Review of Turkish Airlines flight Istanbul → Amsterdam in Business

WARNING: some people told me that in the french version, some pictures could not be loaded; I have tried to make up for that, but it seems there is still a problem; I do hope you do not have this problem with this english version, but if so, please let me know.

Thanks for visiting and Enjoy !

For once, I'm going to overcome my natural laziness and offer you a little FR, not very professional, but with a hand immobilized by tendinitis and a suitcase handle that breaks during FR, I had some difficulties for photos, (swear words and all)

So first the routing:

BRU-IST on April 14 business TK on A320 (unreported)
IST-ADB April 14 business TK on 777-300 (unreported)
ADB-IST April 21 business TK on 777-300 (unreported)
IST-AMS April 21 business on A350-900 YOU'RE HERE!!!!
AMS-CDG April 21 eco AF on A220 (unreported although it was a first time for me)

Why this route? Living in Lille, I always compare departures from CDG, BRU, AMS, LHR and LGW, all airports that I can reach in less than an hour for the first two and in less than 3 hours for the other three. In general BA is the cheapest in biz on IST, but hey, the European biz class of legacies, you have to like it. TK was very affordable some years ago, from LGW, but those days are over; prohibitive price from CDG. I noticed that the BRU-IST/IST-AMS route gave the cheapest fare, and the most frequent award ticket offers with -50% miles compared to the usual rate.

Obviously, BRU and AMS not being Timbuktu (for Audiard fans) I can't go there swimming ; but by TGV and Thalys it is very affordable and above all very accessible.

Well, after this long preamble I suggest you accompany me on this portion of my trip, will you?

So, access to IST airport was by plane, coming from Izmir; the triple 7 then flying to IAH, parked in the international zone, a paxbus therefore took us to the domestic arrival zone; as usual with TK, there is a special bus, more comfortable for biz and other Elite passengers

And from there you just had to climb the escalator and read!

So I'm going towards international transfer, which this time is a short distance from the entry point; the IST terminal is very long and sometimes you have to walk some hundred meters

There is even fast track access

However, not very useful, because there is no crowd at immigration; note that Turkey has set up automatic gates, but for Turkish passport holders only.

No crowd either, for  security check that follows immediately behind.

Too early to know the boarding gate, but we note that the 2:05 p.m TK flight to AMS shares code with PK, and undoubtedly a few others which I will spare you (as far as I can remember Mongolian Airlines among others)

We are entering the chaos of duty free, where we sometimes have to search for useful information among the lights and signs of shops.

From memory, access to TK lounge is at gates E ; gates E and D give direct access from the main building to the planes, without using the large piers numbered from A to F for international and G for domestic.

The Old Bazaar is my landmark for E gates

Indeed, there is the access to the mezzanine lounge. But first I'll take you for a little walk among "the temple merchants"; I no longer shop there since I discovered that my favorite brand charges its products, supposedly tax-free, twice as much as it sells them including tax in its store located in a shopping mall in Izmir. Find the mistake! Small detail, at IST, all prices are displayed in euros.

Seen from downstairs

Seen from upstairs

I am always impressed by so many lights, and items for sale; I like the volumes and curves of the lines of this terminal, which actually interest me more than duty free shopping

This escalator takes us to the TK lounge, access which was obviously studied and planned during the design of the terminal, which gives the passenger this impression of volume.

And always beautiful curved lines

I will spare you the gates that are activated scanning the BP.

I had never noticed this signage when entering the lounge; naturally the word “suites” draws my atention

They are, at least I suppose, these small enclosed spaces, within the lounge, which can be privatized either by booking with the concierge or from the "dashboard" fixed on the partition; I note that the suites are separated from each other not by a glass partition, but by heavy fabric curtains, soundproofing and confidentiality guaranteed?

The "dashboard"

First of all, I need to get rid of my luggage even if I travel light; I counted 175 luggage lockers, some of which unfortunately were broken, but I nevertheless found what I needed.

