- Tunis TUN - Istanbul IST (Turkish Airlines Business, 737-800) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5504.html
- Istanbul IST - Seoul ICN (Turkish Airlines Business, A340-300) [YOU ARE HERE]
- Seoul ICN - Singapore SIN (Singapore Airlines Business, B777-300ER) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5534.html
- Singapore SIN - Newark EWR (Singapore Airlines Business, A340-500) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5582.html
- New York JFK - Frankfurt FRA (Singapore Airlines Business, A380) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5610.html
- Frankfurt FRA - Vienna VIE (Lufthansa Business, A321) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5613.html
- Vienna VIE - Istanbul SAW (Turkish Airlines Business, 737-800) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5645.html
- Istanbul IST - Tunis TUN (Tunis Air Economy, A320) http://flight-report.com/en/report-5663.html
So few minutes later I was in front of the TK lounge
I usually guest in the lounge someone sitting at this place and trying to use the lounge wifi but that evening nobody was there
So next stop TK lounge
It's almost empty with only few people
The lockers
Theather room
One show cooking corner with pide
Soups
Pasta
Salad bar
Different kinds of nuts
Waters, soft drinks and beers
Wines and alcohol
Another show cooking corner with kebabs, rice and grilled vegetables
Different kinds of olives
Tea
Kids corner
Breast feeding room
Cakes and homemade juices
Tea bar
Computers
Conference room
Pides are ready now
I grabbed a bit of pide, kebabs, olives and nuts
Sleeping rooms to the right
Shower rooms to the left
I took a shower and fortunately it was time to proceed to the gate : too much temptations in this lounge !
My airplane was already at the gate : A340-300 Airbus TC-JII, first flight on 16/03/2000
The boarding area
A nice gate agent seeing my white hair was allowing me to sit in the disable area
So I was the first to board and it was great because I knew that the flight would be full
I was welcomed at the door and directed to the correct aisle.
The business cabin
My seat : On each seat were a pillow and a blanket
View from my seat
Power outlet
Reading light
Legroom is decent
Safety card
Seat pocket stuff
Shoes box
Seat control
The bar
Slippers and headphone were already in the seat pocket
My seat had three windows
IFE remote control
Welcome drink : always these great juices
The chef on board is giving a Godiva chocolate
Newspapers and magazines were offered
Pushback was on time
Taxi to runway : a SU with 4 engines in IST !
Take off was smooth and A343 was climbing slowly
Views from Istanbul
IFE was already switched on for use on the ground
I thought that the music selection was on par with the aircraft's age
An oshibori was handed out
My neighbour was already sleeping in upright position : no need to have a Bose headphone or a business class seat ;)
The bar was stocked
The traditional loukoum
Winelist, menu and amenity kit were handed out
Breakfast à la carte card to fill with your choices
We were about to leave Turkey when the drink service began
Gosset champagne for me
Followed by the amuse bouche
The cabin
where a lot of people were still sleeping
Dinner's time with a choice of breads
Potpourri of Mediterranean Mezze : Humus/Stuffed wine leaf in olive oil/White eggplant salad/Grilled chicken breast/Herbed white cheese
New Salt and Pepper
Candlelight dinner high above the clouds is the new Do&Co concept and it's quite nice
These little candles were lighting up the cabin
Traditional Turkish Creamy Wedding Soup / Lamb cubes
Grilled Beef Tournedos Creamy celeriac and potato purée Eggplant stuffed with red peppers
Still a lot was to fly
Dessert time
Profiteroles hot chocolat sauce / Lemon tarte / Turkish coffee mousse Mascarpone cream / Mango Ice Cream
After tea and coffee the cabin was dimmed and unusually I was able to sleep few hours
A340 is really a quiet aircraft
People seemed to sleep very well
It was certainly because of this large footrest which prevent slipping
About one hour and half before landing it was breakfast service
An oshobori began this service
Then an orange juice for me
Outside it was sunny
Very appetizing breakfast
with a smoothie and hot chocolate
Fresh fruits / Home made yoghurt with apple mousse / Chicken and turkey breasts
the new TK cup
We began to avoid the north korea airspace
Cheese and tomato omelette turkey ham herbed sautéed mushrooms cherry tomato
the descent began
Sunset was close
Soft landing and the aircraft is parked beside this Hawaiian
Train to go to the main terminal
Great lounge, i want to be a kid again :)
Catering at the top
TK flight in Business = few more kilos on balance
Thanks for this report !
A MOUTH WATERING REPORT!!!! Thank you so much for posting this. TK is my new favorite airline because their fares are competitive and service is excellent!!!! You are so lucky to have experienced this amazing flight and so many more flights to come, the seat looks very comfortable, is it similar to the 777 one? Or less roomy?
