Unenthusiastic review of Turkish Airlines soft product in Nine papers

[aspro2]

Reading The Age this morning and saw an unenthusiastic review of TK IST-SYD, primarily the J soft product. Thought it was an interesting perspective, but wasn't entirely convinced by some of it -- the article reads a bit like "irritated traveller". And then at the bottom I noticed the journalist's name and was *shocked*! Chris Chamberlin. The name will be familiar to anyone reading other flying/points sites in Oz. Without wanting to focus this thread on him, I'm generally not a fan of his writing, nor his predominantly positive or anodyne reviews (in my opinion). So this review really made me wonder what was going on!

A safe route to Europe, but don’t expect much sleep in this business class

The seat feels tight, and this is a classic example of the difference between a “direct” flight and a “non-stop” flight.

www.theage.com.au

The article might be paywalled, so I'll quote a bit.

Service​

Unremarkable, and quite slow. I finish that two-hour movie before the appetiser comes. Of three premium lavatories, economy passengers monopolise two as crew leave dividing curtains open. A requested hot drink takes more than 40 minutes to arrive.

a uniformed chef delivers “the oldest bread” – not stale; sourced from Anatolia, the region home to the world’s oldest-known settlement … but bread all the same. The palate then sails to the sea for prawns and cured salmon before returning to land for lamb chops then baklava. I indulge in Turkish delight and a latte before the transit stop, and a fruit plate with yoghurt plus an omelette for breakfast. Dinner is laughably lacklustre: a paper-clad chicken wrap sits aside a vanilla slice. Did the chef sleep in? This final meal is airport takeaway fare at best.

The verdict​

On a 20-hour journey, sleep trumps all else. Until that gets easier – both with a better seat, and a non-stop service for a solid snooze – I won’t race to book Turkish Airlines again.

There's a fair bit of affection for TK on AFF, so I thought I'd post this here and see if the love should indeed be more "nuanced"

 

[Hvr]

I note that the writer 'flew at his own expense'. Always good to see that and should mean a more honest review.

 

[aspro2]

I note that the writer 'flew at his own expense'. Always good to see that and should mean a more honest review.

Yeah, I saw that too and for a cynical moment I thought "different flavour when it's not sponsored or points, eh?".

 

[RooFlyer]

I took my first TK J longhauls this month. I can't open the article, but from the extracts:

Service​

Unremarkable, and quite slow. I finish that two-hour movie before the appetiser comes. Of three premium lavatories, economy passengers monopolise two as crew leave dividing curtains open. A requested hot drink takes more than 40 minutes to arrive.

Agree re the lavatories and curtains. I commented on this in my current TR (menu given). The meal service wasn't slow on my long haul flights (SIN-IST, IST-SIN) but they were done a different way from other airlines - mix of tray and trolley. The trolly so you can see the dessert choices, for instance. Drinks service was bad, though. Def no top-ups and glass actually whisked away after first (small) pour in one case. Like the booze in the IST business lounge - its there, but you have to seek it out.

The passenger interaction, 'warmth' overall was not what we would be used to on QR or EK for instance. I thought the English language skills of many of the crew weren't up to what other airlines might possess (but still quite OK) and I think that created a bit of sense of reserve.

a uniformed chef delivers “the oldest bread” – not stale; sourced from Anatolia, the region home to the world’s oldest-known settlement … but bread all the same. The palate then sails to the sea for prawns and cured salmon before returning to land for lamb chops then baklava. I indulge in Turkish delight and a latte before the transit stop, and a fruit plate with yoghurt plus an omelette for breakfast. Dinner is laughably lacklustre: a paper-clad chicken wrap sits aside a vanilla slice. Did the chef sleep in? This final meal is airport takeaway fare at best.

Big disagree. The food is terrific, on my 2 long haul and also short hauls (ISD-MAD, MXP-IST). Also on my previous TK short-hauls.

Cold fresh squeezed orange juice on demand is fantastic.

There is theoretical dine on demand, but the way they do the main meal service at least, that's difficult to achieve.

The verdict​

On a 20-hour journey, sleep trumps all else. Until that gets easier – both with a better seat, and a non-stop service for a solid snooze – I won’t race to book Turkish Airlines again.

I sleep badly on planes, so the bed was my biggest concern - but it was quite OK. Footwell not the biggest, but far from the smallest. Both armrests collapse to the bed level, which gives more width. I have the 'fuller figure' and the seat definitely didn't feel 'tight'!

I usually fly QR, but would happily fly TK J again, although the fare would have to be a bit lower. (eg $8K vs $10K).

Any other extracts, @aspro2 ?

 

[aspro2]

I wouldn't want to get AFF in trouble by quoting too much from the article, but in the end those quotes were the most meaningful bits (the article isn't as verbose as some of his on other sites, though recycling the same clichés ). He comments on poor window visibility from some A/K seats, which is true, and very briefly on how crowded the J lounge can be (also true).

 

[kpc]

Chris Chamberlin ex Executive Traveller, ex Point Hacks is a well experienced travel writer and I do respect his opinions. There were no doubt issues on his flight in J, I stll would try TK J if I could get a seat on points.

The TK J lounge in Ist is huge and nice but does get very busy to the point where finding a seat is difficult. Slow meal service also irritates me as does seat discomfort.

Taxis in Istanbul eat tourists alive! I tried to avoid this by catching Ubers...the last one I caught to Ist airport asked for a cash payment on arrival, I said sure....got my bags out, then gave him the finger and scurried into the terminal. He then charged me double through Uber ....I then disputed the fare and Uber refunded me the difference. Istanbul is full of scammers and one needs to be really suspicious of all your new found friends in Istanbul!