TK Catering back to normal?
Oct 4, 2020, 6:38 pm
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
Fully accepting the downgrade in catering, I still booked TK business class to IST for the convenience of a nonstop flight and not having to worry about transit hassles through Europe. Question... is the meal box still dine on demand? Since it appears only 2 food boxes are served, spacing out the consumption of these meager offerings will be important for an extra long flight to/from SFO. I'll plan to eat a full meal prior to boarding the dinner time departure to IST and conversely at the lounge in IST prior to departure to the States.
As for lounge access in SFO... since the Polaris lounge is closed, is the only alternative the United Club in T3?
As for lounge access in SFO... since the Polaris lounge is closed, is the only alternative the United Club in T3?
And yes, the lounge for you in SFO would be the United Club in T3 so don't rely on the food there. Make good research about airport vendors at SFO as the majority of them may be closed.
Oct 5, 2020, 10:58 am
#47
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,575
If I'm not wrong the service is not dine-on-demand; one meal would be served after takeoff and the other one before arrival. However, there were reports here in FlyerTalk that some people had the same snack boxes midflight when asking for snacks through the call button.
And yes, the lounge for you in SFO would be the United Club in T3 so don't rely on the food there. Make good research about airport vendors at SFO as the majority of them may be closed.
And yes, the lounge for you in SFO would be the United Club in T3 so don't rely on the food there. Make good research about airport vendors at SFO as the majority of them may be closed.
Oct 12, 2020, 10:18 am
#48
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: DFW
Programs: OWE AA EXP;*A TK Gold; Marriott LTT; Hyatt Globalist; IHG Plat; National VIP
Posts: 3,097
Every day I come here in faint hopes we would have an update that Business catering is coming back to normal anytime soon. Nothing. Depressing. Hopeless.
Oct 12, 2020, 10:33 am
#49
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: BHD/DUB/PTY
Programs: BA Silver / EI Silver
Posts: 419
I was lucky (?) enough that my TK flights were recently cancelled. They gave me the option of rebooking but decided for a refund and rebooked with other airlines that are offering full service. When TK goes back to normal I will consider them again.
Oct 13, 2020, 5:57 am
#50
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 164
Emirates to resume regular business class service as of 15.10
https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-...0-bar-showers/
Will this be some kind of incentive for TK to finally resume a decent service level?
https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-...0-bar-showers/
Will this be some kind of incentive for TK to finally resume a decent service level?
Last edited by fil_87; Oct 13, 2020 at 6:04 am
Oct 13, 2020, 6:23 am
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
Emirates to resume regular business class service as of 15.10
https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-...0-bar-showers/
Will this be some kind of incentive for TK to finally resume a decent service level?
https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-...0-bar-showers/
Will this be some kind of incentive for TK to finally resume a decent service level?
Even though there is a significant portion of travelers traveling on award tickets, TK's premium-cabin tends to be close to fully booked at this point for many routes.
Oct 14, 2020, 4:31 am
#52
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Last edited by TPJ; Oct 14, 2020 at 4:40 am Reason: gramar
Oct 14, 2020, 5:45 am
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
If the journey can be achieved in a safe, simple, convenient way at a reasonable cost then travellers are going to take it up. And if they take up the business-class option, then these days that's likely to be a decision driven out of consideration of factors well beyond the quality of inflight catering.
These days, if I'm flying through the night asleep on a bed, well separated from other passengers, I can take the indignity of being offered a picnic rather than the usual meal-theatre.
Oct 14, 2020, 8:33 pm
#54
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 310
Having flown between the US and Turkey twice, I can chip in. We didn’t pay cash for the flights, but we didn’t also really care about anything beyond flying safe, which included arriving at our destination with as soon as possible and being further away from other passengers. Mask enforcement is not great, and we didn’t want to be sitting next to strangers for 11 hours. So, we’ve booked J-cabin direct flights with TK. IMO, flights with transfers are much attractive at the moment
Oct 14, 2020, 9:25 pm
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,185
Having flown between the US and Turkey twice, I can chip in. We didn’t pay cash for the flights, but we didn’t also really care about anything beyond flying safe, which included arriving at our destination with as soon as possible and being further away from other passengers. Mask enforcement is not great, and we didn’t want to be sitting next to strangers for 11 hours. So, we’ve booked J-cabin direct flights with TK. IMO, flights with transfers are much attractive at the moment
On the way back to Turkey, there are no issues transferring in Europe but I doubt that many people do not buy one-way tickets.
Oct 16, 2020, 8:51 am
#56
Join Date: May 2012
Location: WAW
Programs: TK G, A3 G
Posts: 15
Judging from my flight yesterday catering in C even get worse, sandwich had no butter but some butter was put aside in the box ;-) After looking inside the box I handed straight back and took my take away catering from the terminal and the tomato juice I took from the lounge. Also the Wifi was unserviceable. However the F/As were apologetic and tried to make everyone comfortable. Bad situation for them as well.
Oct 18, 2020, 11:35 pm
#58
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 12
Not cash?
Having flown between the US and Turkey twice, I can chip in. We didn’t pay cash for the flights, but we didn’t also really care about anything beyond flying safe, which included arriving at our destination with as soon as possible and being further away from other passengers. Mask enforcement is not great, and we didn’t want to be sitting next to strangers for 11 hours. So, we’ve booked J-cabin direct flights with TK. IMO, flights with transfers are much attractive at the moment
Oct 19, 2020, 3:12 am
#59
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan, TD.
Posts: 467
Anyone not paying cash for flights is the reason airline companies are suffering.. I feel people flying on rewards are abusing the system and need to be monitored or limited to one flight a year for example. I pay full $ value for my tickets and they hurt my pocket so I don't feel very good about these abusing reward traveller's esp during cv19 when we need to be supporting the airlines.
Oct 19, 2020, 4:36 am
#60
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: BHD/DUB/PTY
Programs: BA Silver / EI Silver
Posts: 419
Anyone not paying cash for flights is the reason airline companies are suffering.. I feel people flying on rewards are abusing the system and need to be monitored or limited to one flight a year for example. I pay full $ value for my tickets and they hurt my pocket so I don't feel very good about these abusing reward traveller's esp during cv19 when we need to be supporting the airlines.