Once rid of my carry on, I can continue the visit

Although many of the seats are equipped with or close to electrical connections, the luggage storage area is completed by a wall of mobile charger devices

Part of the lounge is equipped with these fairly cozy little “corners”, well equipped with connections

First things FIRST

Ironing service on the way

Very well kept, a zealous employee present at all times; the room is quite small but the mirrors give the impression of width and space

 I really like the lines of the interior architecture, I can't say it enough

Frankly I like this much less, but no obligation to stay in this area

This place combines modern lines and traditional Mediterranean decor inviting to al fresco dining.

By the way, what shall we eat?

Salad and mezze.

Pide, which I find dry and shriveled, frankly I'm not much into this

Noodle bar

Oriental pastries are very good

These German style pastries look great but are in fact quite plain in taste.

Hot drinks corner, I like turkish samovar

Are you impatient to discover my selection?

You should not !! Vegetable noodles are as uninteresting as they look …

A sweet bauble, accompanied by tea will end this banquet

It will soon be time to leave, from the entrance/exit of the lounge, beautiful view of the tarmac; there is mainly TK with PK in the background, and Air China in the foreground

View of the D/E gates from the lounge entrance; I like this viewpoint which gives a good impression of the volumes of the building

It's teeming with people

Now it's time to get to Gate A4A

It must be that way

Once again across the shopping mall

The mezzanine lounge seen from below

Piers A and B are one level down; once you get at the other end of the building, you must therefore take this escalator

And you just need to know your left and your right

And to choose the A side

Leaving in 35 minutes, no time to waste; it seems that A4 has got some "subsidiaries"

… stored one level down

In fact we get into a boarding room at tarmac level from where we are supposed to board the bus; this time no bus reserved for Pax Biz Elite and others. Well, too bad.

I try a few photos on the way, but please remember the broken suitcase and the disabled hand, so nothing very exciting

While holding on to the handles, I take this shot; those who can guess the Airline name will win the right to read the french version of the FR 

And this 737, a Turkish charter company that I didn't know yet, Tailwind, that's its name! to be avoided if I believe most of opinions on the net

And after km and km, we finally reach the parking area of ​​our plane to Amsterdam. It's an A350 900. TK puts more wide-body aircraft on IST-AMS than on CDG, and depending on the day, B777, A330, B787 or A 350.

Maybe it's my old-fashioned side, but I think that boarding at large is an invitation to travel, much more than boarding bridges, not to talk about  claustrophobic passengers.

Boarding through front and rear doors

A final wave to Tailwind

And welcome aboard, seat 2K, I like the colors; headphones are available; no cushion or blanket

General view of the business cabin; It’s like Jacques Tati’s Playtime, don’t you think?

Honestly I'm not a fan, but that's just my opinion.

I do not really like this seat, the absence of an armrest, whatever you call it, on the window side, and on the other side a tablet which is a little too high to offer real comfort.

But I really like these shades and colours

Small storage cupboard, rather larger than what I've seen on other carriers; large mirror inside the door

It's open

It's closed; there are two "closed" positions, allowing or not exterior light to pass through

I manage to put on the harness

Security announcement was right, life jacket is under the seat

Ceiling lighting is completed by…

…the little night light and this kind of very ugly lantern (it looks like a toothbrush tumbler!!)…

The remote control is stored in what serves as armrest on the left hand side

But, as I feared, and don't like in these configurations, the individual space is quite small, and although I don't have the long arms of an orangutan, I can touch the screen while remaining tied up at my seat

While my 9,1/2 still has difficulty finding comfy accommodation

To the left of the screen, this double door seems inviting

I open it and it's a little disappointing because it's about 1,5 inches deep, I don't really see what can be hung there

In any case not a wet coat

I find an equipment rather interesting and very convenient

Collapsable table, first you press the button

And you get a small tablet that can be left open without getting in the way, for instance to put your eraser on if you do crosswords

And you can unfold completely for meals, work …

 I have already returned to Western European time, we are pushing back at 2:17 p.m. for a departure scheduled at 2:05 p.m., it is quite fair

And a few minutes later, the onboard camera tells us that we are going to take the track

And let's start our climb

Follow the green sign

Various amenities

Very clean; hot water available

Enough tissues, towels

But what's in these two drawers? stock to replenish towels and others

Is this wifi?

No, it's just flush button

Since I'm on a walk, I invite you to accompany me

A small trip to Y, 3-3-3 configuration, except in a small cabin, just a few rows, behind the business class with a configuration 2-3-2, I asked if it was some sort of Premium and the FA replied, no just Y

Very sleepy in Y

A central screen with geovision, in addition to individual screens

And we come to the mysterious device; the seat can be isolated by closing this sliding partition; the steward showed me how it works; I was never able to get it to work again myself; what a shame ! What I remember is that this sliding partition is in two parts, and that you can close the upper part and the lower part or only the lower part, the upper part folding inside.

At the end of the partition there are two black buttons

It seems you have to press them at the same time as the small latch which is on the partition; I was never able to achieve it, and I gave up, my approach being dictated more by curiosity than by necessity.

Anyway, let's move on, by the way, let's talk about meal

As usual TK started with a free soft drink before takeoff; always the excellent lemonade for me

And an oshibori was served once airborn

The menu

Soft drinks

Other drinks, not for me

To be honest, I'm not hungry at all.

Because between Izmir and IST we were served this excellent breakfast

But,  I chose chicken, by default, and a glass of water

The drink!  you will note the great journalistic interest of this photo

Tray service with starters, cheese and dessert: the mezze-style starters are OK but I'm really not hungry, the canned artichoke is of no gastronomic interest, the cheese are tasty.

My choice of bread, among a fairly rich assortment

I like the salt pots at TK, as well as the Trebizonde butter, even if for breakfast, it is dipped in honey or jam.

No interest therefore for this starter, which would have deserved some dressing; I was very surprised not to find on the tray the usual small bottle of olive/lemon vinaigrette.
Oupssss … I forgot to take picture of the hot dish, chicken and rice, not bad but one piece was enough for me

I'm not a fan of chocolate desserts but this one had a nice bitter chocolate flavor

I washed it down with a black tea

Followed by small hazelnuts, which have replaced Turkish delight on TK; FYI, Turkey is the leading producer of hazelnuts; I always buy some there, from a company which is concerned about Fair Trade and avoids sourcing from unscrupulous producers who make out-of-school Iraqi or Syrian children,work for the harvest. how sad!

After all that, a little rest while looking at where we are, on geovision, I offer you a short digest

Which soon brings us to the Batavians

Looking out the window, we fly over the IJsselmeer, we turn left leaving AMS on our right

Water everywhere

These straight-lined fields, and this perfectly flat surface, no doubt, we are arriving; our shadow will faithfully accompany us, right to the end

Flying over of the freight terminal and the highway, just before landing

Uber welcomes us

And I find myself in this big mess that is Amsterdam airport, I find it rather dull, ugly, old-fashioned, but quite convenient for me when there are good fare opportunities. But I prefer arrival rather than departure, as security before departure can take VERY long time, moreover some of the lounges are not within easy reach

Thanks for reading through, now the reward with a bonus

Now comes the bonus, which I cannot include at the proper place, or so it seems; anyhow, I do hope you can read and watch it.

IZMIR: the central district of KONAK with the clock tower, the tiny mosque, a few houses with closed balconies saved or rather restored after the destruction of the Greek-Turkish war, and of course ASANSÖR, built according to the will of a philanthropist who wanted to facilitate access to water (fountains were at the bottom of the hills) for residents who live on the heights; now integrated into the city's transport system, Asansör (free) offers an easier way to climb this part of the city where I usually stay.

ISTANBUL: of course, Istanbul is my favorite, whether it is the wooden houses in Sultanahmet district, the very long promenade along the Bosphorus, and its traditional buildings all along, or Dolmabahçe palace even if I prefer Topkapı.

But Turkey, it is also of course Greek and Roman antiquity, with among others, the pearl of Ephesus

I discovered Cappadocia lately, with its very particular geology, troglodyte dwellings, and its history; it is both amazing and superb

And how can I leave you in a more pleasant way than with a view of Izmir bay on an April evening?