Turkish Airlines

I fly Turkish to IST from several locations in Europe in economy. The airplanes tend to be a bit older and the crew tends to be pretty much the same as most airlines have in economy. Catering pluses are the fresh orange juice and warm meal which most other airlines now forgo can't speak about the inflight entertainment because I never use it. However there is one huge negative - the online checking is a mess giving PNR or e-ticket number works maybe 10% of the time and I'm forced to go to the airport early and queue to get a boarding pass even though I don't have any luggage. This is the only Star Alliance airline where this happens to me I've checked with colleagues and they all have the same problem especially on code-share tickets. I've now started to avoid Turkish flights just for this reason as I need to waste about an hour in their huge and chaotic queues at Istanbul which also destroys any potential trip satisfaction.

TK8 IAD-IST. Seat 5K business class. Never again. I have been flying Qatar Airways a lot lately - no comparison. Late departure from IAD. Business cabin felt crowded with narrow aisles. Service rushed. Galleys were noisy with no attempt by the crew to be at all quiet. Seat not good with confusing controls (what does MR and M+ mean in the armrest controls?). Armrests and tray table were unmovable. So what if there’s a crew member wearing a chefs hat. The food was dreadful. Dried out. Overcooked. Tasteless. Terrible seats. Economy and business class passengers all mixed up with no clear delineation between the two cabins. The lavatories are so small that I banged my elbows in the most minimal effort to change clothes. Waste bins full before we'd even pushed back from Dulles and soap dispensers nearly empty. Unreal. Felt like Aeroflot in 1970. Appetizers dried out. I asked the flight attendant what kind of soup they were serving and she didn't know. So much for pre-departure briefings for the crew. Honestly a poor show for an airline that prides itself on its food. AVOD confusing and boring. Could never find the map. The crew spent most of its time standing at the ‘bar’ looking at all of us like we were monkeys in a cage. Really unbelievable. The soccer stars who are advertising for TK are all flying on private aircraft - make no mistake. If they ever took TK they soon switch to Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific first class. FAs walking around with their airport IDs badges hanging from their necks - what is that all about? Really disappointed with TK. For all the hype in their advertising a big letdown. Couldn't get off fast enough. Now have to endure another seven hours to DAR.

GOT-IST-DAC-IST-GOT on A320 A330-200 back on A330-200 and B738 in Jan/Feb 2015. Mixed review to say the least. Flight delayed from GOT due to bad weather in IST. Middle seat turned down but otherwise standard economy seat and no IFE. Food ok. Arrived late and got a hotel night free of charge at IST since the flight to DAC was next day. Lounge at IST is wonderful and I really felt relaxed before boarding tk 713 to DAC. Old plane poor IFE poor service. The lights in the cabin were blinking all the flight and I was worried someone would get an epilepsy attack. no lie flat seat felt like a plane from the mid-90's. All in all not a pleasant business class experience. Flight back tk 714 on leased 330-200 this time a newer plane good service lie flat also a leased plane from jet airways. Plane on time and standard business trip. Once again short visit at the IST lounge which was good and flight from IST-GOT on good intra-europe business class with wide seats good service since we were only two passengers in the front.

Boston-Istanbul-Boston in economy. Excellent fare ($600 round trip). Flights on time. Clean aircraft and seating fine for economy. Good choice of on-demand movies. Flight attendants pleasant and decent food. Recommended.

Frankly a disappointment. I flew Turkish Airlines Business Class recently: Lisbon-Istanbul Istanbul-Seoul Bangkok-Istanbul and Istanbul-Lisbon and it was the least satisfactory business class in recent years. In all flights except the Istanbul-Seoul the cabin and seats appeared run-down and old. The in-flight entertainment was limited and out-dated. The seats comfort was OK but not more than that. The service was friendly and the food was OK.

Flew from Paris to Samsum via Istambul and return in Economy. From reading previous reviews on this site and others it seems TA passengers can be separated in 2 categories: Everything went as scheduled and the performance is highly rated or something goes wrong and TA customer service is at best non-existent. Luckily I was in the 1st category. In CDG TA is in the old terminal 1 (not their fault!) which is completely outdated. Departure was a little delayed due to late arrival but we recovered most of it during the flight. Very recent A321 with IFE (choice not outstanding but OK for a 3.5 hours flight). The crew spoke good English (1 stewardess spoke French) the seat pitch is comfortable (at least 10 cms / 4 " more than AF) the food is fair both in quantity and in quality with a hot meal and a choice of drinks including wine and alcohol. A much better service than their French competitor with bus-type cabin and no IFE. The domestic flight was done on a slightly older A320 with even better seat pitch and here again crew spoke English and served some sandwich and drink. Return was of a similar standard fresh Turkish breakfast in the domestic flight good service and acceptable meal in the international flight. Istanbul airport is not at the same level but it's an other story. Safety demonstrations done in all 4 flights general condition of the aircraft's from good to excellent. Regarding this trip I believe TA is in the top league of European airlines.

LIS-IST B737-800. Check in OK. Flight on Time. Very large seat however do not recline so much. Fantastic flight attendants and very tasty food.

IST-BKK A330-300. IST lounge has a new (lower) floor with new showers. As few people know showers were immediately available. Very busy and noisy lounge and airport. Boarding lounge was too small. People sitting on the floor. Great seat (real bed) mattress available on demand really fantastic crew very efficient plenty of food but not very refined and overcooked. Great Champagne (Gosset).

I was traveling from Washington D.C USA to Vienna Austria yesterday with a layover in Istanbul. It was a long flight however throughout the both flights I was completely satisfied with the staff service and the quality of food likewise. The flight attendants were very kind helpful and were approaching customers with a constant smile. The menu included several dishes and beverages. The portions were really big and refills of beverages were very frequent. The overall atmosphere created by the staff and nice pilot are one of the reasons I surely will travel with Turkish airlines again.

VIE-IST-CMB on A330-300 back on A330-300 and A320. Pitch was not ok seats on A330 are narrow hard uncomfortable on A320 wider and more comfortable. Service was very good lots of food in acceptable/good quality. IFE did not work properly on IST-CMB seat was broken too. Will not travel with Turkish Airlines in Economy anymore but will try Premium Economy.