Review of Turkish Airlines flight from London to Istanbul in Economy

Our journey today starts out of Heathrow's Terminal 2, the base for Turkish Airlines.

I checked for a possibly business class airport upgrade (AUP) but you can't use cash or a credit or debit card. You can only pay with Miles&Smiles (Turkish Airlines' dedicated mileage programme). The cost was 25,000 miles (approx £550.00 sterling if calculating on mileage purchase).

Inside T2, there's self-service check-in kiosks…

Or manned check-in desks if you'd prefer to deal with a human.

I had some time to kill so used my Priority Pass membership to gain access to the Plaza Premium Lounge.

It's one of the better ones from a design perspective, with lots of seating available.

The food however, still needs a bit of work. My shameful breakfast of "pre-done" toast, beans, cheese and two hash browns! Don't judge me.

Down to the gate ready for boarding. Just worth reminding you that Turkish Airlines often use the "B" gates, which can be up to 20 minutes walk from the main terminal area. Just bare that in mind.

Here's today's aircraft, a proper widebody. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, this particular registration TC-LLK was delivered to Turkish Airlines in March 2020.

A peaceful boarding area (that makes a change for Heathrow!).

We were then called to board and it was the first time in flying for all my years on Earth that I've been given a printed "boarding receipt" to confirm I was successfully boarded.

And here's my seat in the Economy cabin, 13A, for my ride across to Istanbul.

Waiting for me on my seat was a large Turkish Airlines branded red pillow.

And initial impressions of their entertainment system were positive. The screen looked crystal clear.

Legroom was good, and made even better by the middle seat next to me staying vacant.

And only 7 minutes behind schedule, we departed Heathrow.

I'm a big fan of tail and downward cameras. They make the take-off and climb so much more interesting.

Now I must admit, Turkish Airlines' "Planet" IFE system is really a game changer. No lag, crystal clear screen, plenty of options spanning films, TV, music, games and more. It really is an industry leading offering and I was very impressed.

It also features a "Do Not Disturb" function for Economy passengers which is a great service elevation. When you click on it, you can opt-in to be woken for your meal, another nice service detail.

And then the meal service commenced. To start, a Caprese-style salad with mozzarella and tomatoes.

This came with a sachet of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. There was also butter and cream cheese.

Not to mention this delightfully warm Turkish bread roll with sesame seeds. This was great!

I opted for the bronze died rigatoni dish with cheese and tomato sauce and it was really good. Piping hot (I actually had to let it cool down for a few minutes which is a real strong point). I was very impressed.

And finally, dessert was a rich chocolate mousse with chocolate chips. Another stellar offering.

All in all, a fantastic meal service for a flight of its length.

The only slight negative (and I'm really clutching at straws here) was the offering on beers. It was purely Heineken whilst the airline was offering some great Turkish wines. Perhaps the Heineken could be swapped out for a more traditional Efes or Bomonti?

Onto the toilets now which were the best I've ever smelt. With mood lighting, a Molton Brown reed diffuser, soap, and hand lotion. I was really impressed.

There's no denying how Turkish have strived to elevate even the basics in Economy - and it really shows!

The 787-9 seat is also really comfortable. The leather headrest really holds your head in place and allows you to grab a good hour or so of sleep. Who am I to say no?!

And when I woke, we had begun our descent into IST.

The in-built cameras came into play again!

A side note, I also love how Turkish Airlines show with ease whether your flight will be operated by a narrow-body or a wide-body, making it easy to opt for a long haul configuration if that's your preference.

And with that, we'd landed into a very wet Istanbul. The rain seems to be following me at the minute!

But yes, that was a really great experience. Turkish Airlines pulled out the stops and impressed me greatly. So much so, I'll be returning soon! Thanks for reading and watching as always.