Review of Turkish Airlines flight from Melbourne to Istanbul in Business

On March 1, Turkish Airlines extended its network to 6 continents and 130 countries, finally adding Australia to its map with the launch of a flight to Melbourne. Initially operated by Boeing 787-9, this flight has been upgraded to Airbus A350-900 since the start of the summer 2024 season (IATA), and features a stopover in Singapore on both the outbound and return legs, with so-called "fifth freedom" rights between the city-state and the capital of the state of Victoria. Flight-Report takes you to Melbourne, the farthest Turkish Airlines destination, almost 15,000 km from its Istanbul hub!

We meet outside Terminal 2 at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport.

Check-in is scheduled this evening at aisle O for our flight TK169.

Check-in

The priority queue for Business passengers is clearly marked.

I quickly collect my boarding pass and instructions on how to get to the lounge. Turkish Airlines logically uses the lounge of Air New Zealand, another member of the Star Alliance. Note the black border indicating Business travel.

The formalities are completed very quickly before disembarking in the duty-free aisle.

With a nod to the famous downtown tramway.

Appropriately enough, a poster campaign by the Turkish Tourist Board is underway.

It's time to return to our lounge - all the lounges are located on the lower levels.

Air New Zealand Melbourne Lounge

The entrance to the Air New Zealand lounge is imposing and unmistakable.

The ground-floor lounge is spacious, with plenty of seating.

A children's area.

The catering area.

With the buffet on this long table.

Fruit, cookies and savory mix.

Salad bar.

Butternut squash soup

4 types of hot dishes.

Garlic chive mashed potato

Baked eggplant

Vegetable biryani

Beef madras with potato and greens

Cheese and dried fruit.

Cakes, muffins, scones and crackers.

A full range of soft drinks, hot beverages and spirits…

…beers, ciders and New Zealand wines.

My selection accompanied by a Gin & Tonic.

The lounge recalls the origins of Air New Zealand and its first name TEAL for Tasman Empire Airways Limited.

Note the spacious showers.

After this pleasant passage, it's time to reach our boarding gate.

Boarding

Our Airbus A350-900 is at the gate, TC-LGG, delivered in July 2022.

With its Zorro mask, signature of the Airbus bestseller .

Boarding is well organized, with two separate queues, one of which is for priority passengers.

We head for the first gangway to the left-hand door.

I find this now-familiar cabin with its 32 seats in a 1-2-1 staggered configuration. It's the SYMPHONY seat from French equipment manufacturer STELIA Aerospace.

Armament includes blanket, pillow and shoe bag with mules.

The ottoman.

On the side, the adjustable armrest, headphone socket, seat controls and entertainment system remote control.

Opposite, a large screen displaying the interface's many available languages, including French, to which we'll return later.

The welcome protocol takes shape, and I ask for a glass of champagne when the welcome drink is offered.

The Airbus A350's exterior cameras are a big plus for tracking ground maneuvers.

Orange mood lighting activated for our night takeoff.

Take-off from runway 27.

In flight: MEL-SIN

The flight from Melbourne to Singapore takes around 7:30.

Several passes by the crew to successively distribute the comfort kit, noise-cancelling headphones and menu/wine list of the day.

Here is the specific model for women, the contents remain identical to the men's kit, and always with Ferragamo products.

Dinner

Let's take a look at the menu for this evening's flight. As on the Singapore to Melbourne leg, it's an accelerated service that's a mix between the service on European and long-haul flights.

A tray service featuring a single starter, a side salad, cheese and dessert.

Garden fresh salad

Best of mezze

Fairly average mezze.

With a choice of 3 courses, I opt for the piece of beef, telling the chef (who takes the order) to choose a piece as uncooked as possible.

Fillet of beef
Ratatouille potato gratin

Even if the meats are pre-cooked, the position in the oven can influence the final cooking.

Perfectly cooked for my taste, with the meat still pink inside!

Date & hazelnut cake

Correct

Continuation of the flight

A word about the business class toilets, which have special Molton Brown products and a scent diffuser.

Most passengers take advantage of the IFE

Let's do the same while we're south-east of Alice Springs.

Entertainment system (IFE)

The DENON headset is particularly effective yet comfortable, thanks to its active attenuation of ambient noise - one of the best on the market!

The home screen shows the various categories.

Note that it is also possible to navigate and view from the screen of the touch-sensitive remote control.

The movie category is ultra-complete, with 688 different titles. Note the "HD High Definition" or "FHD Full High Definition" indication in the corner, indicating films with the best image quality.

Of course, the new releases include American blockbusters, and when available, an indication of viewers' opinions with IMDb ratings.

There are also numerous foreign films, including a category for European cinema where you can find French productions such as "Second Tour".

Music is not to be outdone, with over 2,000 tracks.

TV series for all tastes, with nearly 1,700 different videos.

Live TV, in particular Sport 24, the only channel that lets you follow world sporting events from the air (and far from the coast, for cruisers).

