You Trip Report

DATE	Language
2015-11-21	English ,Spanish

Prologue:

I have always wanted to take a long haul trip with TK in J and this wish was finally accomplished through this segment in Nov. 2015. The ticket was booked back in March as a one way from CPH-HKG for USD 1,200 or EUR 1.090 in J - a very reasonable fare.

Upon arrival into IST I followed the signs for connections and breezed through security. My next stop was the TK CIP lounge which in my opinion is one of the best business class lounges (if not the best) in the world.

The size of this lounge is impressive - 6000 square meters (approx. 64583 square feet) that serves an average of 4000 guests per day. It has 2 floors with 4 relaxation rooms with beds in each floor making for a total of 8 units. Unfortunately I couldn't use these rooms because my layover was almost 9 hrs. For some strange reason TK requires you to have a 4-7 hrs layover and connecting to/from a long haul TK flight (8+ hrs) in order to qualify.

Manti station.

Garbanzo soup.

Mezze station.

Grilled meats station.

Dessert station.

My snacks.

The Tea Garden. This was my favorite corner in the lounge.

Thomas - do you feel like having one?

WC in the lower floor.

Shower.

TK is the only airline that provides a robe in a J lounge.

========== Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge International ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: 9/10

Business Center: 9/10

Food: 10/10

Lounge Design: /10

Spa and Bathroom: /10

Wifi: /10

Summary:

I was glad that I finally was able to experience a long haul flight in Business on Turkish. The carrier truly excels in its catering and it's always a pleasure to dine onboard with them. As for cabin comfort and seat, the lack of privacy might be an issue.

I had a very comfortable flight and the empty seat next to me was a big bonus. However, I wonder how soon will the present J seating arrangement of 2-3-2 in their 777's fleet will become obsolete when most of its competitors are giving more privacy in their J cabins by installing the Cirrus Zodiac seats. UA and TK might be falling behind the pack when it comes to cabin comfort.

As I mentioned earlier, TK crew is a mixed bag and consistency is not its strength. At times language can be an issue and on rare occasions the English spoken can be unintelligible.

There is no doubt that TK is a force to contend with and its rapid network expansion is a proof of that. One can hope that deficiencies will be properly addressed and its strong qualities will not start to slip.

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Prologue:

========== Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge International ==========

Summary:

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