Turkish Airlines Business Class
Istanbul (IST) – Bangkok (BKK)
20:15 (20:33A) – 09:50 (09:18A) [9:35 Hours]
Monday 23 September 2019
Airbus A330-300 (TC-JOK)
Seat: 5K
Cost: THB 89,933 (Promotion Fare)
This is a part of a trip Philadelphia 2019.
The Transfer
We arrived at the new Istanbul Airport at 16:25 on TK12, and took around half an hour to taxi to our parking stand. Interestingly, we did not have to pass through additional security since we were arriving from the USA and was let in to the departure floor at the gate. So, we proceeded to the lounge to wait for our connecting flight to Bangkok.
Lounging Around
Having already visited the Turkish Airlines Lounge Business already on the outbound journey, I was pleased that I had plenty of time to relax in the lounge in Istanbul.
Like the outbound journey, the shower room was the first stop. I was desperately in need of a shower by this point since we weren’t able to shower at the Lufthansa Lounge at JFK. This is also definitely one of the best lounge shower room in the world.
Here are pictures of food from the buffet spread in the lounge:
After the amazing shower it was time for food. Below was my selection from the buffet spread, plus a very nice cafe latte:
Boarding & Taking Off
By the time I left the lounge, it was already dusk, getting dark. I made my way to Gate D15 to find that boarding has already begun in an orderly process. The line for Business Class was clear and not blocked, which was appreciated.
As usual, a tray of beverages was offered and I choose Orange Juice since I find Turkish’s OJ out of IST to be amazing.
We pushed back on time and departed Istanbul at 20:33 on the runway adjacent to the terminal building.
The Seat
Similar to all flights on this trip, this is the current standard long-haul Turkish Airlines Business Class seat, it is a lie-flat seat arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. This is also the newer version of the seat, similar to TK11’s. My seat 5K is the last seat in the cabin and is missing a window, so I have to lean forward a bit to see the view.
The Dinner
The menus were provided by the “on-board chefs” before take off. There are two meal services on this flight: dinner and breakfast before landing.
This is the menu for today:
Dinner service began with Coke Zero and assorted canapes:
After the canapes, the flight attendant started setting up the table:
Like TK11, which is a long haul flight leaving Istanbul, there is an appetizer cart service instead of pre-plated appetizer:
I was quite full from the lounge, so I went for less rather than more. I had the Salmon, Shrimp, and Hummus:
I had the Swordfish for my main course, which was really good:
Dessert cart:
I had chocolate moose for dessert, which was good. The presentation is a bit lacking, however:
It was my fourth flight with Turkish on this trip, so I was then quite familiar with the food quality and service protocol. This is a typically good meal on Turkish Airline’s Business Class, which is better than most airlines.
The Sleep
The crew came around all the business class passengers to turn down the seat before dinner. The seat turn down consists of a thin mattress pad, a pillow cover, and a thicker blanket (in addition to the thin one given during boarding).
The Breakfast
It was around the break of dawn when we were woken up for breakfast:
This was the breakfast card that we gave to the on-board chef before our dinner:
Breakfast begun with the cold cut and cheese plate. The strawberry smoothie was very good and I really liked the walnut & tomato spread.
This was then followed by the omelette:
I remembered truly enjoying this breakfast. It was definitely much better than the breakfast on TK12 (the french toast). This was a great way to finish the culinary journey on board Turkish Airline’s Business Class.
Landing
We landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 09:18, interestingly from the South, which is not common for September.
The Experience
This is the last of the four flights I have with Turkish Airlines in Business Class, Bangkok to New York JFK round trip. This flight is quite similar to all the other flights on this trip and I would say that Turkish Airlines is a great choice for flying to New York considering the fare they charged us. The only downside is really that the seats are in pairs, so it is not so suitable for solo travelers.
Long-Haul Business Class
- Departure & Lounge: 5/5 (amazing lounge experience and organized boarding)
- Aircraft & Seat: 4/5 (good quality seat, but not all aisle access)
- Food: 4.5/5 (Overall good meals on this flight)
- Sleep: 4/5
- Service: 4/5 (The FA on this flight is friendlier than other flights)
- Entertainment: 4.5/5 (very good selection)
- Arrival & Time: 5/5
Total: 31/35 (88%) B+
Life Well Traveled 