Turkish Airlines Business Class provides superior upper class flight experience at competitive prices. Pros: Service, Wide 180 degrees lie flat seats, Superior in flight meals and beverage service, Great WiFi experience at no charge for Business Class passengers, exceptional business lounges. Cons: Long flights connecting trough Istanbul.

Many travelers would be surprised to learn that Turkish Airlines flies to far more international destinations than any other carrier on earth – from a dozen different North American cities. And it does an excellent job of getting them there. But it’s the service that wows, especially for business and luxury leisure travelers flying in premium cabins.

Turkish Airlines’ Business Class goes head to head with the world’s top carriers, and features all the modern bells and whistles of very well designed and ergonomic lay flat seats, a first rate entertainment system, and standout cuisine with touches like the onboard chef and battery powered candles on tray tables to simulate a candlelit restaurant dinner. Most notably, World’s Best Business Class Food was one of four different categories the airline won in the 2017 World Airlines Awards, by London-based research group Skytrax, the industry’s most prestigious ranking.

Booking

For our trip to Venice, Montenegro and Greek Islands I used United Airlines Mileage Plus points to book 2 Business class seats from Jacksonville to Venice, via Houston and Istanbul. The main flight of 12 hrs was on  Turkish Airlines Business Class (B777-300ER) Houston IAH to Istanbul IST.

I always wanted to fly and review their highly rated premium cabin, so it was worth for me to add extra time and connection to this trip. Booking was a breeze with United Airlines participation in large network of Star Alliance partners. After logging into United.com I found our itinerary and used 140,000 United mileage Plus miles and $23 to get 2 tickets in Business Class.

 

Full price in high season for this itinerary was averaging $8,500 per person, therefore I saved $17,000.00 total at a 12.1 cents per United mile. That’s 12 times the average value as per industry valuation!!!!

Houston Polaris Lounge

Houston International Airport has a newly opened (June 2018) Polaris Club Lounge available to all international passengers flying Business and First Class on Star Alliance carriers. It is a vast improvement to an old Business Class Lounge experience provided by United and makes Polaris Lounge a leader in US market.

Aside from full service complimentary bar featuring premium, wine, beers and liquors, as well as a self service buffet with good quality food, Polaris Lounge features full service restaurant, complimentary to all quests.

There are other wonderful amenities, such as quiet rooms, luxury showers and full service business center.

 

Checking in and boarding

Our luggage was checked in to the final destination at Jacksonville Airport, so while in Houston we proceeded directly to the lounge. 10 minutes before boarding we walked to the assigned gate, and boarded without delays.

One minor problem with the assigned gate: it had only one entrance for a wide body B777-300ER (most airports allow double entrance gate), which made boarding process longer than usual for most passengers.

 

Seats

Turkish Airlines Business Class (B777-300ER) features wide fully lie flat seats with a 2-3-2 configuration and plenty of leg room. Additional convenient storage is provided under the front ottoman, which is particularly useful upon take off and landing. I found the seats very comfortable, but for those with back problems, additional memory foam back support is provided. Seat controls are intuitive and easy to use.

I had a best sleep on the plane in the longest time and my wife slept 10 out of 12 hrs. of this flight.

Amenities

Slippers are provided for each passengers, which I found to be an inexpensive yet nice touch. Standard travel amenity kit is waiting for each passenger. The amenity kit, designed by either Crabtree & Evelyn or Porsche Design, includes a tube of nourishing hand cream, lip balm, toothpaste, and a toothbrush, among other items. Bedding sheets were very comfortable and a large soft pillow, as well as memory foam back support was provided.

Entertainment

Nice Bose noise canceling headphones were waiting at each seat. 19 inch screen was large enough for viewing. There was a good variety of international movies and programs to choose from. Unfortunately not all Turkish shows included English subs. One history documentary on the Ottoman Empire caught my attention, and that’s how I learned there was no English subtitles.

Upon boarding we had a wide choices of press to pick from as well.

Food and Drink service

World’s Best Business Class Food was one of four different categories the Turkish Airlines won in the 2017 World Airlines Awards, by London-based research group Skytrax, the industry’s most prestigious ranking.

I do have to say it was a best gourmet in flight experience I had so far. Both choices of drinks and food, as well as the presentation, which included electric candles, were superb.

Before the main course, a Skychef will come around with a cart full of appetizers to choose from. One of the great upsides to this is that it is much easier to visualize your prospective choices, which can be especially helpful if you are looking to be more adventurous and try out an unfamiliar item.

Skychefs are experts in pairing and proper plating, as they had all previously gone through the rigorous two-month course at the Turkish Do & Co Academy. If you are having a bit of trouble deciding between two entrees, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

From the welcome drinks, to the appetizers, trough dinner and deserts served from a beautifully presented cart to a wonderful 2 courses morning meal, Turkish Airlines food experience was unforgettable.

One of the most interesting parts of the menu is the customized breakfast form. Similar to ordering room service from your hotel room, your name is pre-filled on the form. Simply check off the beverage and food items that you would like to have for breakfast, and once you’re ready, hand the form to a flight attendant to have it prepared and brought to you during breakfast time.

Arrival

We arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport 5 minutes early, however, all gates were taken, and since many passengers had tight connections we were bussed from the plane to the main terminal.

TURKISH AIRLINES FLAGSHIP CIP LOUNGE

Turkish Airlines features one of the largest Business Class Lounges in the world.  Consisting of two levels, the lounge’s unique architecture shows influences from the Ottoman and Seljuk periods of Turkish history.

Following their recent expansion, which culminated in the opening of the lounge’s lower level on February 11th, 2014, the lounge has astonishingly doubled in size, from three thousand five hundred to an amazing six thousand square meters (approx. 60,000 sq ft).

Currently, the Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge serves four thousand passengers per day, with enough seats to cater to a little over a thousand guests at a time. With such amazing amenities as complimentary massages, 12 bars and 5 restaurants.

There are clear self-locking storage cubes that look like modern art are available to stash your belongings.

Areas to play pool or sharpen your golf game on the virtual golf simulator, as well as state of the art children play areas are also available.

 

Bottom Line: Turkish Airlines Business Class (B777-300ER) is a great way to experience a long haul flight in Business Class that rivals most First Class experiences.

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