orders were taken - on the ground or in the air)? Yes, Meal orders taken after take off.
Did crew offer a hot towel prior to the meal service? Yes
Approximately how long after take off did it take for the first meal service to be completed? (From takeoff to all items collected) ~1h for the arrival service
How was the quality of all the meals? Excellent, as always
Did the cabin crew continuously top up the beverage of your choice throughout the flight? Yes
Overall experience/any other comments
We where bused to a remote stand so honestly priority boarding had little meaning. We set off to sleep on this 1am departure flight so did not indulge in the dinner service but did however enjoy the morning breakfast. The beds where comfortable and I got a decent nights sleep. I am disappointed that we could not visit the IST lounge and having not showered for almost 48 hours made our arrival into SIN a bit uncomfortable, but we enjoyed the flight non the less. Interestingly this was actually my first TK flight that I got a great nights sleep, and even better the on-board temperature was not dreadfully hot.
View of the Approach into SIN