Turkish A359 Business Class to Italy: Rome, Amalfi Coast and a Glimpse of Istanbul

[yflyer]

Great TR yflyer! Looks like you had a busy trip to Italy and a nice stopover in Istanbul. I agree TK crew can be a bit reserved and I wished too they would interact more with passengers. The hard product looks above average for the long-haul competition and price point, though probably not on par with SQ, as you pointed out. Although, certainly an improvement over the outdated 2-3-2 config on the 77W. However, I was lucky enough to have an elderly couple next to me so was never disturbed. I look forward to more yflyer TRs in future.

Thanks for reading, RedEyeflight!

Yes, a very nice holiday. Italy was great. Timing-wise May was a nice time to visit too, just before peak tourist season, and even then it was so crowded. I would have wanted to spend more time in Turkiye, and maybe venture beyond Istanbul, but I couldn't take more leave than that. One reason we chose TK was price point, there were very good sale fares available, and that made all the difference.

[yflyer]

I stayed in Conrad a while back - is Gauss the cat still roving in the lobby - its a calico cat who sleeps on the sofas in the lobby - super cute had a lot of time with her

Hi alian! No, I didn't notice any cat in the lobby of the Conrad. I didn't spend a whole lof of time in the lobby area, so maybe I missed her.

That said, there were so many cats in Istanbul, and they all looked so well looked after, or at least well fed, even the community cats. This cat was at The Last Ottoman, and sat next to me while I was having lunch...

[RedEyeflight]

Great TR yflyer! Looks like you had a busy trip to Italy and a nice stopover in Istanbul. I agree TK crew can be a bit reserved and I wished too they would interact more with passengers. The hard product looks above average for the long-haul competition and price point, though probably not on par with SQ, as you pointed out. Although, certainly an improvement over the outdated 2-3-2 config on the 77W. However, I was lucky enough to have an elderly couple next to me so was never disturbed. I look forward to more yflyer TRs in future.

[alian]

I stayed in Conrad a while back - is Gauss the cat still roving in the lobby - its a calico cat who sleeps on the sofas in the lobby - super cute had a lot of time with her

[yflyer]

Final reflections...

This was a wonderful vacation from start to finish. Our flight experience on TK was great, with no delays on any sector, and our lounge experience on the ground was very good as well.

Flying to Europe via Istanbul worked out quite well. It was great to finally visit Istanbul, a city with such a rich history and culture, not to mention interesting food to try.

We had a great time in Italy. The weather was good, and the cities we visited had so much to offer visitors, in terms of history, scenery and cuisine. I thought that everyone we met was warm and friendly towards tourists and visitors, with special mention to the staff and hosts of the hotels we stayed at in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, who really made us feel really welcome.



Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

It was bright sunshine as we commenced our descent into Singapore Changi Airport...



Boxes of chocolate were handed out as a parting gift...



Prepped for landing...



Final approach from the west, over Malaysia...



Landing on Runway 20R...



...on a bright and sunny Thursday morning.



It was nice to be back home.



A final look at Turkish Airbus A359, registration TC-LHC, just 3 months old when we flew in June this year.



This was a wonderful flight on TK Business Class from Istanbul to Singapore. The hard product was good, and so was the cabin service and catering. Flying on a brand new plane was a bonus.

Just a few minor quibbles: Compared to other long haul J cabins, one might consider the seat slightly narrower than those on other planes. SQ uses the same seat product on medium haul routes (e.g. 8 hour sectors from Singapore to Australia). Also, I wished the TK cabin crew would engage with pax more warmly (SQ cabin crew are still the best in that regard), and I also wished that they would come round the cabin to offer 2nd helpings of the starters. They just did one round, then headed back to the galley with the trolley still holding a fair amount of food. I also found IST airport much too big -- lots more walking than other major airports.

All that said, I thought TK had a strong offering overall, with the onboard catering among the best I have had on any airline. I thought the offer of a free Istanbul stopover was great, and I would not mind stopping over in Istanbul again on a future trip.

[yflyer]

When I awoke, it was time for breakfast.

There was a coffee menu...



Apart from the regular coffee selections, there was also thick Turkish coffee...



I decided to give the Turkish coffee a try.



Breakfast was beautifully presented...



For my main, I opted for the pancakes...

[yflyer]

Each seat came with bedding...



The seat reclined fully flat, making a fairly comfortable bed...



The bed was not particularly wide, but it was long enough to stretch out in, with a reasonably sized footwell.



