Kensterfly

I'm about to pull the trigger on Award flights to Europe this summer. The return goes through IST and uses TK IST to BOS. I've heard great things about the TK J product but I see constant and numerous complaints across the board about TK keeping their cabins extremely hot. This could be a deal breaker for us. The idea of sitting in a hot cabin, even in J seats, for eleven hours does not appeal to us. I also hear that the cabin staff is not cooperative with requests to cool down the cabin a bit.

It would be somewhat helpful to have individual overhead air vents but most wide bodies do not have these. Are there any TK planes that have individual air vents at J seats?

We tend to "dress up" a bit for J seat travel but... we may show up in shorts and t-shirts for the TK flight... if we book it at all.

I've put the question to a friend of mine, an American who is a lead/check pilot for TK. I haven't heard back from him yet.

gr8pirate

Sinter

I think it's about personal experience. Are you someone who likes to turn the AC on high and keep your house/place of work cool during the summer? You may find it a bit hot. They do tend to keep the cabins in the mid 70's fahrenheit. Air condition isn't as common in Turkey, so they set it to a temperature most of their passengers are comfortable at.

That said, personally last summer flying in J JFK-IST, I boarded wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants and switched into shorts and a t-shirt as the flight attendants prepared the bed. Was never too warm with the blanket half on, half off.

Lefly

Is indeed very subjective.
I find TK temperature comfortable, but at the same time I suffer cold and usually can't tolerate well A/C in most USA places. Last August I needed a sweater in AA lounge at MIA.
That said, the best approach IMO is to wear layers so you can adapt better to the temperature.

Gnopps

Temperature is absolutely subjective but I too generally find the cabin on TK-flights warmer than on other airlines (sometimes too warm).

rozy

I flew more than 10 return flights to various US cities on TK in 2017 and this year.

My problem is that the cabin is always too cold for me. I start my flight with a begging to crew about the temperature and the begging continue during the flight. They say that 23°C is the temperature they are instructed to keep.

airoli

There is an entire thread with temperature discussion here. Nothing has changed since.

Kensterfly

Yeah, that’s the number I hear . 75/76F. That sounds comfortable til you add 300 people in that dry air that’s recycled over and over. And with no individual air vents. I can handle it if there’s moving air but you don’t see that much on wide bodies except the 787.

hfly

As standard TK flight crews put the temp up 2 degrees celsius higher than about any other airline. Many then put it up another 2 degrees, and yes their cabins are normally way too hot, so we are talking about their standard being at 24 degrees, while on most other airlines it is 22 degrees. When one combines this with the attitude of most of their flight crews, plus the fact that on some aircraft no one but the most senior FA's seem to know how to adjust zones of the aircraft, this is where you normally get problems. Rozy's comments are illuminating, as often the crew will say such nonsense, and have no idea that temperature is influenced by the load, etc, and most cannot be bothered. Quite frankly I think they just want to keep it hot so people sleep more and bother them less. Furthermore, the home market has a marked "fear" of cold, which manifests itself over heated buildings, cars, etc. Unfortunately its a regional thing.

dtphonehome

I like to sleep in a cool environment. When I fly with any airline I always bring a pair of very light sleepwear and a sweatshirt, that way I'm ready for any temperature I encounter. I've flown long-haul Turkish at least 10 times and I've never felt like it was uncomfortably hot. Perhaps slightly warmer than I'd like it, but nothing that prevented me from being comfortable, especially when wearing appropriate clothing.

ttapps

Agreed with the above posters, my view was that it was a little warmer than I'd like, but not uncomfortable. Have flown the BOS-IST route multiple times and still a very nice experience overall.

Goaguy

Here is what I have noticed on long haul (7-8ish hours) B737-900ER flights with TK, which I've done quite a bit. Yes, it is often too hot. Once I even pulled out my dive-watch from my carry-on to show them the high temperature. I cant say if this goes for their wide-body aircrafts as TK rarely use these on the routes I usually take.

1) You can usually get the cabin crew to adjust the temperature if you ask nicely. Especially if the trick "look, even the air that comes out of the air vent is HOT" works. Some times I had to ask 2-3 times, but I usually get them to adjust it.
2) If you travel in economy, sit in the back of the plane. Not only is this the area where you are most likely to get a row to yourself, but also the temperature difference between the back and middle of the plane can be massive.
3) I have only flown J a few times on the same plane, but noticed the temperature is significantly cooler in the front (similarly to the back).
4) Window seats have lower temperature around the feet than middle and aisle-seats.
5) A cold window can be nice to lean against on a night-flight, but equally uncomfortable on a day-flight if you sit on the side where the sun hits the plane.

zap7

I hate hot cabins in aircraft, because I just can't sleep when it's too hot. People can simply wear an added layer of clothing or use a blanket if it'S too cold for them, but there is no defense against a warm cabin...
Had some trouble with BR and TG, but never ever with TK.

I did about 10 longhaul C flights (IAH, MIA, CPT, BKK, SIN), 10 medium range (3 hours) in C (FRA, DUS, OSL), 4 medium range in Y (FRA, DUS) and 6 short hauls in Y with them during the last 3 years, and never ever has it been too warm. 777 or airbus, it was always nice and on the colder side. not freezing cold, but just the way I like it (I am a German used to cold weather and scuba diving in 11 degree clesius water with a wetsuit). I even use the blanket most of the time.

Gobus

I've never found TK cabins hot myself, both in Y and J. I remember finding JAL J cabin like a sauna - it was terrible. I wouldn't want to fly JAL again just because of the temperature, but I'm happy to fly TK in longhaul again in May.

dtphonehome

So something I tried on my most recent flight was a USB-powered rechargeable fan. It actually helped a lot with a too-warm cabin. I think it's going to earn a permanent spot in my carry on.