Turkish Airlines BKK-IST-LAX Business August 2012

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Turkish Airlines Trip Report 2012




Just a mini prologue, Turkish Airlines has been widely discussed here and I have flown their first class (and wrote a report on it). Its offering in all cabin classes is very impressive, given how cost conscious airline it these days. After its short experiment with first class, Turkish Airlines decides to stick with three classes but without first class and a brand new premium economy class called “Comfort” class. As bmi has gone under, I have to search for a new Star Alliance partner and Turkish Miles and More programs seem to provide an acceptable way to maintain Star Alliance gold and the airline looks likes in good financial shape with lots of expansions. It also offers a number of attractive business class fares from various Asian cities to the US via its Istanbul hub. It is a bit out of the way, but the earned miles will make me qualified as their gold elites sooner. That is what I took this flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles via Istanbul. I myself am interested in its Business Class offering, so here is my take!

August 21, 2012
TK 65 BKK-IST LV1055 Arr1710 Airbus A330-200 TC-JND “Antalya”

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport remains my least favorite airport and I try my best to minimize my time there. The whole airport is like a giant slab of cold gray concrete with no warmth and the amount of walking is just bizarre. The amount of duty free shops is just absurd, and the curve window (not to mention the one with the white dots) forbids any reasonable photo taking.




Turkish Airlines uses Aisle S and there are separate check-in lines for business, online check-in baggage drop, and economy class. There are two business class counters and both were busy when I checked in. The agent was reasonably friendly and my request for a bulkhead window seat was honored, and with a light load today, it was no issue to give me 1K. My luggage was tagged to Istanbul with a priority tag and I was instructed to use any Thai Airways lounge. There was no need for lounge invitation, which was somewhat unusual here in Bangkok. Coupon was also provided for fast track immigration and security, which was definitely a nice amenity to offer.






Today I chose the Royal Orchid Lounge, which was in Concourse E, and there was a first class section, which remained empty the whole time. Food was limited to warmed pastries and pork & shrimp dumplings, fresh fruits, sandwiches and mini pastries. There was a full open bar with soft drinks and juices. Two attendants were manning the buffet area. The lounge was not terribly busy this morning, as there were only few TG or Star Alliance flights at these mid morning bank. I took some pictures just to show you all. I also chose this lounge because it has a view of R/W1L/19R, which was the usual landing runway and a view of F Concourse.

I was able to take this bad picture when TK 64 arrived at 9:34am at F5. The dotted window was annoying.


The curving windows don’t help even without dots

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Photos of the Royal Orchid Lounge (there is another Royal Silk Lounge right across, so don’t mix it up)









I headed over to the gate around 10:20am, even though the boarding time was stated at 10am, and the flight information screen was showing final call. Of course boarding just started at 10:23am, when I approached the gate.

How absurd this sign was!


F5 was our gate and there was a separate line for business class passengers


The purser briefly greeted me at the boarding door and showed me which aisle to go. It was a lightly occupied business class cabin today and took the opportunities to take some photos. The F/As were running around but just setting up the bar area with beverages. Nothing was served till everyone in business class was seated.

Cabin Shot before takeoff

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Bar in front of the business class cabin – sort of like a TK signature business class design




My seat today 1K




Pillow and Blanket – all TK branded



Beverages were served first by the onboard chef and then the F/As rolled down the trolleys with newspapers, amenity kits, slippers, and noise-canceling headsets. The Chef then offered everyone some Godiva chocolate thins.




Door was closed at 10:58am, after a few missing passengers were located. We pushed back late at 11:11am though due to congestion in the alleyway. Nothing surprising. However the takeoff queue was rather short today or at this midmorning hour. We took off from R/W19L at 11:23am.

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Just a beautiful day and lovely view of Downtown Bangkok as we climbed out!





Winglet and registration shot


Today’s routing took off towards Myanmar, and climbed to 26,000feet, before passing south of Yangon, and then city of Bassein, and then into the Bay of Benegal before entering Indian airspace. We passed cities of Bhubaneswar, Samba, Sgar, Guna, and Kota, before climbing to 38,000feet. We passed Rahimyar Khan, Zahedan, Zanjan, Maragheh, Orumiyeh, Van, Sivas and then towards Istanbul.

Seat belt sign was turned off at 11:28am and was not turned on till descent time. The onboard chef passed out the menus and wine list. Yes the menus were personalized. Hot towels were first offered at 11:34am, and then a fresh linen was placed at each table, and beverage order was taken.

I had a glass of champagne and orange juice.


A bowl of mixed nuts that went with the beverages (no more canapé service)


The main meal service was definitely very extravagant, and table was setup individually. The breadbasket for both meals features very nice crusty French rolls, baguettes, and wheat rolls. The starters trolley was amazing and I tried every item, which was delicious. The best starter I have ever had in premium cabin – definitely a great way to start the meal! Soup was served next and it was just a tad salty, but in general, it was delicious. Main Course was individually plated in the galley and the kebab was no disappointment. Then the cheese, fruit, and dessert trolley rolled down the aisle. I felt that Turkish should go back to the older way of serving the cheese, fruit and dessert first, and then tea/coffee and Turkish sweets lasts. No one was actively serving tea or coffee, unless the passenger asked for it. Nonetheless, you literally could have everything and the F/A would be more than happy to serve you extra food. Bottled waters were passed out after the meal, and then another round of hot towel. Turkish did hot towels both before and after each main meal service.

