[Kopite]

[postquote quote=1017603][/postquote]

Thanks cwoodward – you have convinced me NOT to fly Turkish.
I have no hidden agenda, nor do I support any airline, hotel group nor any travel affiliate. I am just a potential passenger.

After a 40 year (1977-2017) global business career mainly based in Hong Kong & Singapore (not in aviation) taking over 1,100 + international flights I retired and now look for exceptional value when I fly.

I live in Singapore and visit UK 2-3 times a year.

Current J class fares return Q1 2021 approx SIN-UK-SIN:

Turkish $2,500
Qatar $4,000
Emirates $5,000
SIA & BA $7,000 – 7,500

So, as a retiree, paying my own way, surely you can see the temptation to opt for TK. BUT, I know nothing about this airline apart from seeing Lionel Messi and other global sports stars in their cabins on TV. So that’s why I asked this board for comments as I’d seen a lot of negative reviews on other forums. I like this board as its generally helpful, more mature than other travel forums, and indeed there’s very little trolling that happens.

For what it’s worth, I was a subscriber to BT (print edition) for over 20 years, I’ve met all the editors at events and I was featured (with photo) in the BT Asia Pacific magazine “20th anniversary edition” in April 2007.

I hope that’s enough to (re-) establish my credibility on the forum.

4 users thanked author for this post.

Inquisitive, Woodpecker, EU_Flyer, cwoodward

[GivingupBA]

Kopite said:
“Turkish $2,500
Qatar $4,000
Emirates $5,000
SIA & BA $7,000 – 7,500”

Kopite, is that Singapore dollars or US dollars? (I know the fare is from Singapore, but people often quote airfares in US$).

I am sorry but I find it very frustrating when people give dollar amounts without saying which dollars they are talking about. It might be obvious to you, but it is not obvious at all to me.

Thank you for your help.

[K1ngston]

[postquote quote=1017672][/postquote]

I have travelled with TK a couple of times in J and I have to say they were not that bad, seats were comfortable, service was typically Turkish meaning you get what it states on the tin, and I for one have no issue with that. Looking at the price differential I would go with TK thats a saving of £2500 almost why wouldnt you??

In these COVID times I would take all the deals one can get, and if you pay that amount you can alter your perception accordingly!

[cwoodward]

[postquote quote=1017674][/postquote]

Why would I not fly with them K1ngston?
Simply – For all of the reasons stated up thread and all of the reasons on the previous threads re Turkish airlines i.e. both the safety record and customer service are very sub-par.

[Kopite]

[postquote quote=1017673][/postquote]

Singapore Dollars

1 user thanked author for this post.

GivingupBA

[Switzerlanding]

Airlines have some good deals with Black Friday, Qatar are touting some great fares and BA also offering 20% off in all cabins except first (that’s for LHR departures however) by simply using BASpecial as a promo code. I’m sure they’ll be deals from your departure airport these days with full flexibility of refunds, etc due to COVID. Am interested to know what you eventually book and the cost.

[Jetcruiser]

I recently flew TURKISH AIRLINES – Belgrade/Istanbul/Kayseri (10NOV) + Kayseri/Istanbul/Minsk (16NOV) + Minsk/Istanbul/Paris CDG (18NOV). All flights were in Business Class and on single-aisle airplanes, although some flights were originally scheduled as a wide-body aircraft. I specifically booked Turkish as I prefer Star Alliance carriers in Europe due to their extensive route network plus Turkish is the leader in regards to offering a proper BUSINESS CLASS SEAT product on European flights! I find it ridiculous to pay over $10000 in First Class on British Airways to fly Miami to London Heathrow and then connect to a single aisle aircraft in Club Europe with an economy seat offering (seating at the front of the plane with limited leg room and recline) to connect to somewhere on the continent! I have always had a wonderful experience with TK especially on their long haul flights to North America, where I am normally based.

Now COVID has definitely changed the experience both on land and in the air! I booked my ticket with Air Canada as I was flying from Ottawa. I was VERY LUCKY that I registered for notifications on the Turkish website as I would have not known about of a few their schedule changes as AC never sent an email! I would strongly suggest that you monitor your bookings online with any carrier as it took me 9 different tickets and routings to actually get to Europe from Canada in a period of only 3 weeks.

