Santander

Sitting at the HKG RCC watching the TK plane just pull in. I made a date change after the fare got fixed and my check-in went fine, just in case anyone was still worried about having to pay more at the airport or something. But my ticket didn't need to get reissued so I can't say anything for more significant itinerary changes. I'm getting really bored here, arrived at Chek Lap Kok at around 1600, walked around for an hour, checked into the RCC to have (more than) a few bites then went shopping for a bit. I just want to get on the plane now... I've already more than eaten/drank my money's worth.

rankourabu

You made a date change to your outbound without re-issue? U or A fare?

That would be great if doable!

bertuzzi

I am on the same boat as Santander here. I changed my hkg-ist-lax from May 28th to today June 4th. Check-in was smooth and I am getting at the RCC waiting for the boarding call.
Highly recommend RCC over TG lounge. some said that TG offers better food, but i didnt like it at all.
Although, it is worth going into the TG lounge for about 30 mins to use their massage chairs. lol

rruaco

I really like the HKG RCC. They even let me in without my *G card once - despite the fact that it was too early to call CO and confirm my status.

The lounge dragon promised divine retribution if I cheated her, so I would only attempt to do this if you are really entitled to it

thaidai

santander+bertuzzi thanks for your posts ^^ please update with comfort class IST report , got 2 trips booked for 2012..miles to AC/Aeroplan 110%(i believe) cheers TD

DWFI

I did this yesterday. It was an ENORMOUS PITA. Be prepared to spend hours on the phone shuffling between TK and EXP. I visited the JFK sales office too in a rather desperate effort.

In the end I put Expedia and TK on a conference call, spelled out the problem and what I wanted them to do (EXP notates the changes and then TK revalidates from their side) - and the new dates. 90 minutes of holding later, they got it done.

Be advised you need BOTH a competent EXP agent and a competent TK agent to get this done. Otherwise you just have to call back and try again.

U fare.

bertuzzi

I am at IST now. It was my first flight on TK. I must say that I am really impressed. The amenity-kit for CC as good if not better than AC's J. seats are bigger than what i expected judging from TK website photos and they are Similar to the old J seats on UA, CA, TG etc, but the leg rest part make them more comfy. food was better than regular Y and the IFE was great. Lots of choices and no commercials.

For the price that we are paying for this fare, it is just fantastic lol^

Santander

I haven't been to even close to all the RCC's but HKG is definitely nice. The lounge agents were super friendly and cute (lol). Food yesterday was pretty good too, not amazing but decent enough variety.

I was truly impressed with Comfort Class, other than lounge access and priority check-in/boarding it felt almost like C. Seats were nice (although the control were a little weird, if only they were power seats), and service was what you'd expect in C. The seats were quite comfortable with plenty of legroom and easy to sleep in. The personal IFE wasn't what I am used to on CX/AC, but it wasn't bad.

The food was on real plates/cups with metal cutlery, warm towels, pretty good amenity kit with slippers, etc. As for the meal itself, I had the noodle dish which was a little bit disappointing but all of the salads and side dishes were well presented. I enjoyed the sliced meat/avocado salad appetiser. Overall I'd rate it not only comparable to domestic C, but it is nearly as good as international C on some carriers. I'd consider flying in Comfort Class again for sure if my travels take me back to Istanbul.

thaidai

santander+bertuzzi fun following your flights. looking forward to hearing how many miles posted,lounge+CC spoils luckily only flown FC on TK (part of award ) the PJs the best n FC amenity kit better than TG,LH, going to try LX F soon, and then my 2 CC deals booked on TK web page rather than Expedia ect (i always check airlines web on FT deals found this one easier to book on TK with range of avl dates . ps i plan to wear TK FC PJs on CC flts (pos op up?)

Away from YYZ

Check http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/turki...kg-y-deal.html for EQM..

pviri

How is the seat compare to UA domestic first class seat?

Santander

The recline isn't so great, but the legroom is generous. The seats are pretty bulky so storing a full-sized laptop bag under the seat isn't possible. However, the FAs I've had didn't really seem to look/care that my bag was half sticking out. The seats aren't leather like UA domestic F seats, but they're also newer and the cloth feels decent. Overall, the UA domestic F seats are definitely a bit bigger, but I think I preferred the TK seats because of the IFE and legroom. My only complaint is that the armrests are all fixed because the meal tray is in one and the IFE monitor is in the other. I didn't have a seatmate on HKG-IST and it would have been awesome to stretch out a bit more.

Oh yeah, and the gooseneck reading light is fantastic, why can't every airline have that?

jasonvr

Now that we've had a couple of people fly - were there any Y+ to J buy ups offered upon checkin? Were Y+ and J full on your flights?

bertuzzi

no ungrades offered. J seemed to be full on both legs. CC on HKG-IST was really full, but IST-LAX was half empty

PaulMSN

Did you book with TK or elsewhere? Same question for bertuzzi -- I booked through Exp and want to change a date, but it isn't sounding like much fun after reading DWFI's post.