First time flying TK business class and disappointed
#16
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Houston
Programs: Star Alliance
Posts: 4
#17
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Appetizer cart has been 100% removed from ALL flights. What used to be the pre-meal amuse Bouch/canapés is now the single small appetizer. Fewer desserts now and no ice cream. Soup is now serviced in smaller bowl with the single tini appetizer. These cutbacks are significant. Without the former very impressive soft product TK has very little to offer.
- Amuse-bouche was indeed gone
- Appetizer cart was still there, but one could only choose from 2 pre-plated appetizers (soup was also offered)
- There were still multiple dessert choices, but as dessert is combined with tee/coffee service there are no petit four
- There was a new IFE software - easier to navigate and with greater choice of blockbuster movies
Overall these are no further reduction vs. what was offered in early 2017.
There are no changes to short haul C-class service (still impressive vs. e.g. LH offering).
As a genuine enhancement there are new short haul C-class Philips headsets. On long haus they still offer Denon headsets (as previously reported).
On a separate note: I am yet to see a rude TK F/A - all F/A's were extremely nice.
#18
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Zurich
Programs: BA GGL, TK*G EL, KL P ELPL, ex AB P, ex LH/LX Sen, HHonors D4L, Bonvoy P
Posts: 1,647
Mixed feelings of my recent award NAP-IST-DYU/return.
Cramped euro scammy business seat on the 2 outbounds (IST-DYU is almost 5h), no reserved J bus on all flights and even no gate priority boarding on 2/4 segments.
Now thinking that this exotic destination retails over 2.200€ in J basically means paying a premium for a free seat next to me.
Glad I had it on award.
Cramped euro scammy business seat on the 2 outbounds (IST-DYU is almost 5h), no reserved J bus on all flights and even no gate priority boarding on 2/4 segments.
Now thinking that this exotic destination retails over 2.200€ in J basically means paying a premium for a free seat next to me.
Glad I had it on award.
#20
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,649
With the cutbacks and decline in quality on TK, if you had to choose for a J award to JRO from the US between TK and ET, which would you go for? The times of the TK flights into and out of JRO are awful for pax from America via IST, arrive 1:00am depart 3:00am. ET flight arrives 1:00pm departs 5:35pm.
#21
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: Oneworld Sapphire (QR Gold), SkyTeam Elite Plus (ITA Volare)
Posts: 100
With the cutbacks and decline in quality on TK, if you had to choose for a J award to JRO from the US between TK and ET, which would you go for? The times of the TK flights into and out of JRO are awful for pax from America via IST, arrive 1:00am depart 3:00am. ET flight arrives 1:00pm departs 5:35pm.
I enjoyed ET quite a lot, but ADD ground experience is not the smoothest (business and gold track is really slow sometimes) And their lounges are inferior to Turkish IST-lounge of course.
I'd choose TK I guess, but if their connections are horrible ET is not a bad choice.
#22
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,649
ET flights:
MCI -ORD UA 6:15-6:42pm
ORD-IAD UA 8:57-11:50pm overnight IAD
IAD-ADD ET 11:00-7:15am
ADD-JRO ET 10:20-12:56pm
travel time 34h21m
TK flights
MCI-ORD UA 6:34-8:15pm
ORD-IST TK 9:40-4:15pm
IST-JRO TK 6:20-1:10am
travel time 22h36m
return flights:
JRO-ADD ET 5:35-8:05pm
ADD-DUB ET 10:45pm-5:00am
DUB-IAD ET 5:45-8:40am
IAD-ORD UA 10:15-11:18am
ORD-MCI UA 12:33-2:15pm
travel time 33h19m
JRO-ZNZ TK 3:35-4:45am
ZNZ-IST TK 5:40-1:00pm
IST-ORD TK 2:00-5:35pm
ORD-MCI UA 7:35-9:03pm
travel time 25h28m
This trip will be in Sept 2018. TK flights from JRO-IST are either at 6:10am part of the year or 3:30am part of the year. No way of knowing what schedule they would be on for Sept. 2018
Last edited by susiesan; Aug 6, 2017 at 12:21 pm
#23
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
What really matters to you is which airline has I-class availability. Unfortunately with awards you have to grab whatever is available and from the States TK has fairly good award space availability, not sure about ET.
