It took me one hour at the Hotel Transit desk and then a minibus drove me to the Hilton Garden Golden Horn.
It was the first time I saw a Turkish driver that respected speed limits: without doubt he should know that the warnings for radar checks were not fictitious ;)
The room was very nice but the buffet breakfast was less good than the Ramada's. In addition, a large group of Chinese tourists had filled the breakfast room which was not very large.
Very positive : free wifi was available
At 10 o'clock the next morning a van picked me up, then went to another hotel before it dropped all passengers off at the airport after a 50 minutes drive.
After a first security check to enter the airport, I headed to security and immigration checks dedicated to TK's lounge
As the day before there is only one person ahead of me and the astonishment of the immigration officer at my boarding pass already quite buffered, that made him to take a little longer (but he did not ask any questions, he will only write the time of my first entry).
I was not really hungry but didn't want to disappoint the Do & Co cooks, so I ate a little bit of Apfel strudel and cheesecake.
The lounge was still great even though I noticed increased attendance: anyway, yet I've never had a problem finding a place
Corporate picture
It changed a few minutes later so here also the last one
It was already time to go at the gate because there were additional checks for flights to U.S. destinations. On the way I was still on time to spotter slightly
Sun facing, it made difficult to recognize this Air Azerbaijan
This MH
or this Air Jordan that I'd have the luck to review later
By the other side it is easier to recognize the MS
and A320 Air Scone ;)
Here was a brother of my 77W which will fly me to the City of Angels
Scone Air forced its way among the Turkish tails
I arrived in the boarding area where there is first an examination on the contents of hand luggage and check of visa / ESTA
I was not able to spot my 77W at the gate : I had to wait the boarding and to take a picture from the jetbridge
Boarding began almost immediately by calling families and business class but there was a big rush and everyone was rushing in the jetbridge
This was my 77W: Rumeli's first flight on 24/11/2010 Disappointment because there was no wifi on board: (
Unfortunately I wasn't able to have a better picture
I managed to slip (yes it is possible) in the crowd and I get the first in the Business cabin
My seat 2K : full flat bed
Pitch (sorry my legs were not long enough)
View from my seat
Here came the Air Jordan on its way to leave !
The remote control and the outlet
The Ottoman (what could be more natural for TK) with locations for storage and slippers
The seat main control
The table
Our neighbor
Headphone in its storage
Welcome beverage : another one of those delicious juice lemon / mint leaves
Push back
Safety screen
Long haulage
The TK A340 in Star Alliance livery
Unknown to me : Tahran Air
a TK with a funny livery
The TK Star Alliance takes off
Another company that I've never heard of before : Bosphorus European
Take-off
Ataturk Airport
Distribution of an oshibori
My cute neighbor sitting in 1K, Leadership's terror, will be very nice and even not cry Note that she was traveling with her mother and her father who was travelling in PE or eco but was able to access the Business cabin throughout the flight
Distribution of the menu, the wine list and the amenity kit
Wine list : not very brilliant except Gosset Brut Grande Reserve which will be my choice
The Amenity kit is branded Crabtree & Evelyn (Is it a brand ?) Such as the cosmetics that it contains and can be used as cover for tablet
Content
Always snowy landscapes
Orders by the onboard Do & Co chef
Aperitif
The Amuse Bouche is very good but there is no more nuts?
