Turkish Airlines

I had return flight CDG-TBS-CDG via Istanbul by Turkish last month. The service overall was really excellent. The food was very good nicely presented and tasty. Cabin attendants were professional in all flights nothing to complain about. Seats are ok for a couple of hours flights with the overhead screens and consequently limited entertainment. I have three observations for improvement: 1) The Business lounge in Sabina airport is very unpleasant a box size room with no edible food available. 2) The Ataturk airport (I had it for return flight) was extremely busy and flights are usually delayed for 30-45 minutes. 3) I observed that the light in cabins during the boarding catering (almost two hours) and landing was extremely bright (it is annoying when there is late evening or night flight). In general Turkish and Lufthansa are the best choices for Tbilisi.

Flew from IST to ESB on A321. The Business class configuration is typical of the European short haul flights with the middle seat left empty. Legroom is limited and hardly an improvement over Economy. Aircraft was showing its age and as with all TK flights I have been on the air was stuffy and stale. Flight attendants came across as aloof and did not seem to be interested in engaging with the passengers beyond the most basic requirements of their duties. Good meal service for a short flight. There was moderate turbulence throughout the flight resulting in spilled drinks. The FA's did not bother to clean up the spill on my table even though it was evident at the time they collected the meal service. The crews on TK really need to improve their English skills as their announcements are barely understandable and would represent a real concern in the event of an emergency. As well my experience on all of TK flights leave me questioning the safety culture of the FA's as they tend to ignore basic in-flight safety breaches such as passengers standing up while the aircraft is taxiing and leaving their tables down during takeoff and landings. The flight left late due to congestion at Istanbul airport but was otherwise uneventful. Their domestic service is clearly superior to North American and many European carriers and is certainly good value for money. With some attention to cabin service and improved FA performance this airline can easily maintain its status as Europe's best but has a long way to go to compete with Asian and Middle Eastern carriers on long-haul routes.

IAH-IST-IAH. Airline has one of the freshest services on board. Food is tasty and abundant so is beverage service but this is not very diverse with brands. Seat pitch in PE is huge. The only big issue is customer service.

IST-LAX flight. It was a B777. The seats were extremely comfortable compared to other transatlantic flight I took over the year (i.e. Mostly Austrian and Lufthansa). The service was excellent. The staff friendly and the food delicious. The plane seemed to me just out of production and the IFE was much better than what I am used to with Austrian (which I prefer generally for financial reasons). The only complaint would be the price you have to pay for THY flights. It is generally 50% more than what Austrian offers.

TK21 PEK to IST. Orderly and on time boarding. Was asked to relocate to a different seat than the one pre- assigned in order to accommodate a passenger with physical disability. Ended up in a window seat as no other aisle seats were available. The Purser tried very hard and apologized profusely. A warm approach I am not used to receiving from TK FA's. Cabin as with many TK flights very warm and air stale. Comfortable lie-flat seats with plush blanket and soft pillow. The shell style seats do not offer much storage room and are narrower than other business class seats. Attentive service throughout the flight with FA's frequently checking on passengers. Good meal and wine selection although main course was somewhat tasteless. AVOD system with 20 inch screens and a wide selection of movie and music options although somewhat dated. The highlight of the flight was the free WiFi which is a very nice touch. Overall a pleasant experience.

TK 0035 IST Ataturk-Montreal June 17 2014. Booking the flight one month in advance: both my travel agent and I tried to secure an exit row seat. I expected to pay for it. The airline was impossible to reach from Canada. At check-in the seat selected by the travel agent was changed to an unacceptable one. A request to upgrade for business cabin was denied. On the ground at Ataturk a long and very slow line-up in the corridor just to enter the gate (an additional security check - we have gone through the passport control as well as the security already). Not a single seat available. The security agents behaved like Canadian immigration officials interrogating people about purposes of their trips but no information was going into computers. Younger people were sitting on the floor older ones standing there with their bags looked tortured already. The plane was jammed full. The seats in Economy were really cramped no legroom (a 10hr flight). Rude FA's and completely devoid of smiles. Dismissive and unhelpful to boot trying to ignore passengers as much as possible. Dirty lavatories with pileups of used paper towels on top of garbage boxes no toilet seats available.

I flew Dublin - Istanbul - Doha - Istanbul - Dublin. Business class seats are very uncomfortable with minimal recline think BA Club Europe. Crew would rather be at home no eye contact or smile. EN Route from IST-DOH I was the only person in business class and had to ask the captain and 2 female flight attendants to lower their voice they were literally shouting and laughing it was a 00.35 departure so I wanted to sleep they did not dim the lighting. On the return leg DOH-IST I managed some sleep but was woken by the inflight chef snoring in the seat next to me. IST-DUB I slept through the meal service when I woke I tried to get some water but no one came from the bell I went to the galley which was deserted. There were two flight attendants serving economy class someone came from economy class after about 10 minutes to help me. There is no priority boarding for business class. Great lounge in Istanbul.

Flew TK041 from Johannesburg to Istanbul on 12 June. The flight was full and as a result it was one of the most cramped flights I have experienced. Not for the faint hearted. The major issue is the A330's they use on the route are old and tired. The upholstery was worn through and coming apart from the seats. Very tacky for an airline striving to be one of the world's best. There was minimal leg room in fact on sitting down my legs were already jammed into the seat in front. I don't think I would fly with them again - will probably take the longer route via Dubai. Emirates' seats have far more leg room on the 777's. The service itself was great it was just the planes that were awful!

EDI-IST 31st May. Very New 737-800 with latest IFE system. Very comfortable seats. Excellent economy class food. IST-ERC 31st May. Old A321 Very cramped poor seats but short flight. 11th June ERC-IST. Again old cramped A321. IST-EDI Another very new 737-800 great seats excellent food again. Cabin staff on all flights very good. All flights on time.

VIE-IST on A330. Flight was overbooked in Economy. Although seats in Business Class available it was not possible to upgrade against miles or cash. Cabin chef extremely rude to ground staff and me. I am Elite (star alliance gold) member with the TK programme Miles and Smiles and we were seated in two cramped middle seats - this is how TK treats loyal customers. Worst experience for a long time. Inflight entertainment not updated since January.