pacman3

Is it just me, or is Turkish Airlines business class extraordinarily over-hyped? I flew LAX-IST-JED in early March and then JED-IST-LAX in mid-April. On the LAX-JED sectors, TK lost one of my bags (the first time in 28 times LAX-JED?) and then spend 4 days searching to no avail - on the 4th night, the bag magically appeared at the hotel! On the return, I spent 1 hour and 45 minutes with the table on my lap waiting for the main course dinner service to arrive (admittedly, I was seated in the bulkhead inner-left seat in row 5). I told the attendant, I wasn't interested in spending another minute with the table in my lap and to take all the settings away - including the little 'candle light'. The steward looked at me funnily and quickly removed everything from my seat at the staff SLOWLY made their way back from the first cabin. Is it just me, or is an hour and a half sitting like this too much? Attendants truly did seemed surprised that I asked for everything to be taken away! The ONLY good thing was that I did manage to sleep until about an hour and a half to Los Angeles. Is it is just me? Turkish truly isn't in the same league as British Airways, Emirates, or Qatar, at least in my experience! Anyone interested in a short report of the business class lounge in IST?! Happy to do it - shocking!

AirCanada881

It's just you



All kidding aside, I think all of us know the pros & cons of TK (as a side note I would take TK over BA any day). I enjoy flying TK because I like their business class better than the newer products where your feet go into a coffin, I love turkish food & the lounge at IST is second to none, but TK can be a nightmare in case of IRROPS.

I can't say I've had terrible experiences on board TK, average ones yes, excellent ones also, but as far as I can tell the service has improved over the years rather than the opposite.

Forrest Bump

Ok, but don't put BA in this league. They are truly in a league on their own.

TPJ

I have noticed (based on just 2 ORD-IST-ORD flights, so might be wrong) C-class is now very full as TK offers low walk-in fares. Because the flights are full, service takes longer.

PS. Just did a dummy booking on my Corpo Took, fare difference between TK and UA/LH/LX is over USD 2k (departure this Saturday):

OPTION 1
1 TK 6 K 28APR J ORD IST 2140 1615 77W 0 /E
1 TK 1863 K 29APR S IST FCO 1715 1850 320 0 /E
2 TK 1362 K 04MAR M FCO IST 0710 1150 738 0 /E ‡

2 TK 5 K 04MAR M IST ORD 1500 1755 77W 0 /E ‡
1ADT 3276.91 3276.91
TOTAL FARE - USD 3276.91
VALIDATING CARRIER - TK
CAT 15 SALES RESTRICTIONS FREE TEXT FOUND - VERIFY RULES

OPTION 2
1 TK 6 K 28APR J ORD IST 2140 1615 77W 0 /E
1 TK 1361 K 29APR S IST FCO 2230 0005 73H 0 /E
2 TK 1362 K 04MAR M FCO IST 0710 1150 738 0 /E
2 TK 5 K 04MAR M IST ORD 1500 1755 77W 0 /E
1ADT 3276.91 3276.91
TOTAL FARE - USD 3276.91
VALIDATING CARRIER - TK
CAT 15 SALES RESTRICTIONS FREE TEXT FOUND - VERIFY RULES

OPTION 3
1 UA 498 Z 28APR J ORD IAD 1315 1604 320 0 /E
1 UA 42 Z 28APR J IAD FCO 1710 0810 763 0 /E ‡

2 LX 1727 Z 04MAR M FCO ZRH 0940 1125 319 0 /E ‡
2 UA /LX 9726 Z 04MAR M ZRH ORD 1255 1600 333 0 /E
OPERATED BY SWISS
1ADT 5561.51 5561.51
TOTAL FARE - USD 5561.51 PRIVATE ¤
VALIDATING CARRIER - UA

OPTION 4
1 UA 498 Z 28APR J ORD IAD 1315 1604 320 0 /E
1 UA 42 Z 28APR J IAD FCO 1710 0810 763 0 /E
2 LH 1841 Z 04MAR M FCO MUC 0840 1010 321 0 /E
2 UA 953 Z 04MAR M MUC ORD 1140 1430 777 0 /E
1ADT 5568.61 5568.61
TOTAL FARE - USD 5568.61 PRIVATE ¤
VALIDATING CARRIER - UA

craigthemif

Exactly. Third division, or the minor leagues - depending where you are based.

I'm with Wilko though. I got so fed up with foot coffins that I wrote up a blog post so that I could remind myself which airlines to avoid. TK isn't really the best, and their soft product can vary widely, but I'll take that any day over "direct aisle access" (which is paid for by reducing functional legroom).

Nanook

No, pacman3, it's not just you. I flew TK in business from IAH to DXB via IST (and return) late last year. I hated it. The seats are hard and on 3 of the four legs, the flight attendants were rather aloof. The food wasn't as great as I thought it would be and never made it to the lounge as it was way the heck at the other end of the airport as where we were let off by the infernal bus. I will never fly TK again.

bryanoneil

It keeps baffling me how people say that, as having been to the IST lounge probably something like 30-40 times over the last few years, I really can't agree with it at all. Yes, the lounge is "impressive", but a far cry from being "the best lounge in the world / in europe".

Fun timing in fact, as I was there just this morning and thought about this exact thing. And now a few minutes ago I noticed a post on OMAAT on that same topic - https://onemileatatime.boardingarea....bul-overrated/

My comment underneath that said:

---
Couldn’t agree with you more! I always cringe when I see those “best lounge in the world” comments.

In addition to what you mentioned, two of my personal biggest pet peeves with this lounge are:

1) Yes, food selection is extensive, but it has literally not changed in the last 2-3 years (probably longer), to the extent that when travelling through IST often, I prefer eating elsewhere as I’m completely and utterly tired of the same few dishes (even though they’re good).

2) Having coffee stations with baristas is nice and “cool”, but having to queue for the barista to make you your coffee (and hope that she understands your English) isn’t. I’d MUCH rather just press a button and be done with it, even if the coffee is a tiny bit lower quality.

All in all, it’s a good lounge but to claim that it’s “the best lounge in the world/europe” or “the best *G lounge” is, frankly, a gross overstatement and can only be made by someone who’s only been to a handful of lounges.
--

Plus, obviously, the more obvious issues that the article itself listed, such as the lounge being overcrowded, wifi oftentimes sub-par (during busy times), showers not readily available etc. Obviously not blaming TK for this as considering the size of the lounge, it would be VERY difficult to do a better job, but there are certainly much, much better ones in the world and also in Europe. In fact, thinking about it I'd actually even prefer some of the LH Senator lounges to the TK lounge.

I can't disagree with the lounge having a massive "WOW factor", of course. For anyone who's there 1st or 2nd time, it's awesome, even just to witness the share size and the architecture.

TPJ

1. The 'destination kitchen' menu is changing fairly frequently. I recall them serving Japanese, Chinese, Thai and now Indian cuisine. The rest is not changing, but choice is extensive.
2. I am not coffee drinker, but I recall a standard Americano is self pour.

pacman3

A couple of comments about the vaunted IST business class lounge. After a hike from the international transfer area where my flight from Jeddah arrived, I came upon the TK Business Lounge at its Istanbul hub. Upon entry, what I saw was a sea of passengers wandering about - and, as importantly - standing in line (!!!) for a variety of offerings. Something that looked liked small, enlongated pizzas were apparently the most popular, as the line there was AT LEAST 10 people long (and ran out before I got to the front). Admittedly, it was 11:30 am, but the entire facility (and I am talking upstairs and downstairs) was a complete disaster as far as I am concerned. Tables that clearly hadn't been bussed for at least 90 minutes - people spread out, sleeping on loveseats/couches downstairs. Seriously??? This is a business class lounge with very little, if anything, to offer people used to flying F or J class. (and I DO NOT mean to sound snobbish or anything like that) -- it just doesn't meet expectations, in any manner. Again, I'll admit it was at a busy time, but come-on, TK -- if you truly want to participate in the big leagues, you need to majorly upgrade services in your new airport. Until I read something that is less hype than substance, I'll continue to use DXB (which has a lovely, quiet F lounge in Terminal A, as well as really decent J lounges at the same airport) or even DOH (which I have been a bit critical of), from Los Angeles to Jeddah 2-3 times a year. I made the mistake of TK business class a month or so ago. That clearly won't be repeated in future, irrespective of TK's VERY competitive fares. You get what you pay for!!!