I had a sip of Turkish tea before going to bed...

[yflyer]

The cheese and dessert trolley was next.



I wished that they would put the cheese and dessert on a separate plate, but the selections tasted pretty good.



A glass of Port to finish.



By then, we were flying over Iran...

[yflyer]

After take-off, dinner was served.

A pre-dinner beverage was served, along with a plate of small bites, and a bowl of nuts. I opted for a G&T, which was served with a lemon slice (Thumbs up! A pet peeve of mine is when airlines serve a G&T without the lemon).



Dinner service began shortly after...



The table was set...



The breadroll was billed as the "world's oldest bread"...



The small battery operated "candle" was a nice touch...





An mouth-watering selection of starters from the trolley...



I picked a few, including the soup...



Delicious!



For my main, I picked the lamb...



This was absolutely wonderful, tender and flavourful...

[yflyer]

A refreshing cold towel was presented on a plate...



Take-off on Runway 35L...



...on a beautifully clear day.



As we climbed out, we made a slow left turn...



...and headed back past the airport, which gave window seat pax on the left side a fantastic view of the airport.



There was just one massive terminal.



I wonder why the airport planners didn't choose to have multiple smaller terminals instead. That would have reduced the amount of walking needed.



One last look at Istanbul and the Bosphorus...



Peering out the window, it was possible to see the Bosphorus Bridge, Kabatas port, Besiktas Stadium, as well as the Conrad, as we climbed out.



The first part of this flight would be in daylight...



...but we would soon be flying into the night.



After take-off, I unhooked the shoulder strap of the seatbelt, which retracted back into the seat, leaving just a small tab under the headrest. It was much more comfortable to sit with just the waist seat belt on. The shoulder strap was only needed during take-off and landing.

[yflyer]

The onboard chef came round with menu cards...



The menu...



Many Turkish specialities were featured.



Dinner after take-off...



Breakfast prior to landing...



Beverages...



The wine list...



Both Turkish and international wines were offered...



Rose and Port wine...



Taittinger Brut Champagne, along with a selection of spirits and beer.

[yflyer]

Our flight, TK208, was a 5:05 pm departure, which would get us into Singapore the next morning, at 8:45am.

Given the amount of walking involved in getting to the gate, we left the lounge fairly early.



It was indeed a fairly long trek to the gate.



When we got there, it turned out to be a bus gate, and we would still need to take a long bus ride to the aircraft.



We were treated to a grand tour of IST's airport operations, as the bus wound its way across the airport.



Eventually we reached a row of gleaming Airbuses.



While aerobridges were undoubtedly very convenient, I did quite enjoy walking across the windy tarmac and boarding via the front stairs...



Boarding was via both front and rear stairs.



The J cabin was already fairly full by the time we boarded.



My seat was a window seat, 4A...



...with Mrs yflyer across the aisle...



The cabin crew came round with a selection of juices.



There was an amenity kit and a blanket at each seat.



Slippers were provided, with a convenient shoe bag to stow your shoes.



High quality noise cancelling headphones.

[yflyer]

The F&B spread here was similar to the Miles & Smiles Lounge (Covered earlier in the TR, here), with a comprehensive salad and cold appetiser bar, and many live hot food stations.

At each station, chefs were busy preparing and serving mainly Turkish dishes...



...including Manti, a turkish dumpling similar to ravioli...



...as well as international selections as well, including one Oriental dish and one Indian dish, such as chicken tikka masala...



We would be having dinner onboard our flight, so I resisted the temptation to eat too much in the lounge, but there were a few items I just had to sample, such as the Wedding Soup...



There was a large dessert selection, comprising Turkish treats...



Cakes...



...and a very inviting apple strudel...



Tea was brewing in large pots. This would a great spread for afternoon tea.



As in the Miles & Smiles Lounge, wine service was fairly low key, on trolleys discretely placed in several locations in the lounge.



I poured myself a glass of Bottega Gold Prosecco...


Between the Business Lounge and the Miles & Smiles Lounge, while both were pretty good I would much prefer to visit the Business Lounge, mainly because it was less crowded, with food replenished more frequently (At least on our recent visit there).

[yflyer]

The TK Business Lounge had this street cart serving Simit, the local sesame bagel...



...this was a type of cart that we encountered frequently around Istanbul...



While the Simit cart in the TK Miles & Smiles Lounge was often empty, with any replenishment immediately snapped up by guests hovering around, waiting for resupply, at the TK Business Lounge, there was a ready supply of bagels for guests.