mad_atta

Argh, I can't keep up with Turkish's fleet inconsistencies (and nor can their website, it seems). I thought the B738s were the problem aircraft? Either way, it sure is a long way to fly in a 737... but those new barcalounger-style 737 biz seats look pretty nice.

ironmanjt

Most comfortable 737 I'd ever been on - the barcaloungers were really nice for a narrowbody!

The A321s, well as you will see in an upcoming post, they're not all created equal!

mad_atta

NZ used to have some very nicely equipped 737-300s which were used on trans-Tasman routes. They had 3 rows of a 2+2 config with 46" reclining barcaloungers in J, were fantastic for the 3-4 hour flights around the region. A nicely configured premium cabin in a narrowbody can be a particularly enjoyable experience, as it's usually a nicely intimate size.

These days on NZ we get single-class A320s. Not the same at all

goodo

Any idea what C is like on their A320s? Booked my mum on TK, outbound is next week.

thanks
goodo

mad_atta

According to the discussion in the Turkish Airlines forum, it seems they are all the crappy Euro-business style (blocked middle seat, 35" pitch at best).

Seat 2A

Well done, JT! These trip reports featuring Lufthansa's First Class are just killin' me! I wanna go out right now and hop aboard a LH 748 - upstairs, of course. Heck - I'd even write a trip report about it! Thanks again!

goodo

Thanks! At least it's only a ~2 hour hop on TK. I'll ask her how it compares to SQ which she's flying all the way to IST, lol.

goodo

ironmanjt

NOOOOO! On the 747-8i you want to be in the NOSE! Upstairs is for the peasants

(NB: my upgrade from C to F is looking positive coming home, 5 seats left and just a few days to go... )

ironmanjt

I'll be up front here: I'm not going to do Istanbul justice. I'm not going to even pretend to. I landed at 9a, having been up since 1a Istanbul time, and I was pretty tired. My main goal was to rest up in between stops, maybe see a few things, and have some good Turkish food. I did alright all things considered!

Finally out of the hotel around 11:30 after I got checked in and re-caffeinated, and it was off to the old town. The hotel suggested I walk about 10-15 minutes to the nearest tram stop, and then take the tram all the way. Awesome call, because it allowed for seeing some of the city along the way.

Got to the old town, wandered a bit, and soon was coming up to the Blue Mosque. .Outside, is an obelisk:



The outside of the Blue Mosque:



...and the inside:



Unfortunately, 10 minutes after I got inside it was prayer time, so they started to chase out all the sightseers. .Oh well, on to the Hagia Sofia it was!



...Hagia Sofia selfie!



Outside the Hagia Sofia I decided: .when/if I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a cat in a muslim country. .They wander around, fat and happy, and everyone treats them like royalty.



One last shot of the Blue Mosque:



At this point, I was seriously starting to fade, so I stopped for some strong coffee. .Fortified, I began the long trek back to the hotel. .The plan was not to take the tram back, but to wander back in pieces, using local transit and seeing things along the way. .First mission, was to try and find the shop selling baklava that I'd found years prior. .I had no clue where it really was, but then I turned a corner...and voila!



View along the water:





Walking back across the bridge, there were tons of people fishing:



I wanted to take the Tunnel, the second oldest subway in the world, but had real trouble locating it. .Finally, I got lucky and just stumbled upon it.





I was soon in Taksim Square and wandered for a bit, but was started to get really cold. .Quickest way back to my hotel was the Teleferik, a cable car across the park. .Fun!





Cool thing I realized at this point, my day had consisted of: .private car, shuttle bus, plane, taxi, tram, subway, and cable car. .That's a lot of modes of transit in one day! .I should have tried to take a ferry too, lol

By this point I'd been wandering over 6 hours, and was cold and frozen, but when I got back near my hotel kept wandering, looking for some cool little local bar/cafe to grab a drink and people watch. .Completely unable to find anything at all. .I got cold, jetlagged, and frustrated, so retreated to the hotel lounge which had....exactly zero other people in it. .But it DID have a drink called the Lady Gaga, lol



Was hoping to find a good local turkish place for dinner, but the combo of being tired, cold, and the only real local options being fast food kebab type places made me admit defeat...and go to the hotel's turkish restaurant. .I mean, any place that serves of Heroin can't be all bad, right?



Meal was tasty, but service was abysmal. .Incredibly slow, despite only being one of two tables in the restaurant. .That, topped with the crazy prices, would make me serious hesitant to recommend this unless you were in the same situation I was. .Tired, hungry, and unable/unwilling to leave. .That said, it was tasty enough! .Then, it was off to bed early...I figured I'd had a pretty good day of touring around the city considering jetlag: .I walked nearly 10 miles, saw quite a few things, and was absolutely beat. .The next morning, it was off to Moscow!

exilencfc

That does sound like pretty good going under the circumstances. I'd have admitted defeat far sooner

FlyIgglesFly

Yeah, the point when even caffeine stops parking is when I tend to cave and grab a nap back at the hotel. I probably would have taken a quick nap after grabbing some heroin in the bar.

smit0847

I did IST-OSL in TK J and I think it was either a 737 or A320. It had the newer 2-2 J class 'Barcalounger' types seats which are extremely comfortable for a narrow-body. There were only a few other pax in J so service was good too. I think that was about a 3 hour flight. Agreed you never really know what you are going to get with TK though - they are masters of fleet utilisation so swap aircraft at the last minute to get max utilisation out of them.

ironmanjt

Fortunately my flight out of Istanbul wasn't all that early, but I decided to try and get an early start to "enjoy" the Turkish lounge, crowded as it usually is. It's a good thing I did, because traffic was nightmare-ish this morning, and took well over an hour to get to the airport. Due to that, it was also going to be much more expensive than on the way in. I had 74.60 lira on me, and prayed it wouldn't go over that. I had some dollars and euros as backup, but didn't want to get in a negotiation.

