Turkish Airlines

On 5th Jan 2014 flew Business class from Manchester to Bangkok via Istanbul. The trip was disappointing in that we flew on different planes than we were advised when booking the flight from Manchester to Istanbul was supposed to be on a 737-900 but was in fact on an old 321 and the flight from Istanbul to Bangkok was supposed to be on a 777 but in fact was on an old 340. However what was good about the flights was the excellent service of the cabin crews and the quality of food and beverage both of which were of the highest order and could not be faulted.

First time on Turkish Airlines. I flew in comfort class from IST to NRT. FA's are quite courtly and the seat was very large and legroom were very large. Meals were very good too I think we had economy class food on a business class plate.

ORD-IST-TLV return in business. ORD-IST old A330 non lay flat configuration not very comfortable. Food excellent. Presentation and service. Took at least 2-3 hours post departure. Took Breakfast orders and woke us up 2 and a half hours before landing. Lounge in Istanbul beautiful. IST-TLV excellent meal and service. One luggage did not make it but was delivered home on time. Return. IST-ORD same aircraft again excellent service. Seats not very comfortable for sleeping.

18/12/2013 Luxembourg-Istanbul TK1354. 19/12/2013 Istanbul-Jakarta TK66. 4/1/2014 Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul TK61. 5/1/2014 Istanbul-Luxembourg TK1353. Staff on various flights were impolite to even rude. A vegetarian meal was ordered and served but turned out to contain meat. After enquiring they simply took back the meal and served a new one without saying a single word. No apology - nothing. Other questions were answered with grimaces only not words. Safety instructions from staff before landing sound more like army orders. The media box in their A340 takes half of the foot space absolutely inconvenient on long distance. The inflight entertainment doesn't contain new releases only old movies. The schedule as per magazine doesn’t comply with the entertainment system. Furthermore very limited language options on some flights only. The food was very good on one flight average on 2 and un-enjoyable on the 4th flight. Journey time was quite long. Website looks antiquated not possible to order special meal only by phone. Online check-in not possible for some origins but they tell you only after all data like passport number date of birth has been entered already. The transfer in their Istanbul hub is horrible. One has to queue for transfer safety check for hours. All in all the second worst airline I have flown with.

Flew GVA-IST-AUH. Seats were dirty and could hardly be reclined footrest is a joke. On both legs staff rushed through the meal to the point where my husband had to physically hold on to his tray (IST-AUH). Staff not very friendly no greeting during boarding and an unapproachable attitude during the flights seats in front of us were used by cabin crew to sleep during the flight between IST-AUH. Entertainment system was poor compared to what other airlines have to offer. On both flights the toilet was smelly and did not feel clean. Not looking forward to our return flights nor the changing of planes in Istanbul we will avoid them in the future.

Bangkok to Istanbul. The inbound flight was the opposite of the outbound. There were people going up and down the aisles constantly prior to take off apparently dealing with this and that. Once aloft the service was ok but there was some disorganisation; the staff seemed to be improvising at times. On the other hand the seat was really good and I slept very well.

Istanbul to Bangkok. Functional yet friendly service esp. from "the chef". Excellent meals this really helped the score. Everything worked though the 340's seat was not so good for a long flight (see my seat review). Only just "good value" here because of the seat.

Although seats are very good there are severe limitations: Istanbul Airport offers no extra tracks for Business class passengers which means that you have to line up with all the others in the middle of the night/early in the morning (usually) to pass the overcrowded security checks. There is a fast track lane but it was always closed when I needed to pass it (4 times in the past 2 months). Istanbul airport is deplorable not coping with the rapid expansion of TK. This means that your expensive Business class experiences finds a rather unpleasant middle piece. Even more disturbing is the very wrong catering service concept and staff quality. Usually one pays for an expensive business class seat to find rest and piece and some sleep. TK assumes that you are in it for the culinary experience and serve food regardless of the flying time thus limiting the rest time severely. For instance while flying from Istanbul to Cape Town TK started serving dinner at midnight for over 3 hours. Then they wake you up 2 hours before landing to serve breakfast. Even worse is that the crew is serving and removing the food very noisily moving plates glasses etc for hours. The 11 hours flight to Cape Town thus had only 3 hours of quite sleeping time. Worst affected are the first and last rows of the business class being close to the pantry. Another bad example was the flight from Istanbul to Doha: here same procedure: although guests wanted to sleep right after the take-off (midnight again). Food was served almost the entire flight (4 hours). Noise was unbearable as the pantry did not even had a shielding curtain. Besides the fact that the food is nothing special the quality of the crews is very heterogeneous. During the flight to Doha the chief cabin attendant was reading the newspaper drank tea in front of the business class passengers (no curtain) and was observing leisurely the work of his subordinates. The staff chats constantly with each other and although there are more than enough attendants on board it is not possible to place a successful request as the chain of command is long and unclear responsibilities seem to exist.

Extremely pleasant flight. Despite all weather issues our flight took off and landed on time in Toronto. In- flight free wi-fi is definitely the best. The meals were so tasty and fresh. They treat you like a guest rather than a customer. This was the first time I was on a Turkish flight and I would recommend it to anyone. The best airline in Europe indeed!

I have nothing but praise for this great airline. Meals provided and drinks included. They have always left on time. They are great value for money. I have travelled from Edinburgh to Istanbul then onto Ercan North Cyprus. Would be good if there was not such a long wait between flights - 4.5 hours. Have just booked for April / May and see there is a new connection on the way back leaves Ercan at 9.45 and connects in Istanbul with only aN hour and a half change over.

September 2013 on a return trip from New Delhi to Istanbul. The plane food service were all way below what I expected the plane was so old I was surprised it was still in service. I took a return trip from New Delhi to Rome - via Istanbul. At that time I raved to friends about the quality of the plane flight everything. I was shocked when my experience this year was so bad. Staff didn't want to be on the plane it was so bad. I would like to try Turkish Airlines again when I travel in September this year - how do I know whether I get a good plane or a bad one. I have said I would recommend the airline again because my first experience was so good - would advise people to be cautious though.