None of my TK flights were full in Business Class or Economy so onboard spacing was never a concern. As you board the flight, the flight attendants were providing everyone with a Hygiene Kit which consisted of a Mask and Antiseptic wipes (2). If you had a fabric mask on, they informed you that you had to change to the mask provided in the kit. Per the flight attendant, the TK onboard team are required to monitor the cabin every 15 minutes to ensure that everyone is wearing their mask properly. Flights were boarded by row number in small groups to allow for social distancing. This started with the rear of the aircraft first and therefore Business Class was the last to board.

On my international TK European flights, I was presented with a drink menu which included alcoholic beverages. This was then followed by their meal service which consisted of a box with a pre-packaged meal which included a sandwich, salad, dessert and bread with butter. As none of my flights were over 4 hours, the meal was sufficient and the service was attentive.

I also chose Istanbul as my hub for my flights as they offered COVID-19 PCR testing! The cost is 250TL (approximately 27EUR/32USD) but is ONLY available if you are on the landside of the airport. I did the test 2 times and had my results within 4 hours, which you can check online. It is very well organized and located downstairs from area #7 in the main terminal. If you require a COVID test, please make sure that by entering Turkey (e-Visa may be required) that this does not impede your entry to your next country!!!

My only complaints regarding TK would be their lounge in Istanbul and their strict 4KG carry-on baggage allowance due to “COVID”! The main TK lounge (Turkish Airlines Lounge Business) that I normally use was closed so we were directed to the TK Miles & Smiles Lounge. There was plenty of space for everyone and all drink fridges were full of libations although no alcohol was available! Their wonderful food stations were all closed and at the very back of the lounge, there was on one early morning, a soup and panini offering, for which you had to line up separately although they were directly beside each other. I also had the opportunity to visit their Domestic Lounge at IST and very little was on offer in regards to drinks (water and a few canned drink items) but no food! I quickly checked my Priority Pass options and decided to visit those lounges as they ALL had a FULL OFFERING with food and liquor – in Minsk, Istanbul (IGA International & Domestic lounges). In Paris CDG, the Air Canada & Star Alliance lounge was CLOSED. I found that a bit surprising as there were quite a few Star Alliance airlines parked at the gates (Ethiopian, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, etc.). I personally think the COVID cut back in the airline lounges is a budget cut as why can everything be available in the Priority Pass lounges?

In regards to the carry-on baggage restriction, they kept telling me that my Louis Vuitton roller bag was not allowed in the cabin as it exceeded the 4KG rule and had wheels! This was a bit of a concern for me as I had long layovers in Istanbul and in Paris and I normally do not check this piece of luggage and therefore pack it accordingly. They said that it was due to COVID reasons and I quote the following from their website: “In accordance with coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic measures, cabin baggage rules have been temporarily amended to maintain social distance and reduce movement around the cabin. At this time, one personal item per passenger, not to exceed 4 kg, is permitted in the aircraft cabin. One piece of cabin baggage per passenger, not to exceed 8 kg, will be carried in the cargo compartment free of charge.” I then realized I could trick the system by hiding my carry-on during the check-in process, and then walking to the gate and directly on board! NO ONE at security, the lounge, the gate or onboard made any comments! There were quite a few disputes at check-in regarding this requirement as it makes absolutely NO sense especially if you were able to fly inbound on TK with the exact same piece of carry-on luggage but not on the return! I originally forgot my laptop in the carry-on bag which was checked so I forced the check-in agent to find my bag or I would not fly. They were able to do this within a 10 minute time frame.

Overall, I enjoyed visiting my 150th country and hitting my Bonvoy Titanium Status again (75 nights) and would fly TK again now and in the future as they are a premium carrier. I also appreciated how they created spacing when you went to collect your baggage from the luggage carousels at IST. Based on the other comments, I have never experienced an “issue” and hopefully I will never have to be put in that situation!

2 users thanked author for this post.

GivingupBA, EU_Flyer

[EU_Flyer]

[quote quote=1017603]Perhaps it is just me however I find this thread to be rather odd as it appears from your posts that you are committed to travel with Turkish and are perhaps trolling here for complementary comments on behalf of the airline.
If I am wrong and you are just a potential passenger I would be very surprised however if so I offer my fulsome apologies if I have misjudged your intentions[/quote]

With respect, what an unnecessary comment. I agree about the safety record but, but the trolling accusation is rather odd.

