Review of Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Manila in Business

THY

TK - Turkish Airlines

Flight taken on 18 April 2024
TK0264
04:05 11h 40m 20:45
Class Business
Seat 6A
Injian13
1,640 · 44 · 1 · 34

After a comfortable 10 hour stay at the Yotel airside hotel (due to long , checked out around midnight and had 4 hours till take off. Walked back to the central area to find the entrance to the TK J lounge.

photo 53816344967_ee8670c69d_c

After scanning my BP at the automated gate, I was let into the main lobby area

photo 53817516568_2164e23b2b_c

Locker area off to the left of the lobby and sleep rooms / shower further down past the lockers.

photo 53817711650_1ddd972269_c

The lounge was very busy around midnight when I entered and then cleared out after an hour. It was difficult to find seating initially but as people were leaving, I started to get better seats far away from everyone else.

photo 53817275736_350e082be6_c

I went to find food and there were only a couple hot dishes available at this time which was fine. I missed the kebabs which I was told were really good.

Chef was serving veggie stew, rice and beans.

photo 53817275191_88149c8b02_cphoto 53817274686_a700cba124_c

Found the pide station!

photo 53817710245_d92c418371_c

Five choices for consumption - all were so good.

photo 53817711005_56568aba1d_c

There were two dessert and drinks stations.

photo 53816344687_f1cf0c9f40_cphoto 53817274346_5d058d4192_cphoto 53816346017_a3fa9cec52_c

The UEFA attraction

photo 53817604659_80c71333d3_cphoto 53817710385_204e4109e0_c

Other areas of the lounge

photo 53817440351_dab11a3b76_cphoto 53817515198_f1f6a42306_c

Went to check out the shower lounge - lack of ventilation if you are having a hot shower.

photo 53817711345_25e088f1c3_c

Overlooking the terminal

photo 53816344472_4985ac7d69_c

Waiting for my gate number to be posted

photo 53816346152_659bc3a9aa_c

Had a good lounge experience overall - very open and airy but be warned of how crowded it can get during peak times which is probably all the time except between 12am - 5am. At T-60, I made the long trek to the gate as it was a good 15 minutes at a leisurely pace. IST is ridiculously large and the only negative thing about it is that there are no movators.

Really getting my steps in :D

photo 53817723115_ea8b1255e8_c

Got to the gate and boarding was underway. Despite a J line, everything got bottleneck in the long tunnel leading to the tubes.

photo 53817724435_09508a958b_cphoto 53817724400_2defb44e0d_c

The chariot.

photo 53816359547_d05731eb1e_c

Spied the J class tube and ducked in.

photo 53817288801_1a77db431a_c

My seat for the next 10-ish hours. Same one used by SQ for intra Asia flights on their 787’s and 350’s.

photo 53816359467_4c2ebcd70e_cphoto 53816359447_44930b5ceb_cphoto 53817619304_9e98be5a44_c

Cabin crew came by offering PDB’s and went with OJ this time - very tasty.

photo 53817529858_5310111bec_c

Menu’s were provided shortly after.

photo 53817288681_03c0b3e62e_cphoto 53817529843_31dc39382d_c

Aircraft pushed back on time and we eventually whooshed our way into the night sky

photo 53816359302_c2937601ef_c

Meal service started an hour after take off. Started with the smoked turkey, cheeses and veggies.

photo 53817724160_66e465ec19_c

Followed by the poached eggs with shakshuka which was ok

photo 53816359347_9e9a8cee1b_c

We flew into a nice sunrise and it was good just watching the flight via the tail cam.

photo 53816359262_7418e24f1f_cphoto 53817288516_4a89eb0b63_c

3 hours before landing, the next meal service started. Started with a small amuse bouche.

photo 53817724045_c19867cfcc_c

Followed by a cart of appetizers to choose from.

photo 53816359057_30804b6607_c

Creamy Avocado soup

photo 53817618934_c66a00335b_cphoto 53816359022_360536f2f4_c

Grilled lamb chops - delicious!

photo 53817288206_be64fe05c3_c

Finishing off with the eclair and bread/butter pudding - very good.

photo 53817529388_9ee54c753d_c

Landing in MNL

photo 53817529358_a48a04d1d2_c

Parked at our assigned gate

photo 53816358877_657b433576_c

Immigration was quick - was 10th in line and after the formalities, made my way to baggage claim. The bag was already on the belt by there. Was picked up by friends for the 5 minute drive round the bend to the Sheraton. Always loved the decor, vibe and hospitality here versus the Marriott next door. The check in agent asked if I wanted to go to the lounge for the formalities but I declined as I just wanted to get to my room - was “upgraded” to the club floor but I didnt care as I just wanted to get in for a shower and sleep.

Comfy for one night.

photo 53817618779_dc6b777dc5_c

After a semi decent sleep, I woke up to a wonderful view - the wow factor for me is the airport views.

photo 53816358817_07e8266a01_c

Display all

Product ratings

Airline

Turkish Airlines 9.1

  • Cabin9.0 / 10
  • Cabin crew8.0 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi9.5 / 10
  • Meal/catering10.0 / 10
Departure airport

Istanbul - IST10.0

  • Efficiency10.0 / 10
  • Access10.0 / 10
  • Services10.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness10.0 / 10
Arrival Airport

Manila - MNL8.0

  • Efficiency8.0 / 10
  • Access8.0 / 10
  • Services8.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness8.0 / 10

Conclusion

1. IST is truly spectacular, lots to see and lots of walking lol
2. Stay at the Yotel airside hotel was comfortable and highly recommend for anyone having a long layover
3. Flying on the TK A350 has its pros and cons - I would not do this on a long haul as the seats are not comfortable compared to the 777.
4. Food onboard was delicious
5. Was little put off by one particular agent who was very condescending but overall a good experience from the crew (not over the top but good enough)

Did you enjoy reading this?

Let the author know by sharing a clap! It will be greatly appreciated!

34 Clap

Injian13 's latest reviews

Comments (1)

  • The new IST airport looks so impressive every time I see it in reviews. The A350 cabin looks beautiful, too bad to hear it wasn't as comfortable as the old 777 cabins. It will be interesting to see what people think of the new 777 cabins, which look amazing, on paper anyway. Once again food looks very good, and I always appreciate when lamb is on the menu! Thanks for sharing!

Login to post a comment.
Flight-Report

Ad Blocker Detected

Flight-Report is a free website hosting more than 500 000 pictures and 17 000 reviews, without ads, this website can't exist.

If you enjoy our website, we would greatly appreciate it if you could disable your ad blocker to support us. Thank you for your help and understanding!

How to Allow Flight-Report.com?