I took a business class flight from London to Karachi via Istanbul leaving on 15th December 2013 and returning on 4th January 2014. Going in December the London to Istanbul leg was on par with the business class for other carriers I had flown with both in terms of the seats and the service. For the Istanbul to Karachi leg (5 hours) the seats were essentially comparable to economy class seats for other airlines I have taken (e.g Emirates Qatar Airways Oman Air) both in terms of width and maximum pitch. This was the case for the entire return journey both from Karachi to Istanbul and from Istanbul to London. Essentially I feel as if I have paid for a business class ticket but received economy class seats! I certainly wasn't feeling refreshed after a holiday to go straight back to work. I would not advise anyone to use Turkish Airlines.

London Heathrow to Odessa (Ukraine) return. The only positive was that the leg room is actually fairly decent. However: Online check in is a time consuming and laborious process. It is a completely pointless exercise as we had to queue for almost an hour to have the ground crew re-check us in for the flight and take our bags. Staff both on the ground and in the air were surly and miserable. My seat on the flight from LHR-IST was broken and did not lock in any position which was deeply uncomfortable. On the same flight my partner's TV was broken and did not work at all. It took the flight crew almost 1 hour 40 minutes to serve a drink. Transfer arrangements in Istanbul can only be described as a complete and utter shambles. No clear directions people everywhere being funnelled into a small security check area. On the way home we were told to go and join another random queue for a further passport check. Whilst at the gate in IST the flight to Odessa was delayed by an hour with no staff whatsoever in sight. The planes are filthy both inside and out.

DUS-IST-KUL and return in Economy. DUS-IST and IST-DUS by A320/321. Very crowded and the cabin crew didn't bring discipline into boarding deboarding and inflight behavior. All natural chaos with people standing/talking while fasten seatbelt-sign was shown passengers with much more than 1 piece of (bulky) hand luggage children without seats pax standing up just after touching the runway - nobody seems to care. Experienced cabin crew checked seat belts with loud and clear announcements from the flight deck - in Turkish and English. In addition: excellent catering (outgoing IST) by DoCo. Overall: certainly one of the better competitors in the skies - still a lot to improve.

Houston-Mumbai return. Seat assignment is very difficult and boarding process at the gate is very chaotic. There are no set rules and agents can not control the crowd for orderly boarding. Economy seats are very uncomfortable and food service is mediocre and quantity served is inadequate. Will not travel this airline in future.

ZRH-IST-ZRH. The crew were marvellous on both flights. The service was top notch for a 2.5 hour flight. Hot meal served on both flights and this in Economy. Headsets were offered and a movie (overhead screens) was shown and drinks service on both flights were superb. Open Bar coffee tea water rounds were offered. I am looking Forward to my next flight.

Dublin to Istanbul 27 Dec returning on 1 January. Outgoing flight TK 1978/27 return flight TK 1975/01. Great service staff and entertainment. Couldn't fault this airline and I am a frequent flyer. Would definitely recommend using their services again.

Flew Jeddah-Istanbul-Dublin December 2013 and returned by reverse route January 2014. Business class is a joke. Seats and legroom shocking on both Jeddah Istanbul legs and no inflight entertainment. Disgraceful when compared to alternative carriers. Customer service via website also dreadful.

ATH-IST-DXB and MCT-IST-ATH on A320A321.All flights on time. Food and beverages above average and that's the only positive. FA's with poor knowledge of English had a typical and cold smile trying to serve the meal fast and then disappear. Seat comfort and legroom very poor. PTV's on A321 ok but on A320 not at all not even on the roof! Finally we had to wait about 4 hours both inbound and outbound in a chaotic transit in Istanbul with not even one chair to sit on. Terrible. TK is advertised as the best European airline but after my experience well what can I say.

TK0710 and TK0711. The service from Istanbul to Islamabad and Islamabad to Istanbul is very poor. On 30th December 2013 Islamabad-Istanbul flight I found the cabin crew very rude. Their understanding of English was poor. They kept missing seats while dropping food trays. For a 5 hours plus flight the single aisle plane was not comfortable. With no personalised seat mounted entertainment I feel sorry for families travelling with kids. One toilet was not working there were long queues for the only other working toilet for economy class.

Business class LGW-IST-BKK / BKK-IST-LHR. Having read several reviews particularly around the level of business class service we were somewhat apprehensive prior to travelling. In the event we found the overall product to be high quality and at an operational level all flights departed on time and allowed connections to be made easily. It is true that its down to you to request drinks throughout the flight but requests were met in a friendly way. In fact there was certainly no lack of friendliness or smiles from the cabin crew unlike other reviews on this site. Comfort levels were great in the A330 flat bed sectors the London to IST sectors on the A321 compare very favourably to other carriers short haul business class. The lounge at IST is also to be highly commended although very busy (xmas). Overall we were very satisfied all round and would use them again and would recommend.

Got a very cheap discount ticket from Milan (Italy) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and return. Each sector was on time and operated by an aircraft with decent legroom. Meals on board were excellent more bistro than airline food! Transiting at Istanbul airport is as painful as getting through packed Gulf hubs (as Doha and Abu Dhabi) but this is the unavoidable part of the journey! Just two cons: Most of cabin crew and ground staff at IST have really basic English skills. In Dec 2013 online check-in was not available at KL airport making the pre-flight experience a bit hectic. However by best Europe/SouthEastAsia travel experience so far!

MAD-IST-SIN in business class Dec 27th. TK use a shared AENA run lounge in Barajas T1 but it's spacious and food/service offering has just been improved and is good but seats are really old and need a good clean. Flight to IST in brand new 737-800 with comfortable 2-2 seating. Good inflight meal and entertainment. Transfer in IST was horrific - poor signs and the transit for VIP passengers is not highlighted so easy to miss. Miles of walking and it looked like a building site. The lounge was simply overcrowded and staff at reception had an "I don't care attitude". Onward flight boarded early no separate line for business class and departed on time. Inflight service and airline image ruined by an inept crew that messed up the service and were shoddy. This is a shame as the product could in principle be very good but we'll not fly TK again.