The games category, which is more classic.

Lots of information and videos on Turkey and Turkish Airlines.

And finally, a "More" category for access to the rest of the sections, including connecting flights, audio books and podcasts.

Rest

I finally fall asleep after turning the seat into a flat bed.

Snack

I wake up about 1 hour before arrival and accept the offer of a snack. There's a choice of chicken wrap or cheese quiche.

Cheese, tomato & basil quiche
Passion fruit tart

Very good.

Approach and arrival

The cabin is switched back on in preparation for our landing, with a little aggressive lighting this time.

We land on runway 20R.

There's no doubt about the humidity outside!

Transit to Singapore Changi

As on the outbound flight, disembarkation is compulsory during our transit through Singapore. We're back at gate D46 and have 30 minutes free before we have to return to the gate.

We have to go through security again, but fortunately there's a queue reserved for Business passengers.

Boarding

Our Airbus A350 being refueled for the next flight to Istanbul.

The entire crew is also relieved.

Welcome aboard by our new crew and (re)discovery of a prepared cabin.

The protocol is set in place, starting with the welcome drink (strawberry/raspberry lemonade)…

…then the comfort kit, in this case the green men's model.

We're ready for departure, but restrictions in Malaysian airspace that day mean we have to wait an extra 30 minutes before we can push off.

Off we go.

A quick taxi to runway 20C.

In flight: SIN-IST

Goodbye Singapore…

…and its many container ships.

Ten hours flying time ahead.

The theoretical route (we'll be going further south on this one).

Numerous storm cells.

And even a lightning strike on our plane! The noise was dull and sudden, but fortunately of no consequence, as planes are designed like Faraday cages.

In-flight service begins with the distribution of a bottle of water.

I accept the offer to install a mattress topper, even though I don't intend to sleep right away.

Breakfast

An oshibori on a reglette.

A two-stage breakfast service, starting with a cold breakfast and a selection of breads and pastries.

Selection of cheese

Correct.

Yoghurt
Chicken breast

Standard.

Fresh fruit salad

Good fruit, nicely presented.

I opt for the savory option for the hot dish.

Mozzarella and tomato omelette
sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, cherry tomato

Very nice omelette.

I fell asleep quickly after clearing away.

The cabin is turned back on about 3 hours before our arrival, which is the main service on this flight.

A new hot oshibori is offered.

The scenery outside is all too familiar from our flight over the Tigris in Iraq.

We start with an aperitif, a mixture of nuts and champagne.

Then we set the table.

The lunch menu.

The signature serving cart makes its appearance for the starters.

I opt for :

marinated seafood salad
chicken satay brochette
Caesar's salad

Excellent.

Followed by the soup.

Pea & mint soup
herbed crouton

Correct.

For main courses, choice of beef, sweet & sour shrimp or Asian noodles with vegetables (my choice).

Noodle with vegetables
Braised tofu, pak choi and carrot

Very tasty.

The cart is back for cheese and desserts.

Selection of cheese

Medium.

My choice of desserts is :

Apple walnut tart (warm choice)
Chocolate coffee ganache cake
Vanilla ice cream

Correct.

I finish with an espresso.

We're now flying over the mountainous landscapes of eastern Turkey.

Approach and arrival

An approach that takes us close to the Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge.

Before heading south along the famous Bosphorus.

Istanbul's old town in perfect weather.

Then we head north again for our final approach, giving us a view of Istanbul's old airport (ISL), which is still in operation but only for a few cargo flights. Only one runway has been preserved.

The passenger terminal is still there, however, and appears to be intact with all its walkways!

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

The Turkish Technic maintenance area.

The Turkish Cargo area.

Boeing 787-9 Turkish Airlines

Boeing 777-300ER Turkish Airlines

And our arrival at the parking lot.

With a last view of our plane.

PRACTICAL
Turkish Airlines offers 3 flights a week (Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays) fromIstanbul (IST) to Melbourne (MEL) via Singapore (SIN), departing late afternoon from Turkey and arriving early evening the following day in Australia. On the return leg, the 3 weekly frequencies (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) offer a late evening departure from Australia for a mid-morning arrival in Turkey the following day. The airline has "fifth freedom" rights between Singapore and Melbourne, enabling it to book this section only. The airline will also inaugurate Sydney (SYD) on December 4, 2024, with 4 weekly rotations via Kuala Lumpur (KUL).

These flights to Australia are operated by Airbus A350-900s configured with 32 seats in business class and 297 in economy class.

Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 456 aircraft (passenger and cargo) serving 349 destinations worldwide, including 296 international destinations in 130 countries and 53 domestic destinations.

Turkish Airlines flies to France from Bordeaux (BOD), Lyon (LYS), Marseille (MRS), Nice (NCE), Paris (CDG), Toulouse (TLS) and Strasbourg (SXB).

Trip realized by Flavien for Flight-Report with the participation of Turkish Airlines.