FFlash

Well, you need to learn this is normal
I was frequenting there also last week...

"Normal" is, the first time you visit the lounge, you will have the "WOW" effect and disregard the nuisances. The second time you go there, you still have the memory of that WOW effect but now pay attention to the things you mention and you are a bit disappointed. Every time after that you will just disgust the fact that people are sleeping on the sofas with their shoes, the food queues are sort of ridiculous for being in a "luxury lounge" with first-world problems, queueing for bread like homeless people in a street beneficiary, people buzzling and dirtying things in a speed that not even the massive number of service people cannot handle
Once you have visited the lounge often enough, then you have just learned to smile at it and gotten used to it and play with the flow
Welcome to the widened world

hfly

Wow, what a bunch of subjective opinions here!!!

As I am generally one of the most critical (but rational) people posting on TK, let's look at the above and come back to reality?

BA vs. TK Biz class

BA is great if you like a 50% chance of sitting backwards, are extremely slim and are shorter than 6'2". The catering has been garbage for a decade, and depending on where you are sitting and the type of a/c, the wait to be served can be the same as any other airline. You are right, BA is not in the same league as BA, they are generally far better. But what do I know, I have only been Gold with BA for 22 years straight and flown them literally 500 times, while I have only been 'Black with TK" for about a decade, but fly them bi-weekly.

Regarding EK and QR. Firstly whether they are better or not, you were speaking of flying from LAX, so while IST is roughly on the same line as JED, flying via DXB or DOH (especially these days) is adding a hell of a lot of time to your travels. I actually agree that QR has a better product, which is why I often fly them when going East, however their Biz lounge is NOT in any way better than TK's. In fact I really dislike the entire layout of their lounge. As for EK, again if you are not too tall and very slim, you might think their Biz superior, if on an A380, the produyct is comparable or slightly superior, but not on 777's. I am not a huge fan of the EK lounges, with the exception of the F lounge in Term 3, but we were talking about J lounges weren't we.

Now to the lounge thing. I think that I have frequented every lounge of note in Europe (if not the World), but let's concentrate on Europe. Other than perhaps the LH F lounge(s) in Germany, please, name for me a better lounge anywhere in Europe? I can tell you that it is not the BA F or Terraces lounge(s) in London. It is not the AF Premiere or Business lounges in Paris. Not the IB lounges (with whatever names) in MAD, nor any lounge in Italy, Ireland, Scandinavia, Portugal, anywhere in Eastern Europe, or anywhere else in Europe. I do like the Gravlox at the VS lounge at T3 at LHR, but overall have always found it far more crowded that the TK lounge at IST any day or time. I also like the new CX lounge(s) at LHR, and while they look good, they are not better than the TK lounge.

And regarding the catering. Please name me another lounge in Europe that prepares a number of dishes fresh in front of you? I can recall maybe one thing done in one place at a given time, but not a number of stations. As for boredom, I too get bored of the TK lounge selection, as I have the option to eat it almost every week, but still recognize that it is far greater than any other lounge in Europe (and as noted above, they have been doing the different "tastes" for the last year or so). the only lounge in Europe that I know that comes close or might in fact be slightly better is the LH F lounge, oh year, the one that is also catered by Do&Co, just like the TK IST lounge!

