Review of Turkish Airlines flight Manchester Istanbul in Economy

Airline Turkish Airlines
Flight TK1994
Class Economy
Seat 6A
Aircraft Airbus A321
Flight time 03:35
Take-off 28 Feb 17, 11:50
Arrival at 28 Feb 17, 18:25
TK   #13 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 776 reviews
thejetflyer
By BRONZE 2093
Published on 7th April 2017

In Memory of all those who lost their lives in 2016 in Istanbul, at Istanbul Airport as well as Brussels and Lahore.
I pray for a world of peace and love where no one lives in fear and everyone cares for and respects each other.
United we stand and divided we fall.




Between my previous and current Turkish Airlines Flight Reports, Turkish Airlines have gone through changes, some of which will be reflected in this series of Flight Reports.

I was needing to go to Pakistan for a family event and as such thought why not discover more of Asia so had a look at combining Pakistan and Thailand ( I would have to stop in Istanbul anyway to revisit this beautiful city and as my main carrier throughout this trip was Turkish Airlines).
It was exciting to be visiting three different countries and cultures in one trip,a first for TheWindowSeat !

My Itinerary - A Star Alliance Dream !

  1. Manchester MAN ✈ IST Istanbul Ataturk |Turkish Airlines, A321-200, Economy
  2. IST Istanbul Ataturk ✈ LHE Lahore Allama Iqbal |Turkish Airlines, B737-800, Economy
  3. LHE Lahore Allama Iqbal ✈ BKK Bangkok Suvarnabhumi |Thai Airways, A330-300, Economy
  4. BKK Bangkok Suvarnabhumi ✈ IST Istanbul Ataturk |Turkish Airlines, A321-200, Economy
  5. IST Istanbul Ataturk ✈ Manchester MAN |Turkish Airlines, A321-200, Economy



A Chocolate visual of the two airlines I am using on this trip ( one is obvious,the other is Smooth as Silk ! )
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What a timely advert on the Turkish Airlines' Facebook page showing the world in spices considering I was visiting Pakistan and Thailand, 2 curry loving countries ! This advert appeared when I arrived in Pakistan !
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Turkish Airlines may offer ultra sky high superior service in the sky,but the Contact Centre needs serious and urgent improvement. The staff have poor English skills , very little product knowledge and seem to thrive on not revealing their location. This can be most frustrating when a previous agent has not left notes reflecting a phone call made and as the Contact Centres are in India and Romania ( I got this info from 2 rare agents who were happy to disclose where they were) it would be quite a task to find out who dealt with your enquiry. As I say the contact centre service is exceptionally and consistently poor. I am surprised that TK doesn’t overhaul and refresh the contact centre service with agents who can actually speak English and are proud of Turkish Airlines rather than sounding like tired robots who make you feel like an inconvenience for calling.

I was so annoyed with two advisors and complained to the Customer Relations Manager of THY in London as opposed to emailing Customer Relations in an unknown location. She was very caring and symapthetic and offered me free seat allocation on exit rows for MAN-IST-LHE. I declined but now wish I had taken the offer for TK714 ISTLHE ( see TK714 report ) .Hindsight eh ?!
Also, Ms Customer Relations Manager sent me a nifty and large 777-300 model aircraft by way of a gesture.

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to add to my previous gift from TK for a different messup. Note the cockpit area is misshapen and the engines…..still,not bad for a freebie.
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I also received some nice TK memorabilia although this was more for my support of THY than my complaint
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Here is some memorabilia I already have
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Drinks stirrers and also Salt and Pepper Shakers from KLM shaped as Amsterdam Houses as well as Virgin Australia shakers shaped like the Sydney Opera House !

The Customer Relations Manager then dissappeared forever so the 777-300 model and goodies came just in time.

My friendship with TK in 2017 begins at the annual Destinations Show in Manchester where I visited the Turkish Airlines stand….and received some nice giveaways and a lovely myBag gift of a suitcase cover with an aircraft window ( I am TheWindowSeat after all ! ) and a Turkish Airlines branded bag tag.




TK1994 FastFacts

Aircraft
A321-200 Sharklets airborne Sep 2016
Registration
TC-JTO ( no name which is not the norm for Turkish aircrafts which are always named after a city,river etc )
Previous flight TK1983/1984 ISTLHRIST on 27th February 2017
Today ISTMANIST TK1993/1994
Next flight 28Feb17 ISTAMS as TK1955 and TK1956 AMSIST
STD 1105AM / ATD 1153AM
STA 1815PM / STD 1827PM
PNR / Booking Reference : TKZQ** blessed for success by Europe's Best !

