Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
I've heard lots of good things about Turkish, especially the on-board catering.
IME, it's
tres delish, even if you don't always know what it is.
Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
However, Turkish business-class is 2x2x2. While I believe Aeroflot is also 2x2x2 up-front you at least get some mileage credit for flying Aeroflot as a Delta loyalist through the Sky Team partnership.
Correct, although if you select an interior aisle, then you won't be bothered (or inconvenience) a person occupying an adjacent seat. Beyond that, I believe I did account for the lack of MQMs in choosing a non-Skyteam option in my post. While I prefer to utilize Delta and its partners, the reality is that loyalty isn't rewarded in the way it used to be and if my choice is blind loyalty to DL vs. comparable (or better) amenities and service on another carrier, then, when the latter is favorably priced - and I've seen Skyteam at 2x to 3.5x the price to destinations I favor - it's hard to argue that one should always fly Skyteam.
As an example, this year, I know I will hit Diamond based on planned business travel, and, while the extra rollover MQMs would be nice I am unwilling to pay more than a small premium for them, as well as some other bennies (ability to use CLEAR at JFK at T2 (thus for both T2 and T4 flights), dealing with familiar staff, etc.) when I can keep another $1-2K in my pocket and enjoy a similar (and sometimes better) product as well as more sleep on the outbound.
Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
Not knowing your budget, I also found Atlanta-Madrid on Delta and Madrid-Paris on Air France in business-class on random dates in October for $6500. For Paris-Baku, business-class is between $1300 and $1500 round-trip, depending on the airline.
Depending on your budget and flexibility, it might be worth exploring one-ways or multiple tickets.
Minor point for those reading the thread: I assume that
hockeyinsider's remarks (quoted directly, above) are more properly directed to the OP,
gb88.
O/H