Chicago - Kathmandu- Chicago. Poor to fair inflight service. IST-KTM flight delayed. Return flight KTM-IST delayed missed connecting flight. Ground staff very rude took 4 hours to find where to go. Some passengers with me spent night on airport chairs. They changed my connecting flight booking from Chicago to Kansas city. I nearly missed the flight. Ground staff got angry when passengers did not understand when their names were called.

The B737-800 used by Turkish airlines (IST-ISB) is completely unsuitable for a journey of over 4000km and lasting 5 hrs 35 mins. The seats are tiny and the leg room not great even for 5'10 person. Turkish Airlines continue to spend an awful lot of money on advertising telling us how great they are but the reality is somewhat different. This Aircraft is only suitable for domestic or 2000km maximum.

IST-SZG (Salzburg) - IST. Outbound with A321 inbound A320. Crew friendly and smiled during the flight. Food was excellent. Departures on time and even though I am 1m 80 legroom was satisfactory. Just because some of the aircraft's are old you may not have a personal entertainment system which is not so much a problem with short haul flights.

IST to Gatwick London on 25th as a Gold member with other Star Alliance airlines they did not provide a priority baggage handling tag. Lounge at IST was excellent but far too busy at least 10 mins to find a seat and another 10 mins to queue for the foods. If you want to have a shower you may need to wait 90 mins. From London to Istanbul on 30th I was not allowed to use the lounge not allowed to increase check-in baggage allowance and could not check my bags to my final destination. When I re-checked my bags in Istanbul they would not check-in my bag again to Melbourne only to Singapore asked me to re-check them in Singapore. After I arrived in Singapore I checked with ground staff of Singapore airlines who helped me to re-direct my bags to Melbourne and I did not have to do it myself again. The cabin service with TK: staff very unfriendly and do not want to provide services at all. The toilet was disgusting. Only good thing about TK is that they provide a good travel kit.

Today I am waiting in the busy airport with inadequate facilities in Istanbul airport. It looks like Turkish Airlines are trying to run more than it's capacity can support. I am bound for Dhaka after completing my 15 days holidays in Europe. It was announced just 2 hours before departure that Dhaka flight TK 721 is delayed for 5.55 hrs almost 6 hours. I went to airline desk with sign "We are here to help". But in reality we got nothing not even a smiling apology. We came. To know that airline will not provide any help and we were told to spend time in the crowed food court where we had a hard time to get a place to rest. Finally we had to purchase ticket for lounge just to have a place to rest. I am widely travelled and a member of SIA Gold Card holder. Turkish Airline staff need to learn to be more polite and train to handle difficult situation and continue to satisfy the customers when they fail to provide services in time. A long way to go.

Took a flight from Stuttgart to Istanbul aircraft was not in a very good shape. Food Quality was okay staff were unorganized.

In December 2013 we flew from Istanbul to JFK - Flight 0003. We had previously flown from JFK to Istanbul a week earlier so we knew what to expect as far as seat comfort movie selection and meals. This time however the flight crew was very different from the last crew. It was obvious from the moment we walked on the plane that the crew was unfriendly and unprofessional. They seemed completely unconcerned for the well being of the passengers. We received a tiny cup of coffee at take off and did not get any more in the 11 hour flight! The beverage cart only came around when meals were served - twice! The bathroom went from clean to disgusting in about three hours and remained that way. It is very disappointing that such a good airline has terrible employees.

In December 2013 we flew from JFK to Istanbul Turkey then on to Rome Italy. Our flight was 0004. After reading some of the reviews for Turkish Airlines I was concerned about our trip. We were however pleasantly surprised. The flight crew was friendly accommodating and generous with drinks and food. We flew Economy Class. The seats were as comfortable as they can be after 9.5 hours. The movie selection was good. The crew is what really made the flight great. If all Turkish Airline employees were as good as this flight we would definitely fly with them again.

Flew from ORD to IST then on to ADD in Early December 2013. The leg from Chicago to Istanbul was perfect. Excellent seats attentive staff and excellent food. Check in was east and efficient and all ground and all flight staff were highly professional and friendly. Flight from IST to ADD was on a smaller plane (B737) so the seats were not good but service was fine. The Istanbul airport is total chaos but the business lounge was huge and the food omnipresent. I'd give Turkish Airlines a top rating better than similar flights on Delta or Ethiopian by far!

The overall service is fair. I was booked in economy premium from Scotland to Turkey and then Turkey to Bangladesh. Although I collected my boarding pass for both parts of the journey from Edinburgh airport where I was allocated my chosen seat. On my trip to Bangladesh the cabin crew at the boarding gate had cut my seat number (12K) on the boarding gate with a pen and gave me seat at the very back of the plane. This made my journey very unpleasant. On both parts of my trip the cabin ran out of one of the options on the catering menu. There was no in-flight entertainment facility on the flight from Turkey to Bangladesh.

Flew from AMS-IST-RUH. The seats in business class are not at all comfortable and not working properly. The steward dressed up as a cook is a joke! Unorganized and messy.

IST-SKP-IST excellent flight. Food was very satisfying though was a 1 hour flight. Crew were friendly. Seats were very comfortable. Especially in our return flight we had a very plenty legroom for an airbus A319.

Dhaka - Istanbul on Dec 20th (A330-200). Awful experience - Entertainment system for entire aircraft broken for the duration of flight according to a flight attendant for several days already. Apparently no need to fix things at THY. Open wires at my seat seat adjustment at several seats did not function normally. Overall low seat comfort. Crew inattentive and impolite - when I pointed out that a toilet indicator light was also not functioning I was told that the light for another toilet was working. Many in business class cabin were outraged and several people submitted complaint forms. In short: Third-world economy class product for the price of a business class ticket. How this airline warrants 4 stars is beyond me.

