Review of KLM flight Istanbul → Amsterdam in Business

1. Basle - Amsterdam KL / Y, Fokker 70: HERE!!
2. Amsterdam - Istanbul KL / J, Boeing 737-700: THERE!!
3. Istanbul - Amsterdam KL / J, Boeing 737-800: Here you go!
4. Amsterdam - Basle KL / Y, Fokker 70: Won't be published

Welcome to my #100th flight report!!

After a fantastic stay in this lovely city, where the sun followed us each day with very nice temperatures, it is already time to think about the flight back. We'll go to the airport with a car booked by the hotel, but with the tram and the metro it could have been ways cheaper.

We head to the KLM Self Service devices that won't offer any Business Class upgrades. As I know that the flight far from full is, I ask the check in lady that has no idea, but will call her supervisor to ask. She will confirm an upgrade fare of 360 TRL, around 120 EUR, more or less the same deal as for the outbound. We'll take it ^^

To do it, you need to go to the ticketing desk and within 10 minutes we are all set and ready to go to the brand new SkyTeam lounge which is very nice but has no airport views.

Here it is:



There was an H2O bar, as I never tried I'll ask to, thanksfully it was free of charge as I did not feel anything:



Massage chairs:



Food offering with cold appetizers and desserts, hot dishes (mashed potatoes, veal, chicken and veggies) and lentils soup:



Hard and soft drinks, all very well stocked:



My selection and my mother's:



Wifi is free of charge, works very well. The staff is nice and friendly. A very good lounge to sum up!

At time of boarding we head to the gate which is 2 minutes away from the lounge. Good point.

As our plane landed slightly delayed, I take the opportunity to spot a little bit.

DC9-40 US Marine:



TK Cargo and TK Pax Airbusses :



Fokker 70 Autrian:



Boarding is launched with strictly enforced priorities, that's the cabin, kind of looking like the 737-700, but with no IFE and the seats recline a bit more. (I grouped the pictures by theme and not chronological ^^)


Again, we'll be 5 pax in J today and our co-pax won't eat anything, just a drink and sleep through the flight. Again no welcome drinks is offered. Not good. Pillows and blankets are on request only and there are only 5 in the whole plane. That's again, not very good!

Sunset:



777-300ER TK:



A320-200 Sharklet LH:



DC9-40 again:



Quatar A330-200:



TK and Atlas Jet 321-200:



TK 737-900 ER:



321-200 TK and Atlas Jet:


A300 of Solinair hasn't moved:



737-800 TK and A300 MNG Cargo in distance:



737 - 800 TK, A300 MNG Cargo and A321 Onur:



Those BEA A300 are here since forever:



Istanbul suburbs:



Safety Card:



Bacardi coke (what else ??) with some delicious bites and oshiburi:



Tonight's food offering:



Three different options will be available, pasta, chicken or beef (not on the menu). I ask my parents to play the FR's game and try different plates if they would, so my mother took the pasta, and she loved them, my father took the chicken, he said it was a bit dry, I took the beef that was lovely:



Same white wine as on the outbound flight:



Baileys:



During the whole service, the hostess was very friendly, speaking a perfect french. That was perfect. The dinner was good, the starter fresh and tasty, so were the cheeses and the salad. Again, I regret that there was no dessert apart from the chocolates.

After the baileys I stopped taking pictures as it was night outside, and I tried to manage some sleep. We landed on time and went to our gate to BSL. Flight that I won't report as it was pretty standard and it was night :)

Istanbul bonus:

Dolmabahce:



Dolmabahce view towards Topkapi :



View from my hotel room over the Bosphorus:



Aya Sofya:



Blue Mosquee:



Galata bridge:



Houses in the old Istanbul:



The cisterns, my personnal favorite: