Hello and welcome to this flight from Istanbul to Singapore! ^.^
I have been flying on these flights:
-> Bordeaux-Istanbul : http://flight-report.com/fr/report-13369.html
-> Istanbul-Singapore : Here you are ^.^
-> Singapore-Istanbul : not reported.
-> Istanbul-Bordeaux : soon.
I spent my transit time near an unused boarding gate, allowing me to load my phone and computer. Istanbul's international terminal is very crowded, I was very lucky to find a place where there was almost no one.
At 12.10AM local time, I went to the boarding gate, located at the ground floor. It meant we had to be bussed to the airplane.
Tonight's plane was an Airbus A330-300 registered TC-JOA, named Pamukkale. It has been delivered to TK in March 2014.
Nearby, a TK Boeing 777-300ER is getting ready for its next flight.
A company Airbus A330-300 just completed push back.
Business class section from outside.
The FAs were welcoming passengers, along with the chef who usually works in Business class. They were all smiling and welcoming.
My seat was in the first section of Economy class, right behind the Business class. The legroom is more than sufficient.
Boarding was soon complete, but we were not moving though. The safety demonstrations were played on the IFEs. At 01.40AM, the First Officer took the mike to announce that we were lacking of fuel, that we were waiting for a fuel truck to come and load the plane.
FAs were really efficient, and right after the FO's announcement, they started giving passengers bottles of water and hot towels.
Some "Turkish delicacies" follow right after.
A picture of TK's maintenance hangar.
The IFE showed us a revolutionary flight time:
At 02.00AM local time, we still didn't have enough fuel. FAs handled the amenity kits, provided by Chopard.
The amenity kits contained slippers, socks, earplugs, a pot of balm, a, eye mask, a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Finally at 02.15AM, the plane is pushed back. There was no traffic, we rolled and took off, and flew over Istanbul.
The lights were turned on for the dinner service. I think that this service could have been shortened given it was almost 3AM. Anyway, menus were given.
Trays were served almost an hour after take off. Everything was tasty except the salad: it was plain and tasteless.
The TK logo light us with its red halo.
As the dinner service ended, I took some shots of the rising sun.
After that, I managed to sleep for four hours or so. Seats were comfortable. Pillows made the seat softer. However, covers are really needed because the temperature in the cabin was lowered during the flight.
After watching a few movies, I went to the toilets. They were quite clean.
I spent most of the time watching movies. TK's IFE is very complete, there is a large choice of music and movies.
Two hours before arrival, breakfast was served. Once again, everything was tasty.
A couple of pics of the Asian sky. The sun was soon coming down.
We started descent over Malaysia. Since we departed late, we missed our slot and had to circle before the ATC allowed us to start approach.
An air-to-air picture with a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777.
The IFE was guiding us to Changi.
We finally saw the Singaporean ground.
We touched down at 6.40PM local time, 1h15 behind schedule.
A DC-10-30F in the cargo maintenance zone.
A China Eastern Airlines Airbus A330-200 ready for its departude back to Shanghai Pudong.
We taxied past some Singapore Airlines airplanes.
There is no doubt on where we are.
We're followed by an Air India Boeing 787-8.
We parked to Terminal 1. Immigration was passed very quickly, it usually lasts a minute or two. Changi is unbeatable on this.
However, thins did not end this easy. After I went to the baggage claim, I waited for my baggage to come. Other passengers were collecting their luggages without any problem, but mine did not show up. After 20 minutes, the monitor showed "Last baggage delivered". I got sad as I realized my luggage would not show up.
I went to the Lost & Found desk to fill a form. The agent took my form, called her colleagues, and said to me: "Sir, there must have been a mistake, your baggage is here". I was so happy! I thanked her and ran back to the baggage claim. It appeared my baggage arrived with the ones from Langkawi, Malaysia.
I got out of Changi Airport at 7.25, two hours behind schedule.
There ends my FR! Thank you for reading, I hope there isn't too much mistakes, and I hope to see you soon for the return trip! ^.^
Thanks for sharing this FR!
to announce that we were lacking of fuel, that we were waiting for a fuel truck to come and load the plane.
- Just a slight problem... but actually a very concerning thing to hear about TK.
TK's in-flight service is their strength and the meals look good and the amenity kit is always nice to receive on a long-haul in Y. It really is a good product, but it is marred by the issues you have pointed out. IST transits are not good and the constant reports of delays in IST can be frustrating.
No blankets were provided? Only a pillow?
It appeared my baggage arrived with the ones from Langkawi, Malaysia.
- How did Changi screw that up? Very out of character for such a respected airport.
Thank you for your comment!
I have been very surprized when the FO announced we were lacking of fuel. I never thought such problem would happen with the ME3!
TK's inflight service is indeed very good. I would choose TK anytime if only IST had better transits and better terminals.
Blankets were provided and really needed since the ambient temperature was lowered during the flight. Even though I had a coat, I felt really cold during the flight.
I was also very surprized with Changi screwing up with my luggage. Well, s*** can happen, I guess! ^.^
I hope to see you soon for the return trip! ^.^