[rferguson]

I haven’t flown TK J class for a couple years now but when I did last I was VERY impressed.

I guess what it comes down to is what is more important to you…..the onboard experience or how TK responds in any situation that requires cancellation or flight changes.

Some airlines that are FABULOUS in the air are anything but on the ground – whether it be pre flight (due to disruption arranging new itinerary, re-routing, refunding, flexibility) or post flight (complaining). I’ve experience this with QR for example. Love flying them when everything goes well. Disruption….terrible. Their staff simply are not empowered to offer any flexibility in most situations. It’s just a ‘computer says no’ mentality.

And i’ve found the opposite applies as well. For example AA. Hardly the stellar performer in the air but i’ve found during disruption their service is second to none. Great technology, staff that can circumvent ‘the rules’.

Read the reviews carefully. I’ve read a lot recently on airlinequality.com and the overwhelming majority are not about the actual service received onboard but more about short notice cancellations, difficulty obtaining refunds etc.

[AlanOrton1]

Travelled with the family a couple of years back with TK.

Booked flights via an online (cheap) agency who were cr*p, when TK made a slight schedule change which made our MCT too tight.
(Should have booked with a TA, lesson learned).

To try and resolve, which the TK call centre could not, I drove to LHR, visited their ticket office in T2 and they could not have been more helpful. Asked if we wanted to move flights to LHR rather than LGW, asked if we wanted this or that connection etc.
Excellent service and we were only on cheap / non flex Y seats.

I’ve only ever flown 8 sectors on TK in a mix of J & Y and was more than happy with the experience in the air as well.

(I noted a person next to me at the ticket office having a DYKWIA strop, who surprisingly wasn’t getting the complementary treatment they felt they warranted).

[LHRSENflyer]

Solid food product. Variable fleet. Fine as long as there is no crisis, don’t expect any assistance if anything goes wrong. Flight timings out of Istanbul east and southbound are such that the multi-course dinner is served at 3am Turkish time and takes 2 hour+ to complete so the lie-flat product, if they don’t swap the aircraft, is irrelevant. As others have noted, excellence does not normally come with the TK price tag. If you’re after *A miles I would pick LX any day, solid hard product, food okay, no long connections at weird times and generally helpful when things go wrong, as is likely during a pandemic in the timeframe mentioned.

[cwoodward]

I notice that Turkish crashed landed again.

This time a 737 at Ankaka. First reports say multiple tires blown and aircraft undercarriage extensively damaged.
Some reports of fire but seems was quickly contained.

Aircraft evacuated and fortunately no serious injuries.

So many of these incidents with Turkish………

1 user thanked author for this post.

sparkyflier

[rferguson]

I’ve flown Turkish Airlines in J quite a few times. I think onboard they are generally very good.

Pros:
– Excellent seating on the 787’s, 350’s. If you are travelling with a partner, even the old 2-2-2 seating is very good.
– A ‘proper’ business class on the short haul flights from euro cities to Istanbul.
– excellent inflight catering.
– great lounge at IST.
– generally professional onboard service from the crew.

Negatives:
– When things go wrong (cancellations/missed connections) TK is a nightmare to deal with on the ground. It seems that many of the negative reviews focus on this. Obtaining refunds and speedy resolutions when things go wrong can be problematic.
– Equipment swaps are frequent. If you have your heart set on flying aboard one of the new aircraft with 1-2-1 seating don’t count on it. TK swaps aircraft frequently. An example of this was a recent flight from IST – EWR which was scheduled on the 787-9 and then swapped to the A330. The difference in onboard product is huge.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Swissdiver

[irenenatalie2]

Sorry for bumping into an old conversation. I understand your concern after reading the negative reviews on Turkish Airlines. However, it’s important to remember that people leave reviews when they have a bad experience, so the overall picture is not as damaging as it seems.

[cwoodward]

I disagree if we are
A) discussing their safety record
and
B) their customer service

The former being shaky indeed and the latter no existent.

Most believe that their in-flight service is good and they possess good youngish fleet as is outlined in this threads posts

[Author]

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