AMS/IST on march 23rd B787-9 TK Business IST/ADB on march 23rd B777 TK Business ADB/IST on march 30th B777 TK Business IST/AMS on march 30th B787-9 TK Business; only this one is reported
AMS/CDG on march 30th A321 Economy
Living in northern France I can choose to fly from/to CDG, BRU, AMS, LHR/LGW all within easy reach from home, I select either, depending on fares, carrier, schedule, aircraft. To and from IST, TK offers best value for price from AMS.
French version at : https://flight-report.com/fr/report/56566/turkish-airlines-tk1953-istanbul-ist-amsterdam-ams
It is usual to start a report with preflight pictures and comments. As I was on board another flight I give you a few hints
Breakfast in domestic business class, fresh bread will be offered with hot drinks
And that enjoyable full stretch which I do appreciate
At IST we parked at gate, but were not allowed to use the gangway for direct acces to terminal building; I can imagine this is because our B777 was then operating an international flight to Houston. So we had a transfer by bus, from which I could take a few, poor quality, pictures. But an opportunity to see an aircraft from Iranian company ATA Airlines and the cheetah painted on their A320 to celebrate their partnership with the iranian football team
and now you can see they were taken from the special business pax bus; it makes them more valuable, don’t you think?
So let’s follow the guide
My turkish is rather poor, but so far so good, I could manage without english
So let’s go upstairs
Footprint to remind you that « it » is not over yet
because of covid, some exit and transfer zones are closed, so you have to walk back most of the way you drove on the bus, helped by moving walkways
This one is open
Last time I almost missed my connection because of long queue at immigration and closed fast track. This time i chose flights with a 3 hour layover and …. fast track is open and … nobody in line. So it’s pretty quick.
let’s walk our way to the lounge.
Because of covid, all shops in some parts of the terminal are closed, You can see part of the lounge upstairs, from this closed area downstairs
Downstairs it’s a bit dull
The lounge is so long that it hangs over the busy parts of the main hall as well; a warmer area
I had never noticed this access by lift
I was downthere, now upstairs
Very tranquil chair/desks for passengers who wish to work or make a flight report
After a nice welcome by a piano, you can choose to dine "al fresco" or pamper yourself in one of those large and soft armchairs.
I prefer this cosy area
With a view on teagardens on one side
And a view on aircrafts on the other side with lots of TK and what seems a Mohan air in the distance
I don't know why, in all TK lounges at IST, those two signs go together
Easy folks, there comes a place where everyone can choose its own way
Mine was not prayer
Very clean and very well looked after
Exploring on my way back; i like the design of this terminal
One of the various food bars; they seems obsessed by this sign, don't they?
My flight will be a codeshare flight with PK, at gate B17
which means I should go by now
Last views of the lounge, with very tranquil areas for rest
I'll get my bag back from one of the 150 lockers
Never too late to mention it: you scan your BP and you get a ticket with access codes to free wifi
Out of the lounge by the main entrance which I find quite elegant;
It's on top of escalators with an amazing view of this area with no shops, and large windows on airside
What's that
It's both a smoking area and an outside terrace
Shopping area from upstairs
It's not exactly what turkish people call "pazar" but it looks like it
On my way to concourse B
You can spend a lot probably, large choice.
To get to concourse A and B level, you must go down
B17 is at the very end, so more walk, helped once again by moving walkways
Getting closer, I was right to leave lounge at that time.
None at gate, or in gangway, I must have been the last pax; well there has got to be one after all.
On Anadolu and TK flights, a sanitary kit is available at the door of the plane; contains a mask and a sanitary towel; may be useful
There it is
24 seats, half full.