The table is set, choice of hot breads
The beautiful arc we'll fly with some night over Greenland
The appetizers trolley
My choice was an excellent hummus and some shrimps
The trolley service offers more choices but the presentation is not as good as a plated appetizer in galley
Then the Wedding soup (Turkish specialty): I would have eaten more ;)
And tournedos: good, not dry, but I would have preferred a little more raw The stuffed eggplant was exceptionally good
The toilet where I found a diaper belonging probably to my neighbor 1K :)
The onboard chef for desserts
The trolley with cheeses, fruits and desserts
Same comment as for inputs: the presentation is less beautiful than a plate erected in galley
For dessert my ranking: lemon cheesecake and chocolate mousse, profiteroles and ice cream with mango really too trivial
Then pass another trolley with coffee / tea and digestive
Distribution of small bottle of water and the cabin is darkened
I prepared my list of favorite music and I positioned the Panasonic IFE on airshow
This 77W has two cameras that can show outside views
IFE has crashed but it will restart itself
The remote is displaying the time remaining to the destination
I opened my window when peeking over Greenland but it is night A little later over northern Canada
Two hours before landing lights are on dim mode Distribution of an oshibori
Choice between water and a very good quality orange juice (with pulp)
Cabin
I allow myself a quick photo of the GE90 and non winglet before closing the window
The snack tray: always two appetizers, a hot entree with two choices, cheese and dessert
Some croutons
An error on the menu, this was not a rice cake but a delicious tiramisu
We flow over Salt Lake City ;)
The Do & Co cook to offer tea or coffee The kofte arrived : a anecdote my neighbor had forgotten that there was still hot food and had already eaten his dessert
We continued our journey over beautiful snowy landscapes
The always faithful GE90s
An airport ONT? SNA?
We flow now over a suburb of LA
Downtown LA
Approach to the airport
Landing
Rolling near an A345 SQ
AA : I really want to fly them after reading the FRs of Kim II Flav and Damien ;)
an UA
A thought for our Tahiti's friends
and of course for our Taiwan's ones
The route we followed
See more
Verdict
Turkish Airlines
9.1/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering9.5
Turkish Airlines Lounge
10.0/10
Comfort10.0
Meal/catering10.0
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Services10.0
Istanbul - ISL
9.4/10
Efficiency9.5
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0
Los Angeles - LAX
8.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0
Conclusion
Great crew for a great flight with a great Do & Co catering
The only weakness is the 2-3-2 cabin configuration
The TK IST Business lounge is in my opinion the best *Alliance Business Lounge
0 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
The photos worked yesterday but today indeed the photos are not working, I suppose we can thank Photobucket's greedy paws for this!
Superb FR as always, having recently flown TK I can definitely say it was one of my best experiences ever. Do you still stand by your opinion that the J product is not good value for money compared to their comfort class product?
Wonderful report as usual. The menu is tantalizing and the food looks absolutely delicious. TK utterly deserves its Best European Airline award. Thanx for this experience
Thanks for this beautiful and comprehensive report! The catering looks very good and is well presented. Beautiful aerial photos! knowing your habits I'm shocked that's all you ate in the lounge :-) p.s. the diaper in the lav...EEEEEWWWWWW!!! Even in J people can be disgusting. Seriously...there's a trash bin 2 feet away--use it! YUCK lol
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11 Comments
Only the videos work.
Hope you can fix it soon.
Superb FR as always, having recently flown TK I can definitely say it was one of my best experiences ever. Do you still stand by your opinion that the J product is not good value for money compared to their comfort class product?
Thanks again!
Bye Bye greedy photobucket ;)
The menu is tantalizing and the food looks absolutely delicious.
TK utterly deserves its Best European Airline award.
Thanx for this experience
Amazing wing view <3 and great service by TK !
Beautiful spotting at LAX !!
The airports before Downtown LA are San Bernardino and Ontario.
Very nice pictures ,nice to have had the Azerbaijan 767 ,
very good catering EK , I love their catering on board,
À bientôt
p.s. the diaper in the lav...EEEEEWWWWWW!!! Even in J people can be disgusting. Seriously...there's a trash bin 2 feet away--use it! YUCK lol
The grasitude food is gorgeous, the crew does a great job.
Maybe the red wine list may be improved.
Scenic views from the sky.
Thanks for that photobucket-free report.
The airports you flew over just before landing were:
Slightly A shaped configuration is SBD (Formerly Norton Air Force Base) San Bernardino, CA
Mostly Parallel Runways = ONT Ontario, CA
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