But let's look at IST-JED. I recently flew through JED for the first time in over 15 years. How wonderful it was that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS CHANGED in that time. Still the same junky airport with no jet bridges. And the SV lounge. What an absolute paradise, I think that the exact same food and drinks were still on display from the late 90's! Let's see, there were soft drinks and cheaply bottled juices, a cool table with some disgusting sweets and a pot of soup (let's not forget the Dates, with the flies on them!). The seating was wonderful, especially with the people flopped out outside the lounge sitting on the floors, because the floors in the lounge were already covered with people, and the seats themselves, ripped and stained plastic leatherette chairs that had no comfort whatsoever. The toilets, oh it has been so long that I have seen just one toilet and one urinal for an entire lounge full of people, so nice that the floor was always covered in an inch of water, and not normal water, but that which seemed to have been contributed to by each and every visitor for DECADES, and this was not a one off as it was exactly the same two weeks later.

tcmb99

I think most frequent flyers would agree in general that TK is better than almost all European carriers in terms of hard and soft product, but has a lot more to do to be even considered in the same league as the 5 star carriers.

While TK lounge has a WOW factor I don't like it. It is way too crowded, made possible by the easy handing of status that allows anyone to get in. Food is too spread out, and if someone wants to have an actually meal you would probably need to stop at a few different stations waiting in separate lines. I would rather sit in a less glamorous and more quiet lounge with some decent food.

But to hate the TK product, its business seat and lounge as well as the service to the point of saying you would never fly with it again, even if its connections are convenient does not make much sense to me. TK is a decent 4 star airline, there is no need to hype it up and try to make a Singapore out of it, but lets not make it into BA just yet.

pacman3

Wow, hfly - where to start? Perhaps by observing that all opinions are subjective - isn't that what an opinion is? Second - not sure how JED got into this lounge discussion, but to be 'factual', the new airport in Jeddah was opened in 1981, and I was one of the first arrivals at the new airport as a young American professor teaching at King Abdulaziz University. KAIA has not changed in 37 years, not 15. Not true - it no longer has "lift-lounges" (ala Dulles) - instead you're bussed to the aircraft (which, incidentally, was also the case at IST). There is a distinct difference between JED and IST, with one a destination airport and the other attempting to be a gateway to the world. In JED, I get off the plane and leave the airport (and on the return, spend maybe 30-45 minutes in the lounge). IST, like the others mentioned are, at least for me, stopovers. I travel only for leisure now, tcmb99, so 'convenient' connections aren't of utmost concern - in this case, I am not sure the connections are all that convenient any way. If that was what I was looking for, I'd fly to LHR or FRA but I haven't for probably 10 years.

I think perhaps I was at a different airport in Istanbul than the one hfly experiences. The business class lounge was super-overcrowded, with big lines of people at a variety of 'stations' on 2 floors. The place truly looked as though it had been through the ringer - more than once. I cannot remember the last time I saw numbers of people sleeping on worn out couches in a business lounge - and this is their primo lounge at their hub. Sorry folks, but I haven't seen a lounge like that in a long while (perhaps CAI last year).

shuly

There won't be any agreement here, but let me add my two cents. IST is overcrowded, as it has grown out of proportion in recent years, mainly with the growth of TK. That's why a new airport is currently being built; depending on who you're asking, the current IST lounge will close in 6 months, or 12, or 18. You must have visited the lounge at a peak hour. I've been there dozens of times in recent years, and the experience varies greatly depending on the number of people (and time of day). And like all things TK, the only consistent thing about the lounge is inconsistency. And still, it's a large, spacious lounge; with an excellent selection of (subjectively) very tasty food, a large selection of drinks, and some attractions that few (if any) other lounges exhibits (e.g., mini-golf). I wouldn't go out of my way to spend time there, but when I'm connecting at IST I'm very happy to visit. I'd say it's very much Turkish: this has great advantages and some drawbacks.

Shuly

hfly

Firstly, I said from when I last visited JED, not first visited JED. As a former "young professor" I am sure you understand the difference. The difference is "bussing" is that at IST you have a chance to be bussed, at JED you have no chance BUT to be bussed as there are really no Jetways (IST has about 42 of them). Regarding peak vs. non-peak. I would not only say that this effects almost every lounge that I know of, but if one visits almost any forum on FT, DL, BA, AF, LH, EK, UA, etc etc, one sees exactly the exact same complaints about most lounges at their peak times, so I am at a loss to see how this is a TK thing anymore than it is a EK or a BA or a DL thing!