Kryssa

Hello All,

My husband and I will need to get to SFO in October from Europe. We have about a week of flexibility and are currently booked in C on Lufthansa out of Frankfurt to Seattle, then United economy to SFO.

Now that there are rumors that Turkish will soon be able to allow electronics out of Istanbul to the US, does it make sense to rebook with them?

I have never flown Lufthansa or Turkish, but have been told Turkish is really nice in long haul C. I could cancel my booking through United for a small fee (I think $75) to rebook on Turkish if it's considerably better, plus I wouldn't have to deal with immigration in Seattle, then fly economy to SFO (it's only an hour, but still.)

Thanks for any advice you can give!

worldclubber

It probably depends mainly on where you will depart from. If you depart from central Europe, IST is a three-hour-detour (each way, plus layover). And LH C is actually not so bad for people travelling as a couple. The main reservations against LH C are from single travellers who do not like the seat arrangement in pairs. And, in my book, I would always prefer LH as it is much more reliable and does not as frequently scratch/damage their planes on departure/arrival.

UAPremExecflyer

Your posting really is rather convoluted.
You don't say where in Europe - which is rather a large collection of countries - you are starting from?
Also, you can take your mobile and smart phone(s) on board from IST. Your laptop will be gate-checked.
If you can find the award space on TK and you're going too far out of your way, then TK business is generally regarded as a better product than LH http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/lufth...t-xxx-pdx.html

Kryssa

Sorry about that. We can depart from any airport in Europe. We're on a long trip and will just make that our last stop.

We don't want to check our laptops. That's why we didn't book TK already. We work on flights and also bring our own entertainment.

Thanks for the link - I'll read through it!

SFO777

If you have to connect from XXX to Frankfurt to then fly to Seattle and then to SFO, I would go with XXX-IST-SFO. TK will be a better experience and, strange as it may seem, you'll arrive more relaxed as you'll have a longer flight to sleep. IMO, the last thing you want to do is fly long-haul only to have to connect again on another flight.

BTW, cross posting the same question in different forums in an FT no-no.

Jaenks

I would choose TK. Free Wifi,better food,best lounge,only one connection,daytime flight too. Plenty of time till October, so most likely laptop ban would be lifted by then. If you need a round trip ticket then look start from TLL or VNO. Prices starting from 14xx euros in J. Due the schedule,overnight in IST required and TK offering it without cost including transfers and breakfast.

Kryssa

Thanks all!

LH4116

Laptop ban has been lifted.

Totally agree with SFO777. The longer flight time gives you the opportunity to get a full night's sleep onboard. Flew MIA-IST-ARN last year, and was very pleased with the timings. The MIA-IST flight was at 11 hours in block time which gave a good night's sleep. Adjusting back to European timezone went very smoothly.

Grog

I'm curious: Is there a reason you didn't book LH FRA-SFO direct from the outset?

Are you saying you'll just make IST your last stop? Or you'll make the location of your transoceanic leg's departure your last stop?

SFO777

Suspect that there were no saver award seats on or around OP's dates.
With only one daily flight, FRA-SFO is a tough Business Class award route.

Grog

That is true; I didn't consider that.

(In my case, SEN Companion award just barely keeps it interesting enough for me to use without a saver award over flying via SEA or LAX to get to SFO. Even without saver award, i've had to wait for it to clear.)

Kacee

Europe to SFO is a daytime flight. So I don't understand the references to "a full night's sleep."

I would not add six hours (or more) travel time just to fly TK over LH.

trooper

Wash you mouth out with soap! This is FT!!!!

worldclubber

^ Exactly my first thought!

Since the OP did not mention that he had always wanted to experience the TK lounge in IST, I did not consider it a priority. I personally would definitely not go through IST, for many reasons...

sw1x

Another one in LH's camp here.

Simply for the usual combination of professionalism and friendliness on LH. Their cabin service does make quite a difference for me - and is miles ahead of TK in my book.