The best of the big 4 Middle-Eastern carriers?
Jan 14, 2014, 12:13 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 710
Which is the best of the big 4 Middle-Eastern carriers?
You know of whom I speak: Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Turkish.
A blog post here got me thinking.
http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2...ar-vs-turkish/
Ultimately, does it come down to fanboys and haters, or can people clearly delineate between each of those airlines and form their own opinions?
In economy class, it is clearly between Etihad and Turkish for me, although for the elite, I guess an Emirates or Etihad suite must be the crème-de-la-crème?
A blog post here got me thinking.
http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2...ar-vs-turkish/
Ultimately, does it come down to fanboys and haters, or can people clearly delineate between each of those airlines and form their own opinions?
In economy class, it is clearly between Etihad and Turkish for me, although for the elite, I guess an Emirates or Etihad suite must be the crème-de-la-crème?
Last edited by A380 Flyer; Jan 14, 2014 at 1:19 pm
Jan 14, 2014, 1:52 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 710
Jan 14, 2014, 5:21 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Scotland - ABZ
Programs: Qantas LTG, BA-Blue, KLM -Gold, SAS - Silver
Posts: 2,057
Turkish? They are not middle East and they don't fly direct to Australia unlike the other three, which has been a real game changer.
I prefer Emirates. Why? Because they have more frequent connections, so if you miss one it doesn't result in a 24 hour wait.
I prefer Emirates. Why? Because they have more frequent connections, so if you miss one it doesn't result in a 24 hour wait.
Jan 14, 2014, 6:03 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Scarborough
Posts: 596
The customer service of Turkish leaves a lot to be desired. They treat transit pax like crap.
Turkey is trying hard to get into the EU by trying to please them, etc. I doubt if they wanna be tied to middle-east much. Too bad their geographical location does not help them much....
I would think Emirates and Etihad are above QR, leaving TK as fourth. I doubt if they will pass the other 3 anytime soon. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They don't respect transit pax in Istanbul much.
My country of origin sees most of the travelers served by massive frequencies of Emirates and Etihad. The rest are "discouraged" to stay away by EK
It's a win-win situation for Emirates/Etihad as they offer great service with new aircrafts and reliability, something which is thoroughly lacking in others.
Turkey is trying hard to get into the EU by trying to please them, etc. I doubt if they wanna be tied to middle-east much. Too bad their geographical location does not help them much....
I would think Emirates and Etihad are above QR, leaving TK as fourth. I doubt if they will pass the other 3 anytime soon. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They don't respect transit pax in Istanbul much.
My country of origin sees most of the travelers served by massive frequencies of Emirates and Etihad. The rest are "discouraged" to stay away by EK
It's a win-win situation for Emirates/Etihad as they offer great service with new aircrafts and reliability, something which is thoroughly lacking in others.
Jan 14, 2014, 6:38 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2010
Location: FSD
Programs: BAEC, Delta SkyPesos, VS FC, SQ KF, AA, HHonors
Posts: 1,884
I am going with EK, although in fairness, it's the only one I've tried.
Down under, EK is now the pre-eminent trans-tasman carrier. The A380 knocks the socks off the rather sad B737s that normally would ply these routes.
My Pakistani friend loves to say that Emirates is the de facto flag carrier of the sub-continent. Looking at the cities served and the fashionable cachet that EK has there, it's hard to disagree.
Down under, EK is now the pre-eminent trans-tasman carrier. The A380 knocks the socks off the rather sad B737s that normally would ply these routes.
My Pakistani friend loves to say that Emirates is the de facto flag carrier of the sub-continent. Looking at the cities served and the fashionable cachet that EK has there, it's hard to disagree.
Jan 14, 2014, 8:18 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: LT NoN REV
Posts: 566
The customer service of Turkish leaves a lot to be desired. They treat transit pax like crap.
Turkey is trying hard to get into the EU by trying to please them, etc. I doubt if they wanna be tied to middle-east much. Too bad their geographical location does not help them much....
I would think Emirates and Etihad are above QR, leaving TK as fourth. I doubt if they will pass the other 3 anytime soon. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They don't respect transit pax in Istanbul much.
My country of origin sees most of the travelers served by massive frequencies of Emirates and Etihad. The rest are "discouraged" to stay away by EK
It's a win-win situation for Emirates/Etihad as they offer great service with new aircrafts and reliability, something which is thoroughly lacking in others.
Turkey is trying hard to get into the EU by trying to please them, etc. I doubt if they wanna be tied to middle-east much. Too bad their geographical location does not help them much....
