Review of Turkish Airlines flight Copenhagen Istanbul in Business

Airline Turkish Airlines
Flight TK 1784
Class Business
Seat 2A
Aircraft Airbus A321
Flight time 03:20
Take-off 20 Nov 15, 12:25
Arrival at 20 Nov 15, 16:45
TK   #13 out of 95 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 776 reviews
jetsetpanda
By 4057
Published on 12th December 2015
Hello and welcome to this new segment in which I take my first Europe-Asia flight aboard TK, one of my favorite airlines. The CPH-IST-HKG legs are the only portions of the RTW schedule that were paid.

Speaking of paid J fares, if you are debating which program to credit your miles, let me introduce you to this helpful website if you didn't know about it. It tells you which airlines you can credit your fare to in one page. It certainly makes life easier for some of us.

http://www.wheretocredit.com/


My schedule so far:

SFO-LHR on UA Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12219.html
LHR-LIS on TP Y - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12240.html
LIS-MAD on IB J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12281.html
MAD-LHR on IB J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12318.html
LHR-HEL on AY J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12341.html
HEL-CPH on AY J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12412.html
CPH-IST on TK J - you are here.
IST-HKG on TK J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12641.html
HKG-SFO on CX J - http://flight-report.com/en/report-12980.html


I arrived in CPH on a cold and rainy day and headed to the Absalon hotel located by the Central Station. During my very short stay I visited Tivoli and strolled through Strøget during the early evening trying to make the most out of my limited time in this lovely city. A bonus will be featured at the end of this FR.

The Absalon was a very nice hotel and breakfast was included in my rate. Upon seeing how crowded the dining room was when I checked out, I skipped it and decided to have a bite at the SK lounge instead. Besides, I had to save room for lunch on board TK which I expected to be very good.

When I booked this trip many months ago, this flight was supposed to be operated by an A330 and I was excited and looking forward to this ride. Fast forward to a couple of months ahead and one day I received an email from TK advising me of a change in the schedule. There was a minor time change of a few minutes in the departure time, but the big disappointment was an aircraft change and now my flight was operated by an A321. Needless to say, I went through the five stages of grief and eventually came to terms with this modification. :P

On the way to Central Station from the hotel.

photo DSC09901


I took the convenient train to the airport and within 15 min. arrived at my destination. I checked in at the TK counter and a friendly agent asked me for my frequent flyer number since there was none on the record. When I bought the ticket, this information was already entered. Then a few weeks before I called TK reservations to verify my seat assignment and also my frequent flyer information and everything was OK. Now I am standing at the airport counter and I am being told this. This was mildly frustrating to say the least and I decided to just credit the trip to my new minted CM card with *A Gold status. I asked the agent what happened to the information that was entered before and she said that sometimes the computer do not register the account numbers and this is a common problem. She advise me that I can access the SK lounge and suggested me to leave early from the lounge since I will still have to clear Immigration and the lines could be very long. I thanked her and headed to security.

TK counter.

photo DSC09906


There was a big line at security but thankfully I had priority because I was in J and all I had to do is scan my boarding pass at the fast track lane. Security was a bit involved and I had to open my carry on luggage and wait for a second inspection of my bag. I later discovered that I lost my lock during this process but thankfully a carried two spare ones in cases like these so it was not a big deal.

Inside the gates.

photo DSC09908


I browsed a bit and decided to buy some Fazer chocolates which were slightly cheaper in CPH than in HEL. Then I found the SK lounge and a few people were standing in front of the receptionist so I entered through the right side by scanning my boarding pass.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (1)photo SK lounge @ CPH (3)photo SK lounge @ CPH (4)


I took the lift up and was greeted by a spacious area. I saw that there was a small lounge area to my left and settled there while I explored the buffet area.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (18)


Small lounge area to the left of elevator exit.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (20)


Buffet.




Beverages.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (7)


Seating area by the buffet. There were more areas behind the buffet.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (16)


My selection.

photo SK lounge @ CPH (21)


I decided to leave at about 50 min. before departure and there was a huge bottleneck by the passport lanes. It took a good 20-25 min. to clear and luckily my gate was right after passport control.

photo TK CPH-IST (1)


Two gate agents were at the gate counter checking passengers before they were allowed inside the seating area. Unfortunately my plane was hidden so this is the best shot that I managed to take.

photo TK CPH-IST (2)


Boarding was finally announced and people just started to line up without regards to priorities. I made sure that I was toward the front when all of a sudden this lady shows up and places herself ahead in the line. The agent said that there is a line but she ignored it and upon boarding I find out that she is in J and takes my window seat instead of the aisle. I settle in and she looks at me and says hello. I mention that she is in my seat but she doesn't seem to understand. Either she is playing dumb or doesn't speak English except for hello. I let it go and once boarding is finished, I noticed that there are a lot of empty seats in the back. I got up and claimed one of the rows for myself and now I had a window with no neighbor or passengers behind on the right side of the plane. This in the end turned out to be in my favor because upon taxiing I was able to catch a SK A340 landing. If I was seated in my original window seat on the other side, I wouldn't have caught this.