Pull into the business class check in and the meter reads? 74.32 lira. Obviously, I'm doing something right! w00t for that!

Business class checkin was quick with zero line, as was passport check and security. .I was curb to lounge in 15 minutes max...for once Istanbul airport is redeeming itself to me. .Of course, the lounge was mildly packed, but I not only found a seat, but one with a power outlet. .This day keeps getting better and better, . Time for a snack! .Mmmm...baklava!



Soon, it was off to the gate. Boarding only started 20 minutes before departure...this was not looking good...except...upon boarding it was "new" style A321 barcalounger business class...and only 3 of the 16 seats were taken. I'm obviously living right today!

Turkish Airlines flight 415
Istanbul, Turkey (IST) to Moscow, Vnukovo, Russia (VKO)
Depart 11:45, Arrive 16:35, Flight Time 2:50
Airbus A321-200 Registration TC-JSG, Manufactured 2013, Seat 2F

I was glad to see that even though the flight was shorter, and with real seats, we had the chef again! .Hahhahaha!



...and pre-departure fresh-squeezed OJ is always welcome!



Taxiing to the runway we passed this Pakistan Air Force plane...anyone know what it is?



So, what's to eat today?









All in all, another well above average Turkish meal. .I'll also confess once again, I like their Turkish wine. .Not only do I find it tasty, the staff always seems excited when I like it over the French alternative. .I may have had a bottle or two. .Or three. .Who can count. .We're headed to Russia, where such things don't matter.

So yea, for once Turkish delivered on all fronts, which when they do it, they do an awesome job! .Soon, we were landing in super cold Moscow.

Now, a bit of a prelude. .See, the first time I ever left the US and Canada was in 1988....when I headed to the Soviet Union. .I haven't been back since, and now 143 countries later, I was back in Moscow, almost exactly 25 years to the week later. .I was excited to see how things have changed. .I know I've certainly changed a lot in that time. .A few shots upon landing at Vnukovo:









Immigration was a relative breeze, except when he asked "why did you say on visa application you've never been in Russia?" ."Well, um, I've never been in the Russian Federation...only the USSR, so I thought that was the right answer." .He was ok with this, and by the time I got to baggage my bag was there. .Out of customs, and my driver was waiting, for what turned out to be the FOUR HOUR drive to my hotel. .Yes, hello Moscow traffic, four hours. .ARGH. .Fortunately, he was a company driver and not on the meter, but holy yuck. .Of course, this was at 5p on a Friday so maybe that's why, but still!

Now, a few thoughts on my hotel, the Sheraton Palace.

Staff: .Amazing in all ways. .Upon figuring out I spoke some Russian, the check in ladies refused to speak English. .They slowed down their Russian, worked to make sure I understood everything, and genuinely wanted to make me practice. .It was awesome, and they really made an outstanding first impression on me. .Especially when they asked if it was my first time in Moscow, and I told them "Moscow, no, but THIS Moscow, yes...I have not been here since 1988." .Housekeeping I can't comment on, because I took the green choice for points, so didn't need their help. .The lounge staff? .What can I say...simply outstanding. .The lady work worked every night I was there was happy trying her best in English to help guests, but was thrilled to help me practice Russian too. .Even the doormen were awesome on the occasion I needed cabs. .Honestly, some of the best hotel staff I've encountered in my 145 countries of travel to date.

Room: .Again, awesome. .Upgraded to a junior suite, with a fantastic rain shower, AC that keep the room a nice cool 19C, and nice and speedy wireless internet. .Honestly, couldn't have asked for more. .It was great.

Gym:.Quite good, and definitely above average for a hotel gym. .Plenty of cardio equipment, and a better than average set of weights.

Food:.Can't comment, as I didn't eat in the hotel restaurants.

Lounge: .Amazing, amazing, amazing. .As I mentioned above, excellent staff. .I'll also confess, that several nights I actually made dinner from the snacks in the lounge. .I mean, check this out:





Every night there was some kind of grilled meat, or meatballs, or something that constituted a significant protein. .Combine that with a glass of wine, some cheese, and a lil carbs, and everything was there to make an adequate dinner.

Location: .Again, awesome. .Right on Tverskaya Ul. a short walk from Byelorusskij Station/Metro, Starbucks and a grocery store across the street, and Red Square a 15 minute walk away. .Outstanding. .There's no doubt I'll be staying here my next time in Moscow as well.

Next up, and this may take a few posts, my thoughts of Moscow, 25 years later.

FlyIgglesFly

I didn't know the Pakistani Air Force had IL-76s, but I sure remember the fleet of them at MSQ.

Four hours is insane. I know there's a train to DME and I believe SVO, I assume no other option from VKO?

DanielW

Wow, VKO looks very cold & blue.

They have a few of them in this part of the world too, doing cargo runs to Africa. There's an old one just up the road from me, now home to quite a few pigeons: