Turkish Airlines

I flew to Osaka which was a 2-legged flight with a transit at Turkey International Airport. I was fortunate enough to get good seats thanks to the staff at the check-in counter as she was very helpful and accommodating. The plane is rather dated however the facilities are still in good shape and seats are rather comfortable. The food on board was surprisingly good as well and the wine I had was pleasant. I would consider flying Turkish Airlines again if the tickets are competitively priced against other airlines.

I flew in Economy from JFK to Ankara via Istanbul on April 24 2015 and returned on May 2. My overall experience was very positive: Turkish provides superb meals on transatlantic flights and even managed a satisfying mini-meal on the short Istanbul-Ankara flight. Cabin staff were abundant friendly and present on all four flights. Ticket counter and gate personnel had a somewhat severe affect but were nonetheless very helpful. Turkish B777's are fairly new (the oldest is less than 5 years old) clean and offer very good inflight entertainment. Lavatories seemed clean throughout the flight. Economy seating is quite cramped on Turkish B777's however but not to the point of discomfort. Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is better approached as an adventure rather than as a convenience: it is prone to delays chaotic lines and overheated spaces. Allow at least 2.5 hours to transfer between international and domestic flights there.

SFO-IST-ADB/BJV-IST-SFO. I have not often flown TK in economy but was part of a group and that was where we sat. I was astounded by the perks that TK offers in Y. There were pillows blankets headsets and slippers at each seat. A small amenities kit was provided as well as hot towels prior to the first meal. There was also a printed menu with a choice of entrees. The legroom is a bit tight but the seat has an adjustable lumbar support and a footrest that help in adjusting position. The food was plentiful and well prepared and there was a full drinks service available. While I would have preferred to be in Business TK economy is heads above any of its competitors. The crew was friendly and attentive which also made the experience enjoyable.

We flew from SFO-IST on April 17. The flight arrived late and so left SFO about 2 hours late making us miss our connection to Athens. Turkish put us up in a hotel provided meal voucher and transportation. They also booked us on the first TK flight to Athens the next day even though our IST-ATH-IST ticket was validated on Aegean Airlines. I will say that customer service/communication is not their strongest point but the service on the flight between SFO and IST was excellent. The food was delicious and sandwiches and snacks provided throughout the flight. The attendants were helpful and courteous and very pleasant. I would fly them again because though they have their shortcomings they are certainly tops in inflight service.

Flew United 80 and return 81 Manchester to Newark return for a cruise in business first seats 3 E&F on the now old 757 narrow bodied jet. Check in Manchester excellent escapes lounge Business lounge offered and a great location in T2 with hot breakfast provided. Embarkation smooth staff very attentive and polite. Pod seating a little smaller than other similar units. The inflight meal was very good only ice cream offered for seat course. Inflight TV plenty of choice and the screen the largest ever. Priority luggage first off the conveyor belt. Return flight into United Club lounge. A disgrace for a lounge. Very poor offerings and bad tempered staff at the bar. Flight same as outbound excellent. Lie flat beds very little foot space but still able to sleep and service was even better than out bound flight.

TK 333 Baku to Istanbul. Six hours delayed without any explanation. Once it finally boarded and took off the crew never acknowledged the delay in any way just wished us a nice flight! Toward the end of the flight they announced gates for those who had not missed their connections. Never acknowledged that some of us had gave no instructions whatsoever. When I found a service desk the guy printed out my new boarding pass (for a flight the next morning) and threw it at me only when I asked did he blurt out something about going through passport control then to the hotel desk. By then it was late at night three PP control guys serving a huge crowd people starting to get angry and shout. I was afraid I would get through PP control then not get any help and be stuck outside the airport so instead I headed for the wonderful Turkish Airlines VIP lounge. There they refused to give me one of the sleeping rooms but did offer a "five star hotel" and a shuttle if I left the airport. By then it was so late that I would barely have time to get to the hotel before it would be time to return to the airport for my early flight so I hung out in the lounge all night. In all this time there was never the slightest apology for the delay or even a smile. I travel a great deal and am usually fine with different personal styles (and I love Turkey!) but this was over the top for lousy customer service.

Flew from Odessa (Ukraine) to Istanbul followed by Istanbul-Shanghai jump. Flight departure from Odessa was delayed 1.5 hour without any PA announcement in that airport without any explanation or apologizes let alone there were no snacks or soft drinks offered. Need to underline that weather was simply nice clear sky and no wind. Finally making us connecting passengers running across Istanbul Ataturk Airport like Olympic champions. (Did not help our luggage however. All of us fellows from the same flight arrived to Shanghai "light weighted"). On entering boarding gate to Shanghai discovered my seat was changed but not in my favor (they put me in 38G of instead of my checked-in 14G). Again without explanation/apologizes. Was actually my first negative experience with TK given total amount of about 50 long-leg flights with them. Cabin crew meal entertainment - all was as usual. Up to the mark.

Done 4 flight segments in 3 weeks DMM-IST IST-FCO BCN-IST and IST-DMM. Check-in was organized and was swift given because there were not much pax on all flights problem started on the boarding it was chaotic where everyone just ran to board the plane and ground cannot enforce boarding rules like who should go first etc. There wasn't much enforcement of carry on luggage as well as most passengers bring huge bags sometimes 2-3 pieces inside the cabin and some passenger didn't have any space for their luggage to place. Flight was delayed on all flights either due to late arrival of the aircraft or the cabin needs to cleaned before passenger can board or there is no gate assigned yet. which should have been pretty standard in most airlines. Once onboard the service was a hit and miss some cabin crew were rude and with poor command of English and while some maybe 1 or 2 are eager to please cabin is as usual clean but the toilets gets filthy half through the flight. The seats are very narrow and uncomfortable I'm an average 5'8'' in height and was having difficulty moving this onboard their A321 and Boeing 737. IFE was average not much new movies and quite unresponsive the touchscreens you'll still have to use the remote. Information from the cockpit came only twice before take off and before landing. Food - their lunch and dinner are good above average servings are large plus Turkish delight is distributed prior to take off. Drinks were served frequently which was good amenity kits were given which was a plus! Landing was smooth and a plus was even with a tight connection my bags reached the destination.

First time travelling with Turkish Airlines I was very disappointed all 4 flights were late with the Doha to Istanbul being so late I missed the UK connection to Heathrow waited 7 hours for next flight no explanation was given as to why all 4 flights were delayed no apology or refreshments given. Istanbul airport is not a good place to wait for 7 hours no free wi fi toilets were dirty. Meals on the plane were good cabin crew polite and friendly.

We flew LGW-IST-CMB on 16/4 and being a frequent flyer and Star Alliance Gold member I can easily say that this was the worst flying experience of my life. I have never met so rude uninterested and unhelpful staff on any other airline before. To start with I was denied access to a lounge at LGW. I am aware that Star Alliance do not have a lounge there but all other airlines I have used before have given me access to contracted lounges. TK did not. First flight as relatively OK on their new B737 but seats were very uncomfortable. Then we arrived in IST and the problems started. When I went to the lounge and connected my phone to the wifi I found an email from them saying "your flight to {1} is delayed please contact {2}". I went to the lounge reception and showed them the email and they told me it's nothing to worry about. When I looked on their website though I saw that the IST-CMB flight was delayed by 5 hours. From then it took us about 3 hours in order to sort out a hotel. When the flight departed the next morning there was no mention at all by anyone as to why the flight was delayed or a single apology. 10 hours on that plane and nothing. The crew were the most unprofessional and rude cabin crew. Not interested in passenger satisfaction and not interested in safety. Their English was very poor. Overall this was a very bad experience which lasted nearly 32 hours. I will never fly with them again.