Today will be on 2K
I am not fan of this seat with a very narrow space for my feet; not fan either of the window hidden behind the surrounding seat, though privacy may be an interesting point
Lots of TK of course when taxiing, and a libyan friend
and a turkish freight carrier
and off we go, bye bye IST
We will soon be over the Black Sea coast heading towards Bulgaria
Let us explore the seat
From blue to dark
IFE remote control, and all commands for lights and seat; only snag is that when not in use, lights and seat commands are off and you do not see them, so I spent some time searching, until, my hand touched the surface and the icons went on
on seat side, three lighs, depending on what you need
Safety belt reminds me of the shoulder belt of a policeman outfit Father Christmas brought me many years ago
While I was so fussy on details, crew had got busy serving drinks and I chose the wonderful lemonade, so refreshing. But no more salted nuts, either on domestic or international; covid restriction? budget restriction?
here comes the menu
I am not into drinks, but you might be
A tray is served, with covers on each item; under cover, salad was freh and nice and not too cold so it was tasty. Fresh bread is proposed
Hot dish is served covered. I selected pasta, and they were wonderful; cheese and dessert were fine, especially rice pudding which is one of my favorite. All with still water and I finished with a hot tea.
Now you have seen most of it between IST and AMS
I'll try the last James Bond on the IFE, but got bored after 10 minutes and chose a little nap.
which takes us to borders of Hungary, Serbia, Croatia and Romania
On we go
Just in case you miss it
Time for a walk
Difficult to show, but I found this toilet rather large
and plenty of hot water, towels and anything you may need
might be useful too
this dashboard reminds me of a japanese loo
changing baby?
but baby must not be too big
Just over one hour left
A view from the onboard camera, just entering Netherlands
water everywhere, no doubt it is NL
And we land at Schipol
Lot of walking, up and down, at Schipol; a bit dull atmosphere
in spite of the bright orange signs; why orange? anything to do with the dutch dynasty?
I feared queues at NL/Schengen immigration; automatic gates are out of order, but I do not have to wait, and like last time, immigration officer does not ask any of the certificates you are supposed to show when you land from a non EU country …
On my way to departure C, to get my flight to Paris
Aircraft is already there
By the time we leave, night has come, bye bye Amsterdam
Just to compare with picture at beginning of this report; but what do you expect for 50€, except crammed legs and a flabby cheese sandwich served out of a delivery cardboard box, how elegant ! Anyway I would never pay the business rate on such a short flight, I guess AF thinks biz customers are all oil barons !
See more
Verdict
Turkish Airlines
9.0/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering9.0
Istanbul - IST
9.5/10
Efficiency8.0
Access10.0
Services10.0
Cleanliness10.0
Amsterdam - AMS
8.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.5
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.5
Conclusion
Well, thanks for reading this report to the end. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe you will like to share your comments on TK or IST. As my profile name may help you guess, I am an old well travelled man, and to be precise it started even before British Caledonian to which you might think from my profile name.That means I am not very skilful using this site, so any suggestion to improve will be welcome. I'll be back to Turkey in june, flights are scheduled with A321neo which I loved last time, and A350 which I never used. So there might be some new reports in june. See you then !
8 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Always nice to be able to fly a long-haul J cabin on short-haul!
Living in northern France I can choose to fly from/to CDG, BRU, AMS, LHR/LGW all within easy reach from home,
That's convenient for sure, and BRU/AMS do tend to offer better prices than PAR airports in general.
The combination of the new IST airport, the fantastic lounge, and the superior J product on the TK 789 vs their A330/777 makes for an exceedingly good experience for a 3h flight.
Yes it does ! It s just disappointing that Thalys has stopped direct service from Lille to Ams serving Schipol; have to change in BRU midi station which I find is a mess but worth it if you consider value for price from Ams. Next time I ll fly back from Ist to Paris paying with my miles because TK had an offer with 50% miles only on this route, an opportunity to try their A350 on this european route.
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2 Comments
That's convenient for sure, and BRU/AMS do tend to offer better prices than PAR airports in general.
The combination of the new IST airport, the fantastic lounge, and the superior J product on the TK 789 vs their A330/777 makes for an exceedingly good experience for a 3h flight.
Thanks for sharing!
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