Chef greeting passengers aboard.

photo TK CPH-IST (6)


New new and improved seat.

photo TK CPH-IST (7)photo TK CPH-IST (54)photo TK CPH-IST (53)


Pre-dept. drink.

photo TK CPH-IST (8)


Plane spotting when taxiing out.

photo TK CPH-IST (9)photo TK CPH-IST (11)photo TK CPH-IST (12)


This is one dedicated to KevinDC. ;)

photo TK CPH-IST (10)


Safety video playing.

photo TK CPH-IST (13)


Perfect timing with this SK A340 arriving.

photo TK CPH-IST (14)


Bye CPH.

photo TK CPH-IST (15)photo TK CPH-IST (16)


Lokum.

photo TK CPH-IST (18)photo TK CPH-IST (21)


Handy side tray table by the armrest.

photo TK CPH-IST (17)


Hot towel before the meal service.

photo TK CPH-IST (20)


Menu.




The first appetizer course was delivered and I accompanied this with ayran (salted yogurt drink).

photo TK CPH-IST (39)


Appetizer. A lovely display with enticing tidbits.

photo TK CPH-IST (31)photo TK CPH-IST (37)


Shrimps.

photo TK CPH-IST (33)


Cheese.

photo TK CPH-IST (32)


Simit from the bread basket.

photo TK CPH-IST (35)


Utensils.

photo TK CPH-IST (38)


Salt and pepper shakers.

photo TK CPH-IST (41)


Dessert.

photo TK CPH-IST (34)photo TK CPH-IST (40)


Main dish - beef stew.

photo TK CPH-IST (42)photo TK CPH-IST (46)


Another round of bread from the basket.

photo TK CPH-IST (44)photo TK CPH-IST (45)


After the trays were cleared a FA offered hot drinks from a cart. I had some hot tea that was served with lokum and a package of hazelnuts.

photo TK CPH-IST (49)photo TK CPH-IST (50)photo TK CPH-IST (52)


Arriving into IST.




A few spotting shots.

photo TK CPH-IST (89)photo TK CPH-IST (94)photo TK CPH-IST (96)



–BONUS–

This was my second trip to CPH and it was a pleasure to return to this city. In my experience, I have found the Danes to be some of the friendliest people in Europe. I guess that that survey naming them the happiest people in the world must be true. Back in the late 90's when I came for the first time, Tivoli was closed so I took the opportunity this time to visit it. Afterwards I ventured into nearby Strøget and stroll through its festive streets.


Hotel Absalon

Very nice boutique hotel located next to Central Station.

photo DSC09900photo DSC09899photo DSC09765


Room.




Tivoli.




Strøget.




It was rainy and cold so at the end of the day I decided to get something to eat at a supermarket instead of going to a restaurant. To my surprise, the take out beef bourguignon was one of the best meals that I have had. The tender and juicy chunks of beef paired perfectly with the buttery mashed potatoes. It was delicious!


See more

Verdict

Turkish Airlines

9.3/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering10.0

SAS Gold

8.1/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Services8.0

Copenhagen - CPH

7.5/10
Efficiency3.0
Access9.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness10.0

Istanbul - ISL

7.8/10
Efficiency7.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

TK is one of my favorite airlines and I always enjoy flying with them. I had a half empty cabin and a row for myself, the catering was excellent and the flight attendants were friendly and polite. When I asked for some souvenirs with the logo of the airline, the purser gave me a couple of pens with a smile. Can't ask for anything more.

Catering is the pride and joy of TK and this flight did not disappoint. Everything was tasty and perfectly presented. This is one of the very few carriers that I look forward to dining onboard.

Related

16 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 152805 by
    lagentsecret 12186 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this FR

    Having the new(real) A321 business cabin is not that bad even if it's not a widebody

    The lounge food offer is really poor : what about the beverages ? (all is on the picture ???)

    I let it go and once boarding is finished,
    I wouldn't ! Even if this b*tch was dumb (at least not educated as she didn't respect the line) she could have read my boarding pass

    This business cabin is very comfy

    The catering is appetizing as often with TK

    Nice bonus as as usual : great to be able to find a good beef bourguignon there

    See you soon for the next leg
    • Comment 330568 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      The lounge food offer is really poor : what about the beverages ? (all is on the picture ???)
      - I guess if you use the TK CIP lounge in IST as a standard then I am afraid that no business class lounge will measure up. I did not have a chance to see what type of alcoholic beverages they had. The lounge was crowded and there were a lot of people around the counters, so I kept a low profile and did not want to draw attention.

      I wouldn't ! Even if this...
      - You pick your battles. I was hoping for a row to myself and decided to wait in the aisle seat to move until the door closed. It paid off really well at the end.

      This business cabin is very comfy:
      - Finally a decent J narrowbody cabin in Europe.

