Turkish Airlines flies their 777 nonstop from Istanbul to New York. I’ll probably win the award for slowest trip report written, but this is the conclusion to my earlier report from 13 months ago. I’ve typed up a few of my notes, but I’ll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves.
After my free tour of Istanbul I returned to the Istanbul airport. Security was quick and I made my way back to the Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge. With a few hours before my flight I decided to take a quick nap and shower to be well rested… so I could take another nap on my flight.
Business Class was lightly loaded and I had the seat next to me free. The flying chef passed Godiva chocolates and then came around with menus taking main course orders.
I ordered a Scotch from the flight attendant and was served Macallan 12. I’m confident she gave me half the bottle. Plus two points. (My notes start getting a little blurry after this point.) Along with the Scotch I was served a ramekin of cold nuts. Minus three points.
The starter had a selection of appetizers. The fish was tasty alongside very tender octopus, couscous, and yogurt. Next was a soup course. Then the main course of lamb which was well seasoned but overcooked and a little dry. The meal was finished with two cheeses, grapes and a sweet caramel flan.
I then reclined my seat to the flat position and slept for five hours through some very light chop. The arm rest does not retract making these seats slightly narrower than I would have liked. Overall the hard product was decent. There was enough seat pitch to make climbing over your neighbor possible.
After waking up I was served a light meal of salmon, dolma, eggplant, hummus and one glass of juice. I was parched from sleeping and could have used a second glass. However my Turkish is terrible (read: zero) making a slight language barrier between myself and the flight attendant – but overall the staff was attentive.
I took a quick peek behind the curtain to Comfort Class. The Turkish premium economy seating.
We arrived a little late into JFK but overall a very pleasant flight. The tail camera is displayed on the seat-back TV providing a unique view. I snapped a (blurry) pic of Manhattan from the window.
Overall a very enjoyable flight. The free tour in Istanbul and the Business Class lounge make Turkish a very good choice for any Star Alliance flyer.