Can't wait for Part 3 :D
I see :) BTW I forgot to ask, was there internet on board? Or is this only for the 77W?
It's a angled seat(777 or A333 seats are full flat) but with the large footrest I didn't slip at all
Beautiful report! Good thing it's lunch time here because your FR made me very hungry, LOL. Once again we see TK's hard-product inconsistencies, but the catering and service is top notch. The seats seem pretty decent for angled-flat and I like the tones in the cabin, quite visually appealing. Very nice pictures. Looking forward to the next legs of the trip!
Thanks
No Seoul bonus because I was in transit
Thanks for this FR:
Great TK lounge.
This catering is very top with a large choice of desserts;)
How was Gosset grande reserve champagne?
Gosset was very good :)
Thanks for this report. Although the plane is old, the cabin is still a decent product in 2-3-2. TK has obviously chosen to fight their competitors on the catering front with a very distinctive and innovative product, which works obviously ! The lounge in IST feels very homy, unlike most cold and anonymous business lounges.
2-2-2 on this Airbus...
Very nice FR and the candlelight is a nice touch really.
What a fantastic trip report. TK once again shows us why they are one of the top carriers when it comes to catering. I noticed that they stopped serving sour cherry juice and offer mint lemonade instead. What a pity since cherry juice is representative of Turkish culture and makes for a nice prelude (or lasting impression) of a trip.
You are fortunate to have encountered an empty lounge in IST. From other reports that I have read people complain that it is too crowded and sometimes difficult to find a seat.
The candlelight dinner is a creative concept but I am not comfortable with fire in a pressurized cabin, no matter how small or contained it is. Perhaps I am too paranoid but doesn't that increase the risk of a fire hazard, especially on a night flight when passengers tend to doze off and are not as alert?
Don't worry there are electric candles even if they look like real candles in the wind.
There is still sour cherry juice available on demand : I drank some during the night
The candles are electric as mentionned above. No open fire--I believe that would not be allowed by regulations anyway.
All of a sudden I feel like an ostrich who wants to bury its head underground. Of course they had to be electric.
TK is obviously more a dining than a flying experience ;)
The lockers in the lounge are a jolly good idea.
There is too much food in this TK lounge in IST : very hard to choose from all those gorgeous dishes !
I am not sure TK business hard product is worth it, but once more, the food looks delicious and the presentation with the candle light is great !
Will have to try TK one day.
Thanks for sharing.
Wow, that's an amazing trip report.
The lounge in Istanbul is something else!
One question though: doesn't the food being cooked smell too much?
That's a dangerous place to stay in; I'd grow a layer of fat in a couple of hours there.
The flight looks very nice as well. The catering seems on par with the Southeast Asia companies, if not better, even creating a distinctive atmosphere.
Great pictures as well.
Thanks you for this FR.
No, it doesn't smell at all in the lounge
Thanks for the next episode of your saga.
As usual, I'm really impressed by the design and food's quality served in the TK lounge in Istanbul. More reserve about the seat in the A340 but the onboard catering is definitively a trademark of TK.
Thank you for this FR James,
TK has a very good on-ground service with its business class lounge which is the world's best from my point of view.
Your report confirmed it has also an excellent catering service. The menu is well-presented with your name written on it. However the seat gets old and it would be good to introduce full-flat seats on all long-haul routes.
Will you go through immigration and get a stamp on your full passport to check-in for the next leg?
See you
thanks for sharing this FR.
I'm impressed by the fabulous TK lounge ;)
always a very good catering on board.
business seat seems to be comfortable.
See you soon !
The photo with the girl playing pool reminds me of Durian's pictures ;) Maybe this is because SQ is coming next :)
The mezzes come as a pot-pourri but the seat comes as pourri tout court :) I can't believe you rate 8.5 for this slide. Or having everything great, from staff to food, makes one forget about it. But sleeping well isn't an option here.
The candle is a very nice touch...but I'm amazed they could get this granted by the authorities...doesn't seem safe to me..but still love it !
I note some golden touches on the crokery....is TK going EK style ^^ ?
BTW her friend/husband seemed to be angry :)
I disagree : because of the large footrest it's not a slide.
I barely sleep on board but I was able to sleep at least 3 hours during this flight
I've never been able to sleep in a LH J seat
Anyway I understand why you are jealous ;) you were flying on a perfect AY slide not so long ago !
Thanks for sharing this trip report !
As always, a great example of the very good product offered by TK. That's actually a fine dining experience both on the ground and up in the air. :D
Beautiful on-board service as well.
Though the seats look quite old on this A340, they still leave a great impression. As a reminder, A340 series aircraft will be withdrawn by the end of 2016. Is there a chance for them to be refurbished before they exit the fleet ? Don't think so.
Thanks again. I'll have dinner now, ahah !
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