      The catering is appetizing as often with TK
      - It's a joy to have a meal onboard TK.

      Nice bonus as as usual : great to be able to find a good beef bourguignon there
      - Life is full of surprises. I would have never expected prepared food in a grocery sitting under heating lamps to be so good.
  • Comment 152807 by
    marathon GOLD 10115 Comments
    That lady seemed to be the kind who made jumping the line part of her ethics in life.
    I second lagensecret: I never ever let a passenger commandeer MY widow seat, and I ask an FA for assistance if needed.
    Great pictures all the way through.
    Thanks for this FR and its bonus !
    • Comment 330572 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      That lady seemed to be the kind who made jumping the line part of her ethics in life.
      - Maybe it was a cultural thing. ;)

      I second lagensecret: I never ever let a passenger commandeer MY widow seat
      - The thing is that I have always preferred aisle seats and when I take a window, it is usually with an empty seat next to me, otherwise I tend to feel claustrophobic. The J cabin did not seem full so I waited in the aisle seat until a row became open.

      Thank you for your kind words and comments Marathon.
  • Comment 152866 by
    SKYTEAMCHC GOLD 10065 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this report with us. TK really does a good job with a real business cabin and a great meal and service and probably one of the best in Europe.
    The pictures of Istanbul on arrival are great !
    • Comment 330659 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      TK can proudly claim that they are Best Airline in Europe per Skytrax. It is by no means perfect, but if you happen to like it, then you tend to be more forgiving of its flaws. ;)

      The pictures of Istanbul on arrival are great !
      - It is a gorgeous city in a great setting, so that makes it easier for the photographer. In the end the seat switching paid off.

      Thank you Christophe for commenting.
  • Comment 152911 by
    Rl 777 802 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR with us! I've been waiting for this one.

    It's a shame they downgraded the flight from an A330 to an A321, at least you got a newer A321 with the new seats.

    TK never fails to impress in the catering department, nice to have a great crew as well.

    Thank you for the bonus from Copenhagen! I have to agree on the part that the Danes are very friendly, such lovely people!

    Have a good one, see you!
    • Comment 330660 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      The A321 is not so bad after all, but a wide body would have been perfect.

      There is no European airline that can compete with TK in catering on intra-European flights.

      CPH is a delightful city to visit and its people are part of the appeal.

      Thank you very much RI 777 for taking the time to stop by and comment.
  • Comment 152968 by
    NGO85 SILVER 1963 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this report Adan!

    In retrospect, this product didn’t look that disappointing, did you really need the A332 on this route? Just be thankful the aircraft swap happened on TK and not AY… ;)

    “I entered through the right side by scanning my boarding pass”
    - I went left! Gasp, this is why our experiences were so different. But not really since the only differences I can see in the food offering are the cold-cuts. I think I was just in the lounge when all of the SK heavies were departing so there was a lot of people milling about in the late afternoon.

    The TK hard-product looks very good. The big black leather seats sure beat any domestic US F product and look better than almost all Asian narrow-body J products that I’ve encountered.

    As 007 pointed out, 0 tolerance for people that sit in your seat. Extremely disrespectful.

    They had you use the fold-out IFE for the safety video? I thought those were supposed to be stowed and they only showed the safety video on the overhead monitors…

    That SK A343 that you caught landing was definitely not mine, way too clean!

    Catering looks excellent as expected on TK. Three choices of mains for a regional flight is superb. Beef stew looks like beef stew, can't really make that look extraordinary since it is a rustic dish. The starter does look very good.

    Great dusk shots of Istanbul on arrival.

    From your bonus, your weather looked about on par with the weather I had: grey and rainy.
    • Comment 330680 by
      jetsetpanda AUTHOR 2283 Comments
      did you really need the A332 on this route? Just be thankful the aircraft swap happened on TK and not AY… ;)
      - Of course, I like them big. ;)

      I went left! Gasp, this is why our experiences were so different.
      - So now you know, next time try the right side first.

      The TK hard-product looks very good.
      - It felt really comfortable too.

      As 007 pointed out, 0 tolerance for people that sit in your seat.
      It worked out better at the end. If I was seating in my original seat, I wouldn't have caught the SK A340 and those spotting aircrafts because it was a window on the left side. My new seat was on the right side.

      They had you use the fold-out IFE for the safety video?
      - I don't recall the overhead monitors being deployed. Perhaps a technical glitch?

      Catering looks excellent as expected on TK.
      - Best in its class. No competition.

      Great dusk shots of Istanbul on arrival.
      - The sunset light helped.

      From your bonus, your weather looked about on par with the weather I had: grey and rainy.
      - Just horrible, although I had a break later on during my stroll.

      Thank you Michael for your great comments.
  • Comment 153079 by
    Nick 171 Comments
    Thanks a bunch for this report! I have a couple Turkish A321 flights coming up in the next few weeks and this was great to see. I also liked the bonus on Copenhagen!

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