Disclosure: This post was done in cooperation with Turkish Airlines which paid for my flight from Hamburg to Cape Town.
I love flying. I know that is something one isn’t supposed to admit these days but I really do. While I try to minimize the number of flights I take and offset each trip with Carbonfund.org, nothing gets me more excited than heading to the airport. Yes, even after all these years as a digital nomad…
And no, this is not due to the fact that I get to fly business or first class or board a private jet very often. There is just something about being suspended in the air when time seems to stand still (in a good way!) that I love. I call it my in-flight bubble. I ignore all work, put my phone in flight mode, watch movies, and listen to Leonard Cohen. I leave all my issues at home and don’t worry about the future yet. Flying is oddly meditative for me.
Mind you, I will admit that not every flight puts me in this state and I have realized that the airline I take plays a big part in it. I used to take the cheapest flight possible. Even if it left at 4 am, with an airline that had a dubious safety record, and plane with seats so small my bum barely fit.
Those times are gone. If you travel as much as I do, being as comfortable as possible on the plane becomes part of self-care. When I traveled to Uganda in 2018 we flew with Turkish Airlines, an airline I hadn’t flown with in a while. While we had to catch flights in the middle of the night, the trip reminded me just how much I like them and I immediately signed up for their frequent flier program and started to look out for TK flights and deals.
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To me, the Turkish Airlines economy class is one of the best ones out there and so I was delighted when they agreed to fly me to Cape Town for my annual trip in return for a review of the TK economy.
As I also flew with them on my own dime when coming back from Vietnam last November, so I will give you the gist from both of my flights here. The good, the bad, and the oh so yummy…
Turkish Airlines Economy Review
Booking & Check-in
Once you buy your ticket on the Turkish Airlines website you can immediately choose your seat, meal, and make any other special requests. The great news is: most of their seats are absolutely free of charge! Only the exit rows cost extra.
However, if you are willing to wait you can check-in 48 hours before your flight and then these rows will also become available for free. A little risky but very worth it in my opinion because on my flight from Hanoi to Istanbul I sat in row 6 and the extra leg space was the most incredible treat.
Luckily for me, both of my long-distance flights had a 2-4-2 seat configuration which is so much nicer than sitting in a row with three seats. This is regardless of whether you are a window seat or aisle gal!
If you want a special meal you need to book this at least 24 hours in advance and the choices are incredible: diabetic, kosher, and vegan meals are only a few of the options. As all meals are prepared according to Islamic rules there is no need to order a specific halaal meal if you are Muslim.
I have only ever checked in with Turkish Airlines at Hamburg airport and now once in Vietnam. To be honest, check-in in Hamburg is not the greatest. Maybe because it is a smallish airport there are not many counters and since TK has such a liberal luggage policy (more on that great feature below), it always seems to take a long time. Add to this, not many security scans in Hamburg and you might be cutting it quite short if you are at the airport only 2 hours before.
That said, the new Istanbul airport is the home of Turkish Airlines and I am sure check-in is a lot faster and smoother there.
Flight delayed, cancelled, or denied boarding? In many cases, you can claim compensation from the airline, in addition to a measly airport meal or a seat that you already paid for.
Read all about AirHelp and how they can help you get compensation, and check below if you have a valid claim – absolutely free, of course!
Baggage Allowance with Turkish Airlines
Honestly, the baggage allowance with Turkish Airlines is one of my favorite features. Even with your basic economy ticket, you will always have baggage included in your ticket price. Depending on the route your allowance is calculated based on weight or by piece.
There are so many airlines charging you extra for luggage these days, I very much appreciate their allowance. Needless to say, you shouldn’t pack that much – I had 25kg coming from Vietnam and it is not fun as my shoulder will attest to. Whatever you do, make sure you use some relatively lightweight luggage. Mind you, I was grateful for my 30kg allowance flying from Hamburg to Cape Town with Turkish Airlines as my family always requires a copious amount of Haribo!
Carry-on baggage allowance is 8kg and one extra personal item in the economy. Like with most airlines, many people are stretching that limit with lots of duty-free bags and honestly, it drives me crazy at times. Especially as some don’t understand the concept of not shoving their bag on top of mine endangering the life of my laptop and camera. Don’t be one of those travelers!
One of the greatest features, at least for me, when it comes to flying with Turkish Airlines is their extra sports luggage allowance. They are one of the very few airlines that still lets you take a piece of sporting equipment on top of your luggage for free.
For me as a diver this means I get to take all my diving gear free of charge on routes going to favorite dive destinations in the world. While I haven’t tried that service in person yet I will very soon as I am heading on an exciting trip in March to the Red Sea with Turkish Airlines!
Feeling fancy?
THE INS & OUTS OF FLYING TURKISH AIRLINES BUSINESS CLASS.
Layover in Istanbul
All flights with Turkish Airlines go via Istanbul Airport. The airport was only recently opened and is sparkling new. Personally, I don’t mind breaking up a long flight with an airport layover and there are worst places than Istanbul to do it.