Here is the wine list and menu transcript:
Turkish Airlines Business Class
August 2012

Wine List
White Wines
Prestige Narince 2011, Turkey
Chablis Premier Cru Les Beauroys 2008, Burgundy, France

Rose Wines
Kavaklidere Egeo 2010, Turkey

Red Wines
Doluca Karma Merlot Bogazkere 2010, Turkey
Chateau Lamothe Pontac Medoc 2009, Bordeaux France
Bodegas Beronia Crianza 2008 Rioja Spain
Bodega Norton Privada 2009 Mendoza, Argentina
Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage 2007, Portugal

Champagne
Gosset Brut Grande Reserve, France
MK_WINELIST_BC_USA

Turkish Airlines TK 65
Bangkok to Istanbul (Daytime)

A La Carte Menu

Selection from our trolley
Octopus Salad
Chicken nicoise salad
Tabbouleh
White eggplant salad
Shrimp and lemon grass salad
Yogurt with cucumber
Prawn in puff pastry

And/Or

Creamy Potato Soup
Fried brushetta

Please choose from our selection:
Grilled Fillet of Grouper
Beurre Blanc sauce/sautéed leaf spinach/potato puree
Or
“Sis Kebab” Beef Borchette
Thyme sauce/gnocchi with mustard curry
Grilled eggplants and zucchinis/roasted red peppers
Or
Vegetable Pad Thai
Pak choi in oyster sauce

Assorted cheese, fresh fruit and dessert from our trolley
Turkish Desserts
Sour Cherry Strudel
Vanilla sauce
Tiramisu
Chocolate Ice Cream

Coffee and/or tea
Digestives from our trolley
Petits Desserts
MK_ER_BKKIST_65_C_4

Setup with bread



Starter

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Mini Baguette


Soup



Fabulous kebab entrée




Fruit plate and tiramisu

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Hot tea after meal


Turkish Airlines branded sugar and napkin


The meal service was completed at 1:06pm, which was an hour and half after takeoff. I felt that it was a bit rushed and for a daytime flight, things could slow down a bit. There were extra bottled waters in the bar area, along with packets of dried fruits (apricots and sultanas), along with some fig candy from Taris. The F/As pretty much disappeared till three hours prior to landing, when they were setting up the second meal service. There was lots of traffic to the front galley, but the F/As were sort of here, but not here. Nobody bothered to ask waking passengers if they need anything to drink. I felt that the F/As could have at least set up a soft drink and juice station at the bar area. More packaged snacks should be offered, like peanuts and crackers. Since we are on the topic of F/As, there were three F/As serving the business class cabin along with the onboard chef. Meal service was efficient partially because there were plenty of F/As doing the service. However, I felt that they were a bit rough at points. They were reasonably friendly but just needed some polish if they ever wanted to go to the top level like CX or SQ. The F/As were too rushed at points, and needed to be more active midflight by doing beverage runs or at least put some effort in setting up a beverage station. I don’t mind pouring myself a drink. They also cleared the cabin way too early – the F/As were collecting glasses, even half-filled ones, at a full hour prior to landing. Not sure what is the rush here! The task was to serve the meals ASAP and then disappeared! Even with the really good hardware and catering, the soft product (F/As mainly) needs lots of fine-tuning.

Obviously the Airbus A330-200s does not feature the latest generation of business class seat, but the seats are nicely designed for a long daytime flight. The seats do not go fully flat, not even sliding flat, but for a nap, it was okay. However I like all the bells and whistles that come with the seats!

Cabin shot in the air




Adjustable headrest


Personal snake light


Divider



Large table console and the tray table was not traditional folding type that occupy lots of space



The Seat Console – fairly simple but leg rest could not extend further

[Carfield]

Large table console and the tray table was not traditional folding type that occupy lots of space



The Seat Console – fairly simple but leg rest could not extend further


Power outlet and headset plug, along with a small side storage for eyeglasses box or cell phone


A storage bin in the armrest



Shoe storage bin


The armrest could be lowered with the push of this button – very cool design to give the seat more width in sleeping position



Lounging position (preset)



Fully reclined mode – not really full flat

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Bathrooms
Both bathrooms for business class is in the aft cabin behind the galley – a bit of hassle – not sure how crazy it will get on a full flight!



Even seat belt buckle is “branded”


Entertainment
The AVOD system worked the moment we boarded, and they did not turn it off till pilot signaled final preparation for landing. The Airbus A330-200 does not feature touch screen functions or a fancy interface, but they have a large library of TV shows, including lots of popular American sitcoms. I spent the flight watching Big Bang Theory and Two and A Half Man (Charlie Sheen still here though). Not sure about the movie selection though! I don’t watch movies in general. However there are live text news, and the flight information selection was good. The flight map was good with multiple functions allowing you to roam and zoom into routes. There was a down and front camera too. I find the system to be excellent.