Airports I have seen Turkish in or have flown with Turkish from/to

LHR/IST/AMS/LHE/JFK/BKK/KWI/JFK


Check In


24 hours before TK1994 , I received 2 emails to prompt me to checkin online but I wanted to wait until I was at the airport. I prefer the human touch !
On the day of the flight, enroute to the airport, the radio news advised that all flights into and out of Manchester Airport would be cancelled for 2 hours. The reason ? Expected ice/sleet and rain.
However I felt optimistic and positive that all would be ok.

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The checkin was fairly busy when I arrived . I only queued for a few minutes before being seen. The check in agent checked my NICOP card ( National Identitiy Card Of Pakistan – for those born outside Pakistan to Pakistani Parents ). I was overjoyed that my checked baggage was only 25kg of the allowed 30kg ( not bad for 3 weeks and 3 countries) / The hand luggage was 5kg of the allowed 8kg.
I was surprised to get my onward boarding pass for Istanbul-Lahore.Although lacking Turkish Airlines branding,this boarding pass is way better than the “Sales Receipt” that was given last year.

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I don't think so somehow.
Basic lounges at MAN and a wider seat for a 3.5 hour flight.
Plus if I did have a kilo or two over the baggage allowance, it would be a lot less than £150.00 to upgrade to get a greater baggage allowance.
This advert really does not tempt me to upgrade at all.

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Glad to get my plain but reasonably ok onward boarding pass …much better than the usual Manchester Airport sales receipt. I do hope that airlines at Manchester Airport introduce their own branding again.

Just in case I forget my name,flight number and class of travel between checkin and the gate ; why do check in agents always circle this info ?! Most passengers still never pay attention anyway ( I know because I was a Check In Agent once ! )
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I asked the checkin agent if he had any permanent bag tags but they had and I quote "run out" so a paper one for now :(
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After checkin, I quickly visited the Emirates Ticket Desk in Manchester Terminal 1,located opposite the Turkish Airlines Checkin Desks to pickup a printed timetable which is a Godsend for Aviation fans like me ! Emirates is one of very very few airlines to print timetables which takes me back to being very young and collecting inflight magazines and timetables. It is a real delight that in 2017, an advanced digital age, that timetables are still produced ! The Emirates timetable is essentially an A-Z of the airline !



After bidding farewell to my family I got a transparent bag for liquids before heading into the security area.

Security was intense and thorough ; where Manchester Airport fails miserably in customer service, it was heartening to see such dedicated staff doing such a tough repetitive job with a smile and perfection.
No you aren't in Dubai…you are in Manchester Airport Terminal 1,home of 3 daily A380s of Emirates from/to Dubai !
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What a difference 10 months make( see Flight Report for TK1994 of 17th April 2016 )…like a sheep that has been shaved to it's bare skin…this same area last year from security into Departures was adorned with Turkish Airlines adverts,stickers and tv screens showing the Widen Your World logo…..but looks so sad and depressing in 2017.

Bare,plain,boring and dull….. in February 2017
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The same area in April 2016
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Once the “friendly” ordeal of security was over, I headed to Travelex to pickup my pre-ordered Thai Baht. The Travelex lady was friendly and her gentleman colleague also.


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The Duty Free Maze !

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I then took some time to sort out my hand luggage and make a few calls/check WhatsApp ( but not Facebook ! )etc.

I checked the tv screens which soon showed that the departure gate of TK1994 today would be Gate 22,meaning an excellent opportunity for photographing the aircraft albeit in the miserable Manchester rain.
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jet2.frost…i mean jet2.com ! Also, is that a sneak preview of the new LoganAir livery on the ATP next to this jet2 737 ?!
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Let's GoToGate !
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This particular flight, TK1994, is always busy as it offers the most connections from Istanbul to Turkish Airline’s Global network.

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Boarding



Boarding was due to start 1025am but commenced at 1050am initially for Business Class and Upper Levels of the Star Alliance / Miles&Smiles programme and was complete by 1110am.

Newspapers available on a trolley in the airbridge…..so long as you are fluent in Turkish or just love looking at pictures !
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I said Gunaydin ( Turkish for Good Morning ) to the Cabin Chief who was at the L2 door and she responded with the same and with a smile.

The usual walk through Business Class took place and I saw an Airhostess was stood at row 6 with a very sincere smile and she wished me “Welcome Aboard”. I then said Gunaydin and she said Hosgeldiniz ( Turkish for welcome )and I replied with Tesekkur Ederim ( Turkish for thanks ! ) I then had to continue in English to ask her to kindly hold my passport and boarding pass as I stowed my hand luggage. Onboard the brand new boarding music was playing and sounded so nice compared to the first time I heard it online just a few weeks before the flight. The Boarding Music is different to the music played on landing.