LIS-IST-LIS. Overall a good experience. Cabin crew friendly nice inflight service comfortable seats and informative cockpit. Flights on time no problems with our bags. Smooth as silk.

First time flying Turkish. JFK-IST-BOM. Nice modern A330. Clean toilets. Good special meals (vegetarian). Good in- flight entertainment system. Kept the kids busy. Except on the BOM-IST where the screen wasn't working. Wi-fi even in the economy class. Good service by FAs.

Inflight service from Kuala Lumpur to Skopje was great and only mediocre from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur. I had a layover more than 11 hours at Ataturk Airport flying in from Budapest on 15 December 2013 Flight TK 1037 and my connecting flights the 16th at 0055 to KLIA. When I asked one of the airline staff at the transfer desk he said that I could get a hotel during my transit. I was then told to go the Turkish Airline Hotel Desk. The airline staff were very rude and told me that there was no hotel room for me. When I told him my wait was more than 10 hours he just waved his hands and never tried to answer any of my questions.

I was flying BKK to BRU on Dec 15th from BKK to IST after 30 minutes flight the stewardess came and said that there is no more champagne on board! This is absolutely unacceptable you pay a very high price for comfort food and drinks.

IST-HKG. I am afraid Turkish Airlines is slipping. The check in and immigration lines at the Istanbul airport are lengthy and bureaucratic. I was pleased with the overnight travel kit. The food was average but the drinks were plentiful. There were films TV series and music selections but the choices were limited and dated. The touch screens cannot be fully navigated from the remote so the passenger behind me was pecking at my seat repeatedly. The plane was dated and rather warm. No one was using their blankets. Finally the service was rushed and English and Chinese were limited. The English announcements were comical.

First time traveling on Turkish. Chicago ORD - IST and using IST as a hub for additional travel to Sofia and Baku. Flew A330 from ORD-IST in the business class cabin and was very pleased with the excellent service and food. Lay-flat seats were very comfortable. Selection on the entertainment system was good but they had problems and needed to reboot the system a couple of time both on the outbound and return legs. Lounge in Istanbul was excellent and some of the best food compare to any other Star Alliance Gold lounges. I would definitely recommend Turkish Airlines.

Flew from Dusseldorf to Istanbul and Dusseldorf to Sabiha Gokcen. Food was perfect and hostesses were very friendly. Was an old 737-800 without Entertainment System but nothing to complain about because I was reading my Book. Booked 2 months ago and paid only 100 Euro for a round trip. Who can beat that with a 4 Star Airline.

TK0452 16/10/2013 return TK0451 21/10/2013. Flight Donetsk-Istanbul. Staff were good and friendly. There was no problem with the language (all speak English well). Meal was good plenty of variety - (seafood vegetarian and so on). The most important thing with any airlines is safety that is why I choose Turkish Airlines when I go to Istanbul.

I've flown with Turkish many times normally Dar es Salaam - Istanbul - Helsinki but also to Los Angeles once. It's on time the food is good there's a good selection of entertainment and staff are polite. As an extra bonus you get two bags so 40 kg of luggage in economy class and you can take a free stopover in Istanbul.

Flew Amsterdam - Istanbul return. Fantastic flight food was first class. I was really amazed by the quality and quantity of food and drinks. The service is very attentive. Seats allow relatively good sleep. Nothing to complain about. great value for the price. Not my first flight with Turkish airlines and definitely not the last one.

We flew Helsinki-Istanbul-Kigali and Mombasa-Istanbul-Helsinki recently. The online booking and check-in was easy the website is very user friendly (no OLCI at Mombasa though). The planes on HEL-IST-HEL were Airbus equipment one older and one new with state-of-the-art entertainment system. The older one had only overhead screens showing flight tracking only. The seats were a bit cramped could have more legroom. On African sectors brand new B 737-900ER were used. These planes are very comfortable leather seats with good legroom and big seatback screens with latest movies. I must say that they were nicest on-aisle planes I ever flown with. On all sectors the meal and drink service was very good cannot remember when I last could select my meals from menu card in economy class. The cabin service was professional and friendly. Some lack of cabin discipline though people were allowed to walk around and tray tables were used immediately after take-off. All flights arrived on-time and bags delivered. As all flights were normal I cannot comment how the problem situations are handled. For us the round- trip was perfect and I have no hesitation to use Turkish again.

MAN-IST-ICN. First time flying with Turkish Airlines. Booked my flights in June and travelled in December. Itinerary showed B739 and B773 but ended up flying in B738 and A340. The B738 was old and there was overhead screen for entertainment for MAN-IST a 4 hour flight. My seat's earphone plug-in was spoilt therefore inflight entertainment was as good as non-existed. IST-ICN flight entertainment was good but limited choices. Amenities were given on the IST-ICN flight which includes eye mask lip balm ear-plugs socks and slippers. The cabin was warm for some reason it was not like other airline's where the cabin would be cold. Food was tasty but not delicious. Service was average. Rarely notice any drink rounds on the 10 hour flight but they provided a bottle of water after meal. Witnessed a cabin crew just switched off a passenger's call button and walked away even before the passenger manage to speak. Overall Turkish Airlines was not as good as I expect from a top 10 airline.

Overall the flight from IST-IAH was very comfortable. The leg room and the comfort class seats were very comfortable. The only criticism I have is that the flight attendants never walk around for drink refills. For wine enthusiasts like I am this means you have to constantly ask for refills. Entertainment system was outstanding.

FCO-IST-ADS-IST-BCN over a 4 day period early December. A320 or 737 aircraft - all in decent shape. Seat comfort is fine and on the 737s the leg room was larger then some premium economy flights I've been on. Where Turkish excels is the food - quality and quantity beat any airline hands-down and I've travelled on over a hundred airlines. Flight attendants were friendly and all spoke English well. On-time or within 10 minutes of schedule - Ataturk Airport is a mess and all flights arrived or departed via gate stand so dealing with buses to and from the planes gets annoying. Overall for the money paid Turkish gives a good product. Again - as stated by many people- they keep their planes too warm. I wouldn't fly them on anything longer then 4 hours.