Hot towels were passed out again at 6:29pm, and more orange juice and water were offered. No linen for this meal service and the meal was more simplified. The first tray contained all the starters, salads and dessert. The starter was not disappointing – very fresh food. Entrée was served next with a choice of a nice chicken satay or a trio pasta dish. I feel that the dessert could serve separately. But this crew really does not do a post-meal tea/coffee run, which was a bit surprising. Maybe Turkish is not a big coffee drinking culture. The petit desserts never made appearances.

Overflying Iran



Orange juice prior to the meal


Here is the menu for second meal:
Second Service


Marinated Seafood

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Fried Eggplant and Green Peppers with Tomato sauce

Mediterranean Salad






Please choose from our selection
Chicken Satay
Sautéed tomatoes and onions/rice




Or
Tris Di Pasta
Gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce
Penne with Arrabbiata sauce
Spinach Ravioli

Cheese Cake


Coffee or Tea

Descent began at 5:57pm local time and it was a beautiful day. The F/As recollected menus, but they let me keep it. No one would bother you for the menu.

A nearby Turkish airplane


City of Istanbul

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Istanbul Ataturk Airport from the sky


We landed on R/W05 at 4:29pm and parked at gate 212 seven minutes later.

Busy apron






Last shot of TC-JND at Gate 212 – the flight will have four hours of rest before going to Mumbai in the evening


Business Class passengers were invited to leave first, and I appreciate the F/As holding back the economy passengers. The airport was very busy and it was a bit disappointing that Turkish Airlines does not offer any fast track arrival services for its business class passengers. I saw a fast track passport lane for passengers on a number of international airlines, like Emirates, Asiana, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and a few international airlines, but I was surprised that Turkish Airlines was not part of it. Anyway, the lane was busy but at least moving! Check-in bag was not offloaded yet when I arrived at the baggage claim, so fast track passport would only help to some extent. Anyway, the first bag came out at 5:06pm, thirty minutes after our arrival. Priority tags made a big difference here at Istanbul. I stayed overnight at the TAV Airport hotel, which was hotel given the location. There was free wifi, but sort of slow. I am now writing part one of the trip report in my reasonably spacious room. I am a forever optimist and hopefully the flight to LAX on the Boeing 777-300ER will go better tomorrow.

Here is Part two of the trip report!


August 22, 2012
TK 9 IST-LAX Lv1245 Arr1630 Boeing 777-300ER TC-JJL “Kardeniz”
After a restful night of sleep, I headed back to the airport, and just a warning, there is a series of security checks and please come early to the airport. Three hours is the minimum for coach especially to the USA. Before entering the check-in area, there is a baggage check station, and yes laptop has to come out and belt has to come off. It is like your usual security checkpoint, but your check-in luggage will have to be screened too. That took a good fifteen to twenty minutes, since only two lines are opened.



The normal TK check-in area is at Aisle A and B, but priority check-in area is at Aisle E, and there is a separate line for USA/UK/Canada/sensitive countries passengers, as you have to go through a security Q&A with local security company. The staffs were friendly enough though and for a US citizen, there are not a lot of questions that they need to ask. After being cleared, I waited a while before being waved to an empty counter. Yes the staff addressed me by last name and said, “Mr. Carfield please go to that counter!” The agent was efficient and had to reenter my Turkish miles and more number into the reservation. The flight was full, according to expertflyer the evening before, so I did not ask for the bulkhead seat, as 4J, the seat next to me remained empty, and that was my best bet for a pair of seats.

Priority check-in counters – black is the color theme here!

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Separate entrance for USA/UK/Canada… bound passengers








There is an express lane for immigration and security for business class and elite passengers, and there is no wait at all this morning. I have been here before and IST is like a giant shopping mall but not interested in it today. I headed to the newly renovated THY Lounge at Istanbul, and was amazed.




The lounge entrance had an automatic gate system now and you need to wave your boarding pass at the barcode machine.


Very fancy stuff but a bit unusual! This looks fancy but I feel that it is too impersonal for a premium experience. The staffs remained stoic and unfriendly. The men are the friendlier bunch and nearly all the women were stoic and seemed rather unhappy. Not sure why! Anyway, the lounge is huge, and here is a map of the lounge.



Lots of foods including a pizza station (well Turkish pastries), hot food station, salad station, mixed nuts station, olive station, and a pastry station that resembles a European coffee shop. The lounge was busy this morning, but there were plenty of rooms for everyone. I like the arch design and there is a mixture of Turkish and modern element. Showers, dayrooms and prayer rooms are available too. I will let the pictures do the talking, but this lounge is definitely one of the best business class lounges, if not the best, in the world. Even Cathay Pacific’s “Cabin” or Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge comes close, and it is unique while remain stylish. It has its character and breaks the generic airline lounge mode. The food is just amazing.

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I love this coffee shop/dessert area – amazing array of cakes and pastries.