The Seat



My Window Seat 6A had nice legroom ; the previous black headrests now have a smart red border. The seat had crumbs all over the base it so an instant fail for cleanliness. Some seat pockets had Shop&Miles and some didn’t. Earphones for IFE handed out whilst aircraft was still parked at the gate.



Seatpocket content
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There seemed to be a further delay in getting on our way due to weather and delayed flights finally being allowed to take off !
I would not be sorry to say goodbye to the Manchester rain !
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Funnily this welcome greeting " Khush Amdeed" is in Farsi,one of the languages you can set for your IFE onboard Turkish Airlines. However it is the exact same in Urdu,the national language of Pakistan, where I am headed after landing in Istanbul Ataturk !

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Pushback was around 1130am (finally ! ) after the new Zach King magic inspired safety video had played in Turkish then English. We were told to pull out our inseat video screens as we were on a bulkhead row. Please see the notes about the safety video on this same aircraft on flight TK1995 on 19th March 2017 !

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We still had quite a bit of distance to go the runway,which would be runway 1 and I could hear the engine sound growing louder and suddenly dropped my mobile phone !
I thought,if I leave it and we take off,it will slide towards the back of the aircraft and some dishonest person may take it. I unfastened my seatbelt and asked the gentleman behind me if he could retrieve my mobile ? At the same time a lovely lady by the exit row also reminded me that my mobile had fallen. Luckily a lovely Airhostess happened to be walking past and she offered to pick my phone up for me,being beaten by milliseconds by the lovely gentleman on 7B !

On the way to the runway
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Up and Away !
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Bye Bye Manchester,Bye Bye Rain,Bye Bye people stuck on the motorway !
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I love the cute cartoon aircraft of our actual flight ! Bye Bye UK for a few weeks !



Bye Bye England for a few weeks !


Keeping track of our flightpath !



Inflight Catering


Last year on TK1994, the meals were served and consumed within an hour of take off. This year we were over Belgium before the trolleys even came out. This was preceeded by the lovely aroma of bread rolls which Turkish always serves warm ! When the lovely Steward came round with the trolley he asked if I wanted "Chicken or Pasta" ?

Today's Menu ;

Warm bread Roll with butter
Salad with olive dressing ( 2-3 cucumber slices have been reduced to 1 ! )
Grilled Chicken Cutlets with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes or Macaroni Pasta with a tomatoe slice !
Chocolate Mousse with caramelised figs
Water cuplet
Wet tissue has the scent of TK1933 – the signature brand scent of Turkish Airlines
Range of drinks on offer,with or without ice

Unwrapped………………let's see what surprise awaits me !
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Bon Appetit !
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No doubt to anyone if I " Enjoyed My Meal " !

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Unlike my 2016 flights on Turkish Airlines,here are the notable differences in catering,due to cutbacks after passenger decline due to the sad situations in Istanbul and Turkey ;

No menucard
No cream cheese and crackers
No Lokum (Turkish Delight)
No Enjoy Your meal / Afiyet Olsun greeting on cutlery pack.

However despite all of this, the Turkish Airlines catering is still world class and miles and miles above other European carriers. Thank God TK hasn’t gone down the lowcost,no frills route and I hope it doesn’t either. After take off and just before IFE starts,all tv screens should show the menu for each flight with pictures and descriptions,when menucards aren’t offered in Economy Class. Alos,despite cutbacks.all 4 of my TK flights were packed so I'd hope that Turkish Airlines will retain it's premium status as clearly people are,quite rightly,still flying on Turkish Airlines.

The Steward in my section was very friendly and most accommodating and politely mentioned that he will bring a second drink as my tray table was “busy” ! He was right as indeed space is limited when the tray is placed on the tray table. He said this with such charm and said I can call him anytime for any other drinks. This was really kind and thoughtful. He also wished me “ Enjoy Your Meal” which was nice in the absence of this greeting no longer being printed on Cutlery packs.

The Cabin Chief offered Turkish Coffee and Turkish Delight on learning I am a Turkish Airlines fan. Exclusive for me as Turkish Delight is no longer offered in Economy Class, I really feel this should be reintroduced as it is so unique to Turkish culture. and hospitality.
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A Steward in the rear of the cabin was also very nice and friendly and did some babysitting for a baby ! All Crew were very nice and friendly and exceptionally professional. I must admit that Turkish Airlines Cabin Crew training and staff morale is very very high.