First time on TK flew KUL-IST and IST-IAH on economy. Flights were on time clean and with decent food. We were on an older A330 on the KUL-IST segment and a newer 777 on the IST-IAH segment. As several people have mentioned however the temperature in both planes were far too warm compared to other flights I've been on. Flight attendants were ok. Ground staff in IST were a bit on the slow side but professional and courteous. I would fly them again.

Istanbul-Los Angeles / New York-Istanbul. Mixed feelings for Comfort Class. Free wireless and live TV (only 4 channels though) clearly made the 14 hours of flying more tolerable. However we didn't have those on the return flight even though it was the same plane- 777-300. Service and catering have been great on both flights. Seat comfort however was below average since it's impossible to sleep with its angle. Despite other airlines premium passengers don't get separate check-in desk and lounge access. It also common to see economy passengers sneaking into comfort class and take the empty seats throughout the flight!

Just flew from LAX to IST in Comfort Class and economy from IST to DXB and back to LAX. The aircraft's were comfortable clean and the food above average in all classes flown. The FA's were polite and very friendly. I had a very tight connection on the way back from Dubai in Istanbul and my luggage made it to the connecting flight and my bags were undamaged. I commend Turkish on their service and professionalism. I will certainly fly them again.

I was flying from Dublin to Lagos with stopover at Istanbul. Dublin ground staff were exceptional but once I got on the flight everything went sour. Firstly the Dublin to Istanbul flight had no in-flight entertainment. At Istanbul it was near impossible finding an English speaking ground staff. Arranging accommodation was a nightmare because of the language barrier. After that was eventually sort getting to the hotel was so embarrassing as there was no wheelchair accessible cabs and the Turkish airlines staff were unwilling to help me into the bus so I had to be carried into the bus by 2 of the other passengers. And had to suffer the same humiliation for the drive back to the airport. It's really horrifying to think that they claim to be Europe's best airline.

I recently has 2 horrible experiences with this airline on my DC-Istanbul-Mumbai and Mumbai-Istanbul-Chicago flights. On my flight from Washington DC-Istanbul I received sub standard service from one of the air hostesses. Even after 4 requests I did not get any headsets. I was served dinner late and without any bread. The air hostess plainly ignored my request for coffee. While coming back from Mumbai-Istanbul I had booked row 29 seats but when I checked in I was given row 46 boarding passes that were not window seats. For window seats she offered me row 53 inflight row 53 was indeed the last row and I couldn't do anything. The food quality was not at all good and asking a preferred (Vegetarian or Special) meal doesn't make any difference. I will never fly Turkish again.

This was my first time on Turkish Airlines (Helsinki-Istanbul-Helsinki). The plane was ok I liked the leather seats and there was enough space for me. The seats seemed a bit "worn out " to me though. The plane could have been tidier I guess it had just brought passengers to Helsinki and there was only a little time to clean it. The toilets were much cleaner than on other airliners' planes which was nice. Food was really good and it felt luxurious to be able choose from two menus! They showed quite new movies during the flight but when we flew back to Helsinki there was no sound coming from the audio system. This problem affected all the passengers not just me. The flight attendant couldn't do anything about this problem. What really upset me was the cabin crew's attitude on safety matters. Flight attendants didn't care at all about the position of passengers' seats tray tables or hand luggage during take off and landing. It definitely didn't give a good impression of safety issues. I have also got used to cabin crew paying attention to seat belt sign during turbulent weather but they just let people move around and use toilets normally.

Flew CAI-IST-EZE. CAI-IST with A321 great Business Class seats was disappointed in 18 hrs trip to Buenos Aires when I booked back in August I was supposed to fly on the B773. However THY changed to A343 which was uncomfortable for this journey. Check-in was perfect food excellent as for the entertainment well the entire 18 hrs the entertainment was not working. Seats old and not as advertised. Lack knowledge in alcohol there is not trolley for alcohol drinks and they never ask you. If you pop that you need champagne or wine they might take 15 minutes to prepare it for you.

We flew IAH-IST-IAH in Business Class. The seat was extremely uncomfortable. The cabin temperature felt like a sauna. The food and the presentation was excellent. However the Flight Attendants did a very poor job attending to customers and keeping glasses filled. We had to continuously ask for another drink. The crew did not give the appearance of being approachable. Overall we were very impressed with their VIP Lounge and extremely disappointed with their check-in and onboard crew.

Flew last month Sao Paulo - Istanbul - Sharm el Sheikh - Cairo - Istanbul - Paris. All flights were on time. Staff and food very good. Maybe there is a lack of knowledge about the wines. Concerning the seats it depends on the aircraft. On the segment Sao Paulo - Istanbul it was an A340 with lie flat business seat which is not perfect for a 13 hours flight. The A319 between Istanbul and Sharm was like all European business class seats that means seats the same as in economy just a curtain between coach and business. Cairo - Istanbul A321 great seats 2X2 very comfortable for a 2 hours flight and the best seat was on the A330 between Istanbul and Paris. Full flat seat. A lot of room. Food was very good on all flights. A very good airline.

CPT to LGW via IST in economy. Another great flight with Turkish. Comfortable seating on both flights. Helpful and pleasant staff. Special meal provided as requested. Transfer at Istanbul slow due to the need for UK pax to have additional security clearance. On time flights and easy boarding for both. Good fare so highly recommended. Baggage at LGW took a long time but that the fault of Gatwick airport rather than the airline.

Flew 11/23 from IAH-IST and 11/30 from IST-IAH. Crew was professional and attentive though more bells and whistles (warm cloth before meal "comfort" package with eyemask etc.) on the flight from Turkey to America than from America to Turkey. IFE was perfect. Though I appreciated the footrest this is not a comfortable seat. I tossed and turned for the 12 hour flight finding it impossible to get a wink. High marks for the food. I had the vegetarian option and it was delicious but I also eyed other menu items and they looked great. Positive experience.

