After a wonderful time in Athens and around the Greek Isles, my wife and I spent around €100 a head to fly to nearby Istanbul via TK A333 registered as TC-JNJ.
Boy, was it the best €100 we’ve spent on any short flight.
It was a lovely day for nice summer flying. Immigration, security checks, and boarding were a breeze. We were taking our seats before I could figure out where I might have left our itinerary for Turkey.
Lovely day at the tarmac. One of many rows of TKs you might see in Athens and Istanbul
Spotted: N812NW, a DL workhorse you might see in domestic flights between KATL to KSEA or Brazil or Greece!
For a five-year old plane which sees a lot of regional shuttling and for the price we paid, the plane was terrific.
Seats were comfy with adjustable leather headrests in either green or shades of red. The legroom was cavernous for a shorthauler (I stand a bit taller than 180cm). The IFE was fantastic, nice big screen with minimal glare, and lots of choices! I caught about 98% of this hilarious movie called “Unfinished Business.” I could have forgotten we paid relatively so little for our tickets.
Comfy seats
Why, hello IFE? Fancy seeing you in such a short flight I would ordinarily take a budget airline for.
Look at that space between my knees and the seat in front of me!
Stuff in the seat pocket
We were served light snacks consisting of a sandwich, a small portion of Greek salad, crackers, some tapenade, and chocolate mousse - all fairly good. They had all sorts of soft drinks and juices available too. In a €100 flight? Come on!
Light snacks and lots of drinking options. How can TK possibly make money out of us?
Despite that the flight was packed and took barely an hour and half, the cabin crew expertly served a light a meal and cleaned up with no sign of weariness. The FA who served my tray could somehow find some time to exchange pleasantries with me and passengers in the rows behind and in front of us. Excellent work, I thought.
Packed flight. TK1846 is a code share of A33150.
About an hour into a flight, the Captain asked the cabin crew to prepare for landing. I didn’t think they could get everything cleaned up in time, but they did. It might have helped plenty that the snacks came in disposable cardboard trays.
Rear exit showing aircraft registration TC-JNJ
TAV buses
After landing, we exited at the aft and took a tarmac bus to the terminal. No doubt to hasten disembarkation as this plane needs to get cleaned and leave for its next flight very soon.
Now, imagine how much better the world can be if all budget airlines charged us the money they do for this kind of hard product and service.
Teşekkürler, THY, and görüşmek üzere!
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Verdict
Turkish Airlines
8.6/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi10.0
Meal/catering7.0
Athens - ATH
7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Istanbul - ISL
7.2/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Conclusion
0 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Flew TK's A340 on a 40min flight between Istanbul and Izmir and boy, they provided a similar meal service with full range of beverages on such a short flight! With the super low price paid, I was totally blown away.
Shame that budget airlines in Europe and Southeast Asia (and elsewhere) refuse to provide as good value. I have an upcoming VY connection from SVQ to BCN in three weeks which cost me €131 a head and will not be offering any drinks or snacks or personal entertainment system or adjustable headrests. Shame really.
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778 reviews
4 Comments
Nice short sflight :)
However this is an A330, not 340 ;)
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