Tea over Austria ! All I need is some Sachertort and a "Cafe In The Clouds" Concept is a reality !
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Inflight Entertainment




Turkish Airlines splendid new Boarding and Landing Music ; although the video is not shown,it would be a great visual during boarding !

Boarding Music

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V7gOpNLG5HE

Landing Music

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tnL4Ogvbsp0

Previous music that played at the end of the safety video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6e6F0F8N0E

Planet IFE magazine is no longer produced and instead a few pages about IFE listings are inside Skylife magazine ; for fuller details you can view your tv screen.
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The TV screen had a USB port but I didn’t need it as my phone was charged and had a Powerbank from juicebar. Earphones were distributed whilst the aircraft was at the gate. The 3D maps are amazing and I was even surprised to find the Pakistani towns I am visiting after scrolling over to Pakistan !
Also pleased to see Islamic audio content and even the King Of Pop playing onboard as well .A range of blockbuster Hollywood and Bollywood movies,tv shows,comedy,drama,sports and documentaries were also on offer as well as a variety of audio programmes.

Someone in the IFE department seems to have very strong taste for old old songs…come on man,have a channel with the latest pop music too !


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Ace of Base is certainly my favourite Swedish pop group but their predecessors Roxette are also in my heart !
I would have loved to have seen this documentary on other TK flights but it was an exclusive only in February 2017 :(

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Skylife Magazine Highlights



Fleet At a Glance
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A321 stats
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Free Istanbul Transit Tour
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Istanbul Transit Guide
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Europe's best from East to West
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Turkish Airlines World Map
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The only annoying thing of the flight was that I had the misfortune to sit next to a geek. When I say geek I mean a socially awkward nerd who asked a few inappropriate questions before take off.
Initially he was pleasant and told me he was connecting to New Delhi. When he saw me taking pictures for this review and when I said I was writing a review, he promptly told me “ it isn’t a job”. I told him I am aware that reviewing an airline’s inflight service isn’t a job. I was semi furious.Flying is my passion and God help he who tries to belittle this joy of mine.

After take off he took a little box of blackberries to wash in the washroom. He then came back and asked if I’d like one and what I think of Emirates. By now I had had enough and I told him directly that I didn’t want to talk anymore and he got the message and didn’t disturb me again.He replied by saying he could see I was “busy” and that he would leave me alone. He thankfully kept to his word.On disembarking he wished me a pleasant onward journey. Strange.

TK1994 Economy Cabin
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Washroom
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On all TK aircraft there should be a clear sign and enforcement by Crew to prevent Economy passengers randomly walking into Business Class to use the forward washroom ! The number of people flouting this on this flight was crazy.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully and we then began to descend into thick cloud. I had purposely chosen 6A so that I could get a nice shot of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya. Slowly I started to see Istanbul through the clouds. It remains a mystery if this is the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya in the background !

Time to start preparing for landing !


At 1827pm we touched down at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and the new landing music played. The Cabin Chief made the usual landing announcements as well as a helpful announcement for passengers with connecting flights. The landing music continued. I really feel that the announcement should at least mention the arrival city and local time to make the arrival more personal. Also, onboard tv screens should show the next 10 or so connecting flights. That said, there is an information channel that shows connecting flights which I always seem to miss !

Shocked to see some passengers had pillows. I wouldn't have minded one but had thought they were not being offered as last year each passenger was actively offered one !
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After parking up, I also noticed our sistership next door, an A321 named Kalecik and registered TC-JSU who had come in from Stuttgart and was next going to Kiev. Kalecik is a town and district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey.
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Thanks TC-JTO for bringing us safely to Istanbul Ataturk…….I wonder when we will meet again !!!
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Time to head straight into Departures
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Text Welcoming me to Turkey !
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Upon entering Departures, the Free WiFi by Turk Telekom was working this time…..woohoo !! I had the chance to notify family and friends I am in IST and waiting for my next flight.

See you at TK714 to Lahore,Pakistan !

Widen Your World…fly Turkish Airlines !

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See more

Verdict

Turkish Airlines

8.0/10
Cabin5.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi7.0
Meal/catering10.0

Manchester - MAN

10.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0

Istanbul - ISL

7.8/10
Efficiency6.0
Access10.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Turkish Airlines still rocks despite it's challenges ; seat /cabin cleanliness and seatpocket content need to be worked on per this flight.
3 more flights to go !
Despite minor inflight service cutbacks the service continues to be Europe and the World's best !
I certainly recommend everyone to try Turkish Airlines.

Information on the route Manchester (MAN) Istanbul (ISL)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 4 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Manchester (MAN) → Istanbul (ISL).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Turkish Airlines avec 8.1/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 3 heures et 15 minutes.

  More information

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