Flew from IAH-IST on November 23rd. Flight attendants yell from one side of the aircraft to the other while passengers try to rest. If this is Europe's Best Airline I can only imagine the other ones.

IST-AMS A332. Friend and I were in the CIP lounge where the staff remind you to keep track of your own flight status. We had plenty of time arrived at the lounge 2.5hrs prior to departure. At 1.5hr prior to departure I went for a smoke and the flight status was not open. After 10mins when I returned the status was last call. This was a bus gate boarding and was really unsatisfactory. Beware of this. I would fly TK again but this was a terrible experience.

I flew to Istanbul and back to Shanghai. On the first leg the flight was delayed 1 hour. When boarding was completed the flight was delayed another 40 mins due to air traffic control. I found a travel kit and slippers on the seat. Inflight wi-fi was not working. Food was quite good but no Chinese meal. Cabin crew worked very quickly and cleaned the toilets regularly. It was very cold in the cabin no one paid attention to it. On the way back the flight was on time. The other things were almost the same. Cabin crew and ground handling agents at Istanbul airport worked fast but did not seem to want to communicate with customers.

Whereas they claim to be Europe's best airline their ground services are appalling. My flight TK60 on 19 November to Kuala Lumpur was supposed to have left at 00.55 was delayed 6 hours. I landed in Istanbul at 22.20 from Germany to avail of the connecting flight. It was a nightmare to be stuck in Istanbul airport to face their most unprofessional and rude ground staff. A meal voucher was handed to me around 2.00 as though they were doing me a big favor. I have found their ground staff from security personnel to customer service very rude. Most airlines depend more on their economy passengers for profit. The rude attitude towards their economy passengers mar their slogan of being a 4 star airline. I will avoid Turkish airlines in future.

IST-GVA-IST. No problems except the utterly uncomfortable seats and the heat in the airplane. Although it is a short flight sitting 3+ hours in the their A320 seats is a torture the pitch must have been adjusted by the millimetre to squeeze in one or two more rows. Seats are hard and although I am of average height my knees toughed the front seat. The crew were as previously experienced on THY dull and not particularly friendly. Smiles are rare unfortunately. I do sometimes take this flight as it is the only direct connection between GVA and IST the option is with LX via ZRH but although it takes more time flying with Swiss is way more comfortable and you have a friendly crew.

Flew Istanbul - Tel Aviv return 09/11/2013 returned 16/11/2013. Fantastic flights which were largely fill in both directions. Food was first class and service very attentive. My first flight on Turkish and will definitely use them again.

I was flying from Europe to Shanghai than back from Kathmandu. On the first leg of my journey I was really amazed by the quality and quantity of food and drinks. On the way back the menu was considerably simpler but still satisfactory. Seats allow relatively good sleep plentiful movies offered on personal screen. Free inflight WiFi on the Shanghai route.

Travelling from Prague to Skopje through Istanbul and back. A319 + A320 provided very small room for legs. Cabin staff were not very pleased with my answer about missing pork meals. Sorry Turkish if you want to be "world- class" no favouring of any customers is a natural thing. Very bad experience at all.

I have flown Turkish Airlines several time this year and last! I have some current business in Turkey and Tanzania and used TA for these trips. The aircraft's were good the staff were good - couldn't fault them. However the food is the worst I have had on an aircraft. No more long flights with them! Only short so no need to eat.

Flew from Bangkok to Manchester on 16 November in business cabin on one of their Boeing 777 aircraft. The seating was fabulous I had my own private suite. The food was outstanding as were the cabin crew. If Turkish Airlines maintain this overall very high standard a five star rating would be awarded very soon. A delightful experience.

Flew from Zurich (ZRH) via Istanbul (IST) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and back. One of the flights got cancelled resulting in a 9-hours-stop-over in Istanbul. However the staff was very nice and helpful with rebooking to another flight. The flights were all comfortable nothing to complain about. The seats could be a little bit bigger. The food was good the entertainment on board during the flight from IST to NRT was very good with a good selection of movies. I would definitely recommend Turkish Airlines great value for the price!

Flew Turkish Airlines round trip from IAH to IST on a 777 in late October/early November 2013. The service and food were good. The entertainment system was very good. I had a personal video screen with good choices on movies including several recent ones. Also had games and TV shows. However the Wifi was not working on my return flight. The seat was very uncomfortable in economy. I am 5'10" and my knees were up against the seat pocket. I have never seen so little leg room on an international flight. The plane was too warm. The plane did not have individual temperature or air adjustments.

Having an early morning meeting in CAN I booked a Business Class ticket but when I boarded they showed me to an economy seat saying business was full. Before my return flight I called the call center to try to resolve this and to not have this again. The woman could not speak English or German very well and was very rude. I asked her for her name and she hung up on me. I did have Business on return but still felt I had been conned into paying business for Eco class on the way out.

Milas/Bodrum to IST at the end of October. The airport at Milas seems relatively new. Check in staff pleasant and efficient. Lounge was good for a regional airport. Cabin crew very good.

Tel Aviv - Istanbul - Edinburgh. Both flights on older 737s - very little leg room IFE on small overhead screens too far away to see. I think IFE on the (short) Tel Aviv - Istanbul sector was a documentary about golf. Food on the Tel Aviv - Istanbul leg was a cold chicken salad Istanbul - Edinburgh was a warm breakfast. No choice. Service good. Flights early/punctual. Generally okay - much cheaper than the competition.

Flew Manchester to Bangkok on 30 October in Business class flights departed and arrived on time very comfortable and excellent seat pitch throughout food was plentiful and very tasty. Cabin crew although very professional were not that over friendly. Overall a wonderfully relaxed experience and highly recommended.

Istanbul - Venice return. Both flights comfortable and on time with reasonable leg room. Having the seat-back screen and the movie playing right up to touchdown on the return flight was something new for us on this airline. The food as is usual with Turkish was very good and the service was good too although I wish they'd relax and be a bit more smiley. My husband needed a wheelchair with very little notice and they and both airports coped very efficiently and with kindness.

Flew JFK to IST to KTM on Oct 9th and returned on Oct 26 2013. The flight from JFK was late night scheduled 11.55pm but told from ticket counter check in that flight will be delayed 45 minutes. Actual delay was more than an hour. The staff service was poor. We arranged a special meal for my son but the food never came. We asked for it but they were talking each other and never communicated to us. We instead asked for regular meal for my son. Staff service from KTM to IST to JFK was horrible. We asked for water and it never came. We had to ask staff give us something to drink. The food was very bad and we were hungry for most of the time.

Worst Customer Service. The trip to Istanbul went without a hitch. The trip from Istanbul to Barcelona was delayed. Their customer service is quite horrible. Handling of the baggage is poor and the response from the airport staff and their centralized customer service is terrible. If I had to fly again I would pay a premium and fly United or an alternate airline. I do have to admit that the food was great on the flight. The conditions on the bathrooms was quite appalling as well.

IKA to IST and IST to Milan and return AMS to IST and IST to IKA in the last month. Seats was very small and uncomfortable. Food served onboard was very bad and I didn't eat anything. Not satisfied with this airline.

Edinburgh - Istanbul - Tel Aviv 18 October. EDI-IST flight on a very modern Boeing 737 lots of legroom (I'm 1.92m/6'3" tall). Choice of hot meal IFE individual screens service okay. IST-TLV not so good - older Airbus A321 very cramped. The passenger in front of me simply had no room to recline his seat (and he tried). Food disappointing - cold chicken salad no choice. IFE individual screens.

Flew LHR to IST and return in last few days. Both legs on A321. Outward aircraft modern with excellent in flight entertainment surprisingly good really for a European flight. Return flight on older aircraft with no seat back tv but service was polite and food of decent quality. Both flights on time (in fact slightly early) and I can see why they have a good reputation. Impressed and will use again.

I flew Turkish a couple of times in the past months and the most conspicuous feature was the seats lacking the adjustable headrest often the lack of the footrest and the lack of personal in-flight entertainment. The food was just sufficient. But the worst was on an international overseas flight of 2 hours where the in-flight entertainment on overhead screens was a football documentary. The staff were as kind and helpful as possible and the overall flight was satisfactory.

We travelled TK 1035 IST-BUD on 20 September. I had the window seat my partner the middle and an obese person who needed the extension seat belt was in the aisle. We paid AUD 553 each for the two hour flight (expensive by world standards due to no competition). My partner had the most uncomfortable journey as the obese person was spilling over into his space. Unsafe and uncomfortable. All airlines need to address this disgraceful practice inflicted on passengers who are within a healthy weight range.

London to Dhaka via Istanbul twice in the last month. Usually I have a good experience with Turkish. However this time it was not so great. The London to Istanbul segments were mostly OK with the exception of the last return flight which was one of the most unpleasant flights I have had in a long time. It started with the children from hell in the row behind. The aircraft was an older A321 which had very poor leg room no IFE to speak of and it was too hot. One lady was quite ill because of the heat. The cabin crew refused to do anything despite complaints. I think everyone just wanted to get off so we were not pleased at having to fly around London on hold for half an hour. The Istanbul/Dhaka part is not operated by Turkish but by Meridiana an Italian charter operation. The A330 aircraft are old and do not come close to the normal Turkish standard. The IFE was very limited - no video on demand seats were old and business seats were basic and not worthy of the price. All airlines seem to put their worst and oldest aircraft on the routes into this part of Asia. I have flown with Emirates and Qatar Airways and both do the same. It is unfair as you do not pay any less for the ticket. On the positive side the overcrowding of the business lounge in Istanbul has improved. I did not have to sit on the floor on any of the 3 times I used it.

Brutal service experience. IST to LHR. Family of 4 with young children. Seats not assigned together (over rode the Travel Agent request). Staff told me it was my problem. Said I had to negotiate seat moves onboard. Departure gate staff appear to be contracted out so don't really care. Not sure why they are part of Star Alliance as they don't seem to care about Star Alliance patrons either. The experience was only made worse by some flight attendants who didn't seem to care much for courtesy and politeness with passengers. Strongly recommend using an alternative to travel to/from Turkey.

IST-KUL A330. Flight delayed 1hr 20 mins and arrived 1hr late. Poor room allowance for Economy and poor food. Did not partake of on-board entertainment so cannot judge. Whilst I would recommend Turkish airlines for the GTW-IST leg of my two (separate) legged flight this flight was nowhere near as nice.

Birmingham to Dalaman via Istanbul and return. First time I've used Turkish Airlines and it won't be the last. Clean comfortable planes with plenty of leg room friendly crew members good meal on 4hr flight and snacks on short domestic flight. I usually use a charter flight direct to Dalaman to avoid having to change planes in Istanbul but it was an easy transfer and it actually cost less than any of the charter flights. My only complaint would be that the cabin was very hot and the air conditioning was ineffective.

I and my husband were traveling from LAX round trip. The travel agent did all booking so I suppose the pricing was fair. From LAX to Istanbul the plane was new and clean although restrooms after 3 hours were dirty until the end of 13 hour long flight. No soap no paper towels to dry wet hands on. Seats were uncomfortable we felt squashed between rows. Food was good. Service was OK. Entertainment was outdated. The air in the cabin was OK. Return from Istanbul to LAX the plane was full. This time we got an old plane seats were extremely uncomfortable food was bad and the air in the cabin was hot and stuffy toilet conditions were awful. Could not sleep a minute. Given a choice I would stay away from Turkish.

