First time flying TK business class and disappointed
Aug 6, 2017, 2:54 am
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
It has a lot to do with efficient aircraft utilisation. TK, and the ME carriers, have the enormous scheduling advantage of a base airport (relatively) unconstrained by time of day restrictions on runway use.
Aug 6, 2017, 3:54 am
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,050
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.
And if you want service to somewhere relatively obscure such as JRO, you might need to accept that the plane is continuing onto ZNZ or DAR or wherever to help fill it up - and that makes scheduling even trickier.
Africa also has little to no time zone difference, so it's harder to schedule a flight leaving in the evening and arriving the next morning, since the flights simply aren't long enough.
Aug 6, 2017, 10:01 am
#33
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Europe
Posts: 1,503
I switched over to QR a year ago. Haven't flown TK since. Only thing that i miss is the mattress which they provide in J and E+ mileage accrual compared to BAEC flying with QR. I will fly TK again when they have moved to a new airport.
Aug 6, 2017, 12:37 pm
#34
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 3,649
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.