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
Hmmm. I would have to agree with many above. While TK FA's may often be forgetful, hard to find, linguistically challenged or whatever, rude is NOT something that they normally do/are.
Perhaps the OP is used to ultra fake Asian FA's who smile a lot, perform like robots, but in fact are not that great?
Regarding the lounge, yes it often is packed, although I must say that in my several hundred times in Tk lounges I have never seen them trash strewn or however he describes it. Perhaps the OP can post pictures? As for shower wait, etc. I see the same complaints all the time on most airlines forums if the poster is part of a big connection bank. That's life.
OTOH, the OP was flying PEK-MIA. A Biz fare with TK can often be had RT for this route of somewhere between $2500-4000. How much are the UA, AA, or DL options? Three times the price? Or if the OP went with Air China, Southern or Eastern, at least part of the way, I shiver to hear what the OP would have posted, I have been in all their lounges and they all pretty much are the most basic of basic.
We all know that the TK of 2017 is not the pre-June/July 2016 TK, and I am not normally a big TK cheerleader, but fairness, proportionality and reality have to be factored into this.
Perhaps the OP is used to ultra fake Asian FA's who smile a lot, perform like robots, but in fact are not that great?
Regarding the lounge, yes it often is packed, although I must say that in my several hundred times in Tk lounges I have never seen them trash strewn or however he describes it. Perhaps the OP can post pictures? As for shower wait, etc. I see the same complaints all the time on most airlines forums if the poster is part of a big connection bank. That's life.
OTOH, the OP was flying PEK-MIA. A Biz fare with TK can often be had RT for this route of somewhere between $2500-4000. How much are the UA, AA, or DL options? Three times the price? Or if the OP went with Air China, Southern or Eastern, at least part of the way, I shiver to hear what the OP would have posted, I have been in all their lounges and they all pretty much are the most basic of basic.
We all know that the TK of 2017 is not the pre-June/July 2016 TK, and I am not normally a big TK cheerleader, but fairness, proportionality and reality have to be factored into this.
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
With the cutbacks and decline in quality on TK, if you had to choose for a J award to JRO from the US between TK and ET, which would you go for? The times of the TK flights into and out of JRO are awful for pax from America via IST, arrive 1:00am depart 3:00am. ET flight arrives 1:00pm departs 5:35pm.
Find out what's available and make a reservation!
#26
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,649
Seats are not yet on the award calendar for the dates I want to travel, which is September 2018. I have to wait until October, 28 out for the seats. I want to get it perfect at the time I book as I would have to pay to make changes since I do not have status with UA to make free changes.
#28
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Turkey
Programs: Miles and Smiles Elite Plus
Posts: 184
If I have to make a choice between TK and EK for any route I look at only 2 things:
1- Which one gets me there quicker
2- Which one has decent departure and arrival times.
For me the seats, service, entertainment and quality of food are similar. I would not fly or wait in transit 2 extra hours to be in one or the other.
1- Which one gets me there quicker
2- Which one has decent departure and arrival times.
For me the seats, service, entertainment and quality of food are similar. I would not fly or wait in transit 2 extra hours to be in one or the other.
#29
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,649
If I have to make a choice between TK and EK for any route I look at only 2 things:
1- Which one gets me there quicker
2- Which one has decent departure and arrival times.
For me the seats, service, entertainment and quality of food are similar. I would not fly or wait in transit 2 extra hours to be in one or the other.
1- Which one gets me there quicker
2- Which one has decent departure and arrival times.
For me the seats, service, entertainment and quality of food are similar. I would not fly or wait in transit 2 extra hours to be in one or the other.
with an overnight in Washington at mY exlense befor the TATL segment. I will likely go with TK and deal with arriving and leaving in the middle of the night. Very surprised an airline would have such a lousy scedules for flights to a major tourist destination.
#30
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Turkey
Programs: Miles and Smiles Elite Plus
Posts: 184
I am flying to JRO this september with TK and the flight leaves at 1:30 am and arrives at 10:30am if I am not mistaken. Not a terrible flight schedule. But I agree that flights leaving to and leaving from Africa have the worst take off or landing times in general. I think this is mostly because the airport is having a hard time dealing with so many flights, having only 2 runways which cant be used at the same time. The new airport should solve this problem. But we have to wait 2 more years for that.