I would think Emirates and Etihad are above QR, leaving TK as fourth. I doubt if they will pass the other 3 anytime soon. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They don't respect transit pax in Istanbul much.
My country of origin sees most of the travelers served by massive frequencies of Emirates and Etihad. The rest are "discouraged" to stay away by EK
It's a win-win situation for Emirates/Etihad as they offer great service with new aircrafts and reliability, something which is thoroughly lacking in others.
Jan 15, 2014, 2:49 am
#11
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
In terms of IFE, EK for sure. Long layovers/the hubs, IST and DXB, since they both have rail stations and places worth -or in Dubai's case, places that are easy for- killing a few hours. Can't say I've ever been a fan of the crew on any of those, so at least in Y class, EK gets my first-place vote.
For J, haven't decided yet...
For J, haven't decided yet...
Jan 15, 2014, 3:24 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 710
In terms of IFE, EK for sure. Long layovers/the hubs, IST and DXB, since they both have rail stations and places worth -or in Dubai's case, places that are easy for- killing a few hours. Can't say I've ever been a fan of the crew on any of those, so at least in Y class, EK gets my first-place vote.
For J, haven't decided yet...
For J, haven't decided yet...
Doha airport is a dump, right now. Anyone know when DOH will be finally finished and airbirdges can be used rather than buses?
Jan 15, 2014, 4:03 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,525
I fly EK, TK, and QR a lot and have to agree that EK is the best among these three.
You get a widebody on all flights (QR's scandalous tendency to substitute an A320 with regional J seats to ZRH/GVA/VIE among other places means I don't fly them to those destinations), and availability of F on most routes. I would rate QR's 777 as the best biz on any of three (never tried the 787), though, across the whole fleet, I would say EK is the winner on balance. (TK's 777 is also excellent.)
DXB is the best among the three places to transfer, and their customer service seems to be the most competent and responsive (actually, QR's is medicore and, though I haven't had a lot of experience with TK's, there are negative reports all over).
IFE is very good on all -- I don't see that much of a difference between EK and QR, though EK offers a bit more choice.
Food and alcohol selections are excellent on QR and EK; TK food is very good but they don't have the same wine quality in J.
TK's frequent flier program is probably the best, in terms of earn/burn rates and of course the availability of the Star Alliance network. QR is great for redemption on QR, but if you don't start in DOH, then the burn rates, as well as those for partners, are not as favorable.
You get a widebody on all flights (QR's scandalous tendency to substitute an A320 with regional J seats to ZRH/GVA/VIE among other places means I don't fly them to those destinations), and availability of F on most routes. I would rate QR's 777 as the best biz on any of three (never tried the 787), though, across the whole fleet, I would say EK is the winner on balance. (TK's 777 is also excellent.)
DXB is the best among the three places to transfer, and their customer service seems to be the most competent and responsive (actually, QR's is medicore and, though I haven't had a lot of experience with TK's, there are negative reports all over).
IFE is very good on all -- I don't see that much of a difference between EK and QR, though EK offers a bit more choice.
Food and alcohol selections are excellent on QR and EK; TK food is very good but they don't have the same wine quality in J.
TK's frequent flier program is probably the best, in terms of earn/burn rates and of course the availability of the Star Alliance network. QR is great for redemption on QR, but if you don't start in DOH, then the burn rates, as well as those for partners, are not as favorable.
Jan 15, 2014, 6:06 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: K+K
Programs: *G
Posts: 4,866
only done 6 long haul premium segments on TK , of that entire lot , but cant find anything at all pleasing to say about it.
main lounge is pretty nice WHEN not crowded but the check-in experience, staff from lounge to onboard to customer service, to website, to billing, transiting through IST as a whole, etc.... all abysmal.
main lounge is pretty nice WHEN not crowded but the check-in experience, staff from lounge to onboard to customer service, to website, to billing, transiting through IST as a whole, etc.... all abysmal.
Jan 16, 2014, 6:22 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 710
only done 6 long haul premium segments on TK , of that entire lot , but cant find anything at all pleasing to say about it.
main lounge is pretty nice WHEN not crowded but the check-in experience, staff from lounge to onboard to customer service, to website, to billing, transiting through IST as a whole, etc.... all abysmal.
main lounge is pretty nice WHEN not crowded but the check-in experience, staff from lounge to onboard to customer service, to website, to billing, transiting through IST as a whole, etc.... all abysmal.