Turkish Airlines Passenger Reviews and Turkish Airlines Customer Trip Reports

Turkish Airlines customer travel guide

Turkish Airlines 4-Star Airline Ranking

Turkish Airlines Economy class seat reviews

Turkish Airlines Business Class CIP Lounge Reviews

Turkish Airlines Business class seat reviews

Turkish Airlines Aircraft Seat Maps and Cabin layout plans

Turkish Airlines Passenger seat recommendations

Routine Friday night flight from IST-ADB. Surprisingly a 777-300 ER was operating the flight. Due to Ataturk airport conditions we took off a little late but sufficient explanation from captain and crew. I think Turkish cabin crew is divided into two categories. Friendly staff and selfish staff. On this flight however, I flew with a very friendly cabin crew. Lots of smiles. I was sat in 33 B - very comfortable seat and of course delicious meal. Value for money.

LGW-IST-DEL and BOM-IST-LHR. Very over promising marketing campaign which lets passengers down. Check in chaos - we had 10kgs of check in between us, a suit bag and a laptop bag, but all had to be combined despite this "rule" being ignored by most passengers. Chaos at every gate we boarded, no organisation, slow, visa checks or just inefficient ways. 2 hour delay on plane at IST with little or no explanation - discomfiting to passengers. BOM-IST-LHR - no IFE the entire way, and last 7-10 rows of A330 from BOM filled with previous IST-BOM blankets so hard to find a place to store hand luggage - very inconsiderate. Food ok, but asked for sandwich and then denied breakfast as had asked for sandwich. A very cheap fare but for the reasons above and overall inability of TK staff to speak English, plus IFE system that is pretty poor or non existent, could not recommend.

BRU-IST-Islamabad, then Karachi-IST-BRU. Very disappointing. Apart from the first leg (BRU-IST), old Boeing 737 were in use, without inflight entertainment. Cabin staff not friendly: I had to ask 3 times to get a glass of water, I had to steel myself an extra blanket, poor English spoken. All flights were usually pretty fully booked.

Gatwick - Istanbul - Hong Kong. Flight slightly delayed by fog at Gatwick but staff kept us informed and handled very well. Good journey, good food - even have an onboard chef. Tons of space in business. Lounge in Istanbul has been done up - really nice - plenty of options for food.

EDI-IST, IST-ERC, ERC-IST, IST-EDI, February 2013. A319 and B737-800 All flights on time. Seating very comfortable, excellent friendly flight attendants, Low calorie meals pre-ordered, possibly the best economy class airline food I've ever had! A very good experience. Very good value for money.

I had one day trip from Istanbul Ataturk airport to Ankara (B737-800) and back (A321-200). I checked in with a self service machine. Got boarding pass for both flights. Both flights were full. Cabin crew friendly. On this short domestic sector you get a sandwich, yoghurt and salad/small cake and drinks. Very efficient service and on time.

BRU-IST-DXB-IST-BRU. Business Class. No check-in queue. Fast track security. Brussels Airlines lounge for non-Schengen routes is also used by all Star Alliance partners. It is quite small and was very busy with few free seats. Business Class boarded 737-800 first. Good seats 2-2 much better than the European business class of economy seating with a blocked middle seat offered by some other airlines. Flight left on time with good meal served by a friendly crew. Early arrival in Istanbul where some passengers were allowed to leave their seats and walk forward before aircraft had parked. Bussed to the terminal. Poor signage to the Business Lounge which required a long walk to reach. The lounge was busy. Plenty of choice of hot and cold food, alcoholic and soft beverages supplied by Do and Co. Reliable wi-fi. Boarding to DXB chaotic as they tried to check visas without saying who would need to be checked. No welcome on board the 777-300 which had only 4 rows of 2-3-2 business class seats. Only one drink offered before the meal and no extra drink with it. Wine served in quarter bottles. Good user friendly AVOD. Crew were formal and glum but laughed and joked among themselves in the galley. Reappeared shortly before the 0230 landing and allowed some passengers to leave their seats in part recline during landing. Luggage priority returned on the belt a few minutes after clearing immigration. Returning from DXB the Business check-in was slower than Economy. The lounge was shared with Priority Pass but had enough seating and beverages. Chaotic boarding again even though Business Class priority boarding of the 777-300 was announced, everybody just pushed forwards through the gate. Crew friendly and served a good breakfast shortly after departure. Window blinds closed and lights down even though a day time flight. Unlike other airlines the crew did respond to the call button for drinks. Slightly early arrival in IST with 15 minute queue for yet another security check for transit passengers. Some had to be turned back as it was not explained that boarding cards were required. Lounge busy again. On time uneventful A321 flight back to BRU with another miserable crew. Luggage delivered in 20 minutes.

IST-ZRH. New A321 (TC-JRV) with touch screens on every seats. After take-off, crew distribute welcome snacks with menu cards and then came around with hot meal service (2 choices). Friendly and professional crew, really nice uniform.

DXB-IST-LGW. Check-in was fine, but staff at the gates both in Dubai and Istanbul were unfriendly and unhelpful. At Istanbul, we were still waiting to board after the flight was due to have departed, but there was no announcement at all offering either a reason, an apology or how long the delay was expected to be. Both legs, the aircraft looked reasonably new and in good condition, with in-seat monitor. The worst thing was the unpleasant cabin crew, especially DXB-IST. The one who was supposed to be working in my section was so rude that I and another nearby passenger complained to the purser, who apologized on her behalf. The attitude of the staff in general leaves much to be desired. I won't be using TK again unless there's no alternative.

25th Feb. LHR-IST. Efficient check-in at Heathrow. Efficient boarding at Heathrow (take note Istanbul), A330 nearly empty. But it still took nearly an hour for drinks and meal to come. I chose the beef 'burger' which was a very generous lump of minced meat swimming in oil. Accompanied by vegetables including some very tasty gratin potatoes. First course was beans in oil so in all an overdose of oil. Though the almond cake was dry. Central video monitors. Sound appalling. I had Turkish language in one ear and English in the other. And that was only after I wiggled the plug to get anything at all. Cabin Crew performed their duties in a reasonably friendly manner. Then sat in the galley near me chatting loudly. Flight arrived 35 minutes late and as is standard with Turkish airlines; they never apologize for any delay. Luggage came up very quickly, perhaps because of so few passengers. Overall a mixed experience.

I travelled from Istanbul to Los Angeles. Even though reaching LA takes 13.5 hours, it was a great journey. Normally only cabin staff welcome you when boarding, but here two cabin staff and a chef greeted me. The food is high quality. I recommend this flight.

LHR-IST-PVG. Great set of flights with helpful and well spoken crews. Comfort class seems a world leading product with very spacious seats and a pleasant cabin ambience. Only faults would be that the cabin crew were a touch surly (as can be the case in economy) and a small 'drinks/snacks bar' seen in adverts was just an empty shelf for this flight. I upgraded to business class on the way back, excellent meal service and staff making an effort throughout. The seat layout is nice and they are very comfy for sleeping. In both classes entertainment lacked new content, but is otherwise ok. Wifi was a big plus in both classes and was free. Would recommend business, but especially comfort.

Bangkok - Istanbul - Kilimanjaro. Excellent on board service and food. Good IFE on both sectors. Comfortable sloping bed from BKK to IST and standard recliner from IST to KIL. BKK to IST on time. IST - KIL was about 30 minutes late. On the long haul Oman Air were better but Turkish Airlines were better than the comparable Oman flight (Dar to Muscat) from Istanbul to Kilimanjaro.

MXP-IST return a few days ago. Back with them after almost 20 years (last time was in 1994) and nothing to complain about: both flights left and arrived on time, operated by a 738 which was not brand new and had some minor issues (i.e. the tray table) but with professional and pleasant crew members. On the plus side the food which was above standards for an economy class 2h30m flight, on the minus side the quality of the announcements (barely understandable because of the bad sound quality) and the slow check in IST (only one employee on duty at the online check-in counter). I will get a clearer idea about the fact whether they really deserve the "Best European Airline" award after I try some long-haul legs with them: from this experience, they are good but no better than other major carriers such as LH, AF and AZ.

LHR-IST-DEL. Fast and friendly check in. Used SAS lounge at LHR which is tired and dated with poor drink options. Scheduled A330 had been replaced with an old and grubby 319 which didn't have business class seats - standard economy seats with centre of 3 left empty. Lots of passengers complaining loudly about this. Greeted on board by a "flying chef" but in spite of this gimmick they ran out of choice before they were half way through the business cabin. Mezze starters good but main overcooked. Second leg from IST on A330 - no welcome from 3 miserable FAs. Service was slow, disorganised and charmless. Food poor and no offer of drinks refills. Flat bed seat was superb but sleep was impossible as my seat (5B - avoid at all costs ) was next to a cupboard where the crew stowed their personal luggage. Throughout the night FAs were rummaging in bags and slamming the door. A polite complaint brought a grudging apology but they carried on regardless. No service at all after dinner - lights went on half an hour before landing (at 5.30 am) but no offer of coffee or even water before landing. I've rated Turkish highly before but this trip was a major disappointment. Highlight was use of the excellent lounge at Istanbul.

I flew MAN-IST-ADD return in February 2013. Outbound flight delayed from MAN, but the connection was still made in IST and the journey was otherwise ok. Not so the inbound. A 2.10am flight was bad enough, but when delayed for over an hour the inevitable happened, the IST connection was missed. Furthermore, no boarding pass for the IST-MAN flight was issued at ADD. No explanation was given for the delay and nothing approaching an apology; apart that is from a complimentary breakfast in IST - which comprised an indigestible roll and a soft drink.

We travelled to Australia via Istanbul and Hong Kong from Helsinki (HEL-IST-HKG-BNE). Chose Turkish Airlines and routing via Istanbul, since Turkish Premium Economy from HEL to HKG via IST was 400€ cheaper than a direct flight with another carrier. The best decision we've made about airline travel! Flight attendants very warm, welcoming and smiling, spoke perfect English and everything worked without a hassle. Premium Economy was really worth the money: warm towels supplied, comfortable seat (although a bit hard for sleeping, and the footrest a bit too short), and a "light" business class meal. The catering was excellent. Flights were on time, everything worked without any complaints. Only really minus flying with Turkish is Istanbul airport; a really poorly organized place. Just a mess. Highly recommended!

Business Class ARN-IST-ARN. ARN-IST on a Boeing 737-900. Excellent 'long range seats', the cabin crew were almost absent. No drink before departure. I asked for a Gin and Tonic after dinner, the answer was 'there is no tonic left' and the cabin attendant left. No chance to order anything else. IST-ARN on an Airbus A320, the business class seats were ordinary economy with middle seat free. The cabin was in a bad condition. Very cramped and my seatback was in full recline the whole time. Cabin crew very attentive and did a good job. Turkish Airlines must do something to make sure that their Business Class always has a certain standard. Now is it more like a lottery what you get in Business Class.

Gatwick-Istanbul-Antalya, 6 Feb 2013, return 12 Feb. Check-in staff at Gatwick not very welcoming. Forgot to issue us another boarding pass from Istanbul to Antalya. Luckily I found out before we passed security so check-in staff issued another one. I ordered Vegetarian Oriental Meal (VOML-Chinese Style) a week before flying but I got Asian Vegetarian Meal (AVML-Indian/Hindu Style) for all 4 flights. It caused me trouble as I don't eat Indian food. Check in staff at Antalya Airport tried to change my connecting flight from Istanbul to Gatwick to an earlier flight without asking me but luckily, her supervisor said it was too late to change. We didn't want to rush and miss our connecting flight back London. Check in staff at Antalya were friendly. No private TV screen on flight from Istanbul to Gatwick on 12th.

BKK-IST-CPH. Great food BKK-IST, but staff rather formal and in a few cases rude, hardly a staff member available mid-flight. Transfer in IST chaotic. Great food IST-CPH, as usual, Turkish is best choice on European flights, and seat comfort better than on the A330 used on BKK-IST.

SIN-IST-BCN and LIS-IST-SIN. A330 seat width and legroom is small. Flight to BCN was ok on both legs with good in flight screens and food. Service was ok with little interaction. Lisbon - Istanbul crew were horrible with no sense of customer service. Attendant threw the menu at passengers who were asleep. Served coffee to some passengers but left out some including myself and moved on to the rows in front. When feedback was made to the leading steward he constantly gave excuses that they ran out of coffee and had no apology for leaving us out. Istanbul boarding procedures are not star alliance standard. No priority boarding or boarding by rows. Airport staff made the announcement "you can board now" making it a mad dash for everyone to the doors. Good airline with good product but horrible customer service both on land and in the air. Will never fly them again.

JFK-IST-JFK in Economy. First leg on a B777-300 and return flight on a A330. Legroom for an international flight felt quite tight even if I'm 5'7" (domestic Pegasus flight was much more comfortable in this regard). Entertainment system was nice and adequate, but not extraordinary. In my opinion, Turkish Airlines rightly deserves to be a 4-star airline, but needs to up the ante. Other areas that needs some upgrade are food and cabin crew: The food was okay in general, but the choices were risky. In my experience, the cabin crew were fantastic (they were not smiling constantly), but Turkish must invest more in their personnel's English speaking abilities if they want to make some noise internationally.

My family travelled Oslo-Istanbul-Kigali before X-mas and returned over the New Year. The flights to Kigali were late and the staff friendly. The return flights were more or less on schedule, but staff service was not according to any standard. They did not come when called, they refused my son to visit the toilet 35 minutes before landing in Istanbul.

IAD-IST-ISB (with a stop over in Istanbul) and return KHI-IST-IAD. This was my second time on Turkish Airlines as I had previously flown on their Business Class 6 years earlier. I was very impressed with the level of service and the quality of food in Economy. The leg room on the A340 on the IAD-IST sector was excellent, and the communication skills of the cabin staff had also improved significantly. We even received small amenity kits in Economy. There were some instances where the cabin crew would disappear for long periods of time, but they would be extremely apologetic in case they forgot to do something and they were always very friendly. I would definitely fly Turkish Airlines again.

LHR-IST-JNB-CPT return in Business. Selected TK on basis of reviews, price and lack of alternative Star Alliance alternatives. Positives: the fully flat bed on the A330-300 is very comfortable, one of the best in the sky. They need to improve, in particular: tired washrooms and staff unwilling to let passengers use the WC at the front of the aircraft and the middle toilets shared with Economy, long transit times of 3 hours at IST both ways due to lack of capacity at IST makes for a very long journey time, lounge overcrowding at IST. Above all, the in-flight experience and customer service of staff needs to be addressed: at best indifferent staff with not much to smile about, on the return JNB-IST leg it took 1.5 hours to get a drink of water and requests for further water were ignored. Need for an Express meal option, a departure out of IST to JNB of 00.55 in the northern winter schedule and still it takes nearly 2 hours for the first course of the dinner to be served, the menu offers espresso coffee, the staff generally unwilling to offer this, instead offering tepid milky coffee, which is undrinkable and is then left on the armrest for hours before being collected in the pre-landing checks. In summary, an indifferent experience, which is a shame as the bed and price make TK a good option. The service focuses more on show than substance.

Flight from Erbil, Iraq was 7.5 hours late due to snow in Istanbul, only given 1 bottle of water during the wait. Staff onboard were friendly but no announcements about connections and no ground staff to meet and assist on arrival. The transit desk was chaos at IST airport. People were missing flights that had not yet left as they could not get in to get a boarding pass. I would not fly by choice again.

JFK-IST-TLV and I was impressed. I got the Kosher meals, and they were excellent (they also fed me 4 times over my connecting flights), as good or better than the Kosher meals on any other airline. Also, the entertainment options were endless, at least 100 movies and shows, some new, some old, in addition to live news channels. Overall, I feel as if Turkish is a modern airline that still treats its clients as airlines did in the 60's and 70's.

Flew Bangkok to Manchester on 3 February. Flights departed and arrived on time. Food was good as usual however the overall experience could have been bettered had the cabin crew been more friendly. They vary so much a few are really friendly and pleasant but overall they need to interact more with the passengers.

BRU-IST-BRU - C Class. Using miles. Outgoing fast check in and used fast lane for security, plus SN lounge instead of BA. Boeing 737-800, punctual, comfy, clean and the usual friendly crew. Used fast lane for C class pax in IST for pass control. All very fast and extremely functional. Return also smoothest check in ever, used fast lane for C pax and security, excellent lounge in Ataturk airport. Have used this airline many times and it is always doing things better and better by the minute. Airbus 320 for return. All ok usual good service and good seat configuration. Delightful experience. Will recommend.

Flew IST-FRA-IST route, check-in was organised and went smoothly. We were greeted nicely by the crew, but later on during service all stewardesses and stewards were a bit stressed and their smiles turned into the straight lips. Food always a pleasure on TK flights, I can actually say that TK is one of the few airlines serving proper meals, even on short routes. Both planes were a bit old though and not very clean, there was a lack of seat comfort. I certainly received great value for my money on that particular trip. Also inflight entertainment on a route like IST-FRA and FRA-IST was available!

SOF-IST-BKK in economy. Planes old but comfortable. Meals and inflight service adequate. However, ground service in Istanbul exceptionally rude. Wide selection of movies, but nothing really worth watching.

CDG-IST-SIN. Excellent check in, I was a bit late and when I arrived at the counter, instead of nagging, the agent welcomed me and greeted me by name and whisked me away to the departure gate. Turkish is probably the only airline in Europe with proper business class seat on intra-European flight. Lounge in Istanbul was very crowded but managed to get to use their showers. Istanbul airport was very busy and the only one smoking area is very crowded. Flights to Singapore was smooth, the bed was large and comfortable. Service was very efficient but do not expect a smile from neither the flight crew nor the agents on the ground. Toilets as others have commented were filthy on both flights and obviously no maintenance at all during the flight. A comfortable product if one is looking just to rest while getting to the destination.