Flew from LGW-IST-DAR-JRO-MBA-IST-LHR all with Turkish. Was disappointed by the size of the seats. The service onboard was quite rude and the quality of the food was poor. I also found the check-in agents quite rude. My IFE was not working with no apology. I would not recommend Turkish Airlines from this experience.

GVA-IST-KTM return. Inconsistency is the hallmark of Turkish Airlines. It was very nice to have free drinks a nice dinner and an in-flight movie (screens above the seats) on a 3 hour European flight. However on the next leg to Kathmandu there was no seat-back IFE and when they played the movie you got English in one ear and Turkish in the other. (I would have liked a movie to block out the sound of the 3 infants near my seat.) On the way back there were seat back screens all the way even on the short-haul flight back to Geneva. The food was superb although I never know why airlines flying to majority Hindu countries don't have a vegetarian option and Turkish coffee would have been nice. Cabin attendants don't seem too concerned with safety (I don't think they check to see if seatbelts are done up) and while they may appear unfriendly I think many passengers don't pick up on the Turkish "long-blink-with-pursed-lips" facial expression equivalent of a smile. The policy of having one cabin attendant per trolley didn't seem to be too efficient. The two-class configuration on short haul (where one of the cabin attendants is designated as a "chef") may actually result in a lower staff-passenger ratio for economy passengers compared to a low-cost carrier where they need to sell. At times the staff seemed a bit overwhelmed Short delay on the Kathmandu flights - not a big deal but no explanation. On some sectors the pilots didn't address the passengers at all and other times they did. Finally the complementary tour of Istanbul for transit passengers (including food) is a nice touch. Clearly Turkish have the right idea they just need to standardise their product.

Flew HKG-CDG-HKG Premium Economy Aug/Oct 2013 with a stop in Istanbul. Unfortunately Istanbul - CDG leg was in economy as no Premium available. Both Premium and Economy were miles above most airlines for service comfort and food. The entertainment system was great with plenty of movies and music. Free wifi was a bonus I didn't expect. Definitely want to fly Turkish again.

London LGW to BKK via IST. Business Class Passenger. LGW-IST sector on older Airbus. Only 2 out of 20 BC passengers. Only BC Toilet out of action. Seat Mechanism did not operate. Could not eject remote control from socket. Food very bland and wine selection poor. LCD screen at alternative seat very faint and could not be adjusted. IST-BKK sector had much new Aircraft but again food quality very ordinary despite one attendant being dressed as "Chef" Food was microwaved and very bland. Indifferent staff on both sectors. Got distinct impression that if they liked you you got better service.

LHR-IST-DAC. LHR-IST in cramped A320 rushed and poor service with cabin crew having very poor English skills. Crew forgot to serve our row and when this was pointed out was shown palm as she was 'busy' and would deal with it when she had time. Finally got meal served 45 minutes later than other passengers. On arrival at Istanbul TK ground staff showed indifference to questions asked about the complimentary 'TourIstanbul' offer for long transits indicating I would have to find out at my own initiative if I could avail it and that they would not be able to provide any advise! Ataturk Airport is busy but has a good selection of duty free and some nice lounges. IST-DAC on leased Meridiana Aircraft. Terrible flight poor service. However flight departed on time and arrived early. I had no in-seat entertainment console/remote as it had been ripped off its place I assume hence was unable to view inflight entertainment - did not miss much it was only 5 channels of not-so-new movies. Cabin crew were lax with security and the service was very poor. TK takes pride in their 'Turkish Hospitality' but I found the hospitality of theirs quite poor to be truthful. I certainly will not be flying with them again. TK is no competition for the likes of EK QR or even BA for that matter.

My decision to fly this time with Turkish was based on getting a flight at the most economic price with the shortest stopovers: Stuttgart via Istanbul to Cape Town and back. I was pleasantly surprised! The service at the counter was very professional and friendly. No long queues. No hassle with a bag being slightly too thick (having to be re-packed as done at other airlines) and an allowance of 30kg checked in baggage great. Unlike the often older aircraft used by other airlines the planes Airbus were modern and the entertainment systems worked. The food and refreshments excellent! Service good. What a pleasant surprise to be able to purchase goods at the airport in Istanbul in Euros. My only advisory comment is that Turkish need to train their staff how to handle difficult (or rude) customers as they sometimes seemed to be impatient with these. I will definitely fly Turkish again and highly recommend it.

JFK-IST Sep 25. IST-TLV Sep 30. TLV-IST Oct 14. IST-JFK Oct 14. There was not enough leg room. Service was OK. Entertainment system failed twice. Flight crew ignored passengers without seat belts during bumpy ride and during landing. Announcements in English were incomprehensible. Food was excellent! Price was much lower than competition.

HEL-IST-HEL. I was impressed the short check in both ways the planes boarded left and arrived in time the luggage was quickly delivered (in Istanbul already when reaching the belt). The plane was a new AB321 and clean. A real lunch with beverage was served (with a menu and choice of two dishes). The crew was at the highest adequate (this a clear development point) but not friendly. Name tags for the bag were finished both in Helsinki and Istanbul.

My wife and I flew from Istanbul to Abu Dhabi on flight TK 0868 on Thur 17 Oct 2013. It had been a great holiday but the flight out was a real let down. For inexplicable reasons our seats were in a hot zone in the plane and we felt like we were being subjected to some sort of in-flight sauna! We did ask the flight attendant (twice in fact) if she could let the flight engineer know of our discomfort. Nothing changed and our four hour flight was awful (not helped by the fact that my wife already felt under the weather). The staff member to whom we reported the fault appeared genuinely sympathetic but although the rear seats in the plane did get cooler we sweltered the whole trip. I think Turkey's a great place and would like to visit it again - but I will not travel on Turkish airlines again.

My partner and I flew on TK 1035 from IST-BUD on 20th September 2013. We board and I have the window my partner the middle seat and a very large passenger sits in the aisle. Had to have an extension seat belt and spilled over into my partner's seat. We paid AUD 553 each for the one way trip. I'm only 162cm and I felt squashed.