Beirut-Istanbul-Petersburg return. Very mixed experience. First flight Beirut-Istanbul great. Nice breakfast and friendly staff. Leg Istanbul-Petersburg disappointing in every way. Staff rude and unhelpful. The main course like economy class, wine likewise. No one of the staff responded when you called the staff, had to go and get them myself to get a glass of water and wine. Same on the way back from Petersburg. Toilets dirty, no proper soaps! No champagne offered at all. The Business class is more like economy extra on other airlines.

Return ticket Helsinki - Saigon - Helsinki. Stopped in Istanbul to change planes which took 3 hours. Stopped in Thailand for an hour to pick up more passengers. Overall, my flight was good. The customs procedure was quick and I had no problems. The people at the Control gates were nice, flight attendants on board are fine. They need to smile a bit more. I recommend flying with TK.

NYC-IST in business. Check-in was swift and ground staff courteous. However that can't be said for the staff on board. The air hostesses were somewhat gruff and seemed poorly trained. It took them a few minutes to inform a passenger who was sitting at the end row to turn her lamp down (as the light reflected on my screen while I was watching a movie). Service was spotty in general. The seats expand fully flat so sleeping was very comfortable. There was a foot rest at the front of the seat, which acts as an extension of a flat seat. The cabin temperature was somewhat warmer which means it was dryer too. The food selection was good but not as varied as I expected. The wine selection was decent and commendable.

AMS-BKK (with a stop-over in IST) in business class. Outbound flight on airbus 330, which has the new flat- bed configuration, which is a comfortable seat to sleep. BKK-IST was with the airbus 340, which does not have same flat-bed as the 330 but still OK. The crew we experienced on both flights were less than service- minded, getting a drink or refill your wine for dinner was a matter of physically going to the bar and do it yourself. Food was OK, at least the first course, the main was below any standard and cold. Boarding in IST and BKK was totally chaotic, no priority boarding and in IST, we were shuttled to the airplane with a bus and boarded the plane in heavy rain. And, as other commented, toilets are a shame, no one from the crew looks after or replenishes the paper supply!

ACC-IST-DIA in early December and JFK-IST-ACC return trip in early January. Flight From ACC to IST was an hour late and my transit time was reduced from 5 hours to 3 hours. Flight from IST to DIA was a smooth trip and the plane was 15 minutes early. Return trip from JFK to IST delayed for an hour and ground staff was very rude. By the time the plane got to IST some passengers had already missed their connecting flights. Ground staff there was also rude and not helpful. I think it was the language barrier. Flight back to ACC was very smooth I slept throughout, but my luggage arrived a day later. Cuisine was exceptional and the crew was very courteous. Turkish Airline should upgrade the service of the ground staff in order to attract more passengers.

KIV-IST-FRU round-trip in early January. All flights on time, except the outbound IST-FRU leg, which was 2 hours late due to weather conditions in Istanbul. The service on these segments was very different. Seating: KIV-IST and IST-KIV segments were operated by Airbus 321 and 319 respectively. Business Class seats were standard economy class with the middle seat left empty. Legroom and recline is not adequate for a Business Class product. IST-FRU round-trip was operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with old 2-2 business seats on the way out and new Sky Interior 2-2 on the way back. Food: cold meals on the short segments KIV-IST-KIV and a 3 course meal on the IST-FRU-IST. Overall quality of food in business on Turkish is good. Luggage, boarding and overall service: This is where Turkish losses important points. Boarding processes and luggage delivery do not give priority to business class passengers. Overall service on board is poor with FA's disappearing after the meal service for the rest of the flight. Toiletries for business class passengers and amenity kit is OK. The price of the ticket was very competitive, but to attract more business passengers Turkish really needs to upgrade the quality of its service.

Booked MAN-IST–ADD return over Christmas and New Year. Aircraft was late arriving in MAN and then suffered a baggage loading problem. Left to sit onboard for 90mins and eventually lined up on the runway 2hrs late. Missed connection in IST. Airport and TK staff generally unhelpful and almost uninterested. At transit desk were initially told that we should have had ample time to make our missed flight - by my calculations about 15 mins. Were rebooked on the next flight to ADD the following day! Flight the next day left on time but arrived 50 mins late for reasons unknown. MAN–IST return legs were comfortable in economy but IST–ADD return aircraft were awfully cramped. Return was even worse. Not given an onward boarding pass in ADD for IST–MAN leg and predictably missed our connection again in IST. Then got stuck in a blizzard which further delayed departure from IST on the second flight to MAN of the day. Eventually left and landed back in MAN 1hr 40 mins late. I will not be risking them again.