For longer layovers, TK offers various stopover programs in Istanbul. I am a huge fan of the city and love the idea of having an added city break with my journey.
But even if you only have a few hours, the Istanbul airport offers an amazing arsenal of shops and cafes to spend the time. It is quite big so chances are you will have to do some serious walking – keep that in mind, when booking a connecting flight and don’t cut it too short.
Lounge access when flying Turkish Airlines
For the fancy people amongst you, Turkish Airlines offers two airport lounges in the international terminal. While the Lounge Business is only for business class passengers, the Lounge Miles&Smiles is also open to Miles&Smiles Elite and Elite Plus members as well as Star Alliance Gold members. It pays off to collect those miles because that lounge is stunning and probably the best way to spend your layover at the airport.
My favorite features are the luggage lockers for your bigger hand luggage and the shower facilities that rival those of many hotels. There is nothing better than arriving at an airport at 5 am after an overnight flight and have a hot shower! Make sure to pack an extra pair of undies and you will feel as good as new.
In addition, you will find play stations, a movie theatre, and various buffets and food counters all around. Many of the meals are freshly prepared and you can try some great Turkish dishes if you don’t make it into town.
This being the airport, no one will blink an eye if you drink wine at 7 am or in my case, eat only cheese and olives for breakfast.
One downside of flying “only” Economy is that you don’t get that fancy lounge access. This isn’t specific to Turkish Airlines, but it’s true for most airlines.
I have workaround: I use my Priority Pass for lounge access. This membership gives me access to over 1900 partner lounges around the world regardless of my cabin class. So yes – even if you are flying good old Economy, you can get into a lounge!
While not all lounges are created equal, most Priority Pass partner lounges offer, at a minimum, food and beverages (including alcoholic drinks), comfy seats, fast wifi, and sometimes even amenities like showers, a mini gym, and luggage storage. Head to the IGA lounge in Istanbul – it is almost as good as TK’s own lounges and even has live cooking stations.
Priority Pass offers 3 membership tiers; you can read about the different options in my PP review or get your pass below.
Things to do in Istanbul:
Seats & Amenities on Board
As far as seats in economy class go, I think Turkish Airlines is as good as it gets. You can adjust the headrest nicely and all of the seats do have a footrest, something I love as it makes your position for sleeping so much more comfortable.
You also get a nice blanket and best of all, a pillow with a cotton pillowcase. None of those yucky throwaway plastic-y covers here!
I usually have my own bag with toiletries for the flight as well as eye mask and headphones. I like to be prepared because really – which airline still gives you a travel kit in the economy today? Hurrah, because Turkish Airlines does!
Perfect if you forgot your toothbrush, earplugs or warm socks. A great addition to their travel kits are the comfy slippers they provide. I have yet to see another airline do those and they are great if you want to go to the bathroom without having to bother with your own shoes.
Oh, and on the notion of bathrooms – Turkish Airlines often provides my favorite Molton Brown hand wash and lotion in their loos!
Turkish Airlines Food
Turkish Airlines is renowned for their food selection and yes, that goes for economy class too. While you won’t be served by a chef in a chef’s head, the food is incredible. As you may know, I have a soft spot for airline food – I know I am weird! – but I dare say you could serve the TK meals in a regular setting and you still wouldn’t complain.
Especially my fish dish coming from Vietnam was amazing as is their breakfast in general. I love how Turkish Airlines adds a local touch to their meals: spinach & cheese pie for breakfast, regional wines, and of course my favorite – Vishne, Turkish sour cherry juice no other airlines serves!
I was also pleasantly surprised that all the containers for the food are reused and resemble proper tableware. While I still wish the airline would do without single-use plastic cups and wrappings, I think this is a great step in the right direction.
With that said, I always use my Grayl bottle and fill it up with tap water before I board and ask the flight attendant to refill it for me later. At least this saves some plastic cups!
Entertainment & Service
Turkish Airlines has a great selection of movies and TV programs, both old and new. Mind you, I tend to stick to my good old favorites: the Mentalist and Harry Potter. Unlike some other airlines, I felt that there wasn’t too much advertisement at the beginning of each new movie or series, something I very much appreciated. Instead, they did show a short clip about ocean pollution and what each of us can do to travel more environmentally friendly. While some say this is ironic coming from an airline, I still think it is the right step to make air travel greener and also remind us how we are each responsible to clean up after ourselves.
When it comes to service I have nothing but good things to say about the Turkish Airlines crew. While I got some special treatment due to this cooperation on my flight from Hanoi to Frankfurt in form of extra snacks and coffee before take-off, the service was all-around lovely and the crew very attentive on my Cape Town flight as well.
With all that said… would I recommend Turkish Airlines economy class? Oh yes! In lieu of a business class ticket, this is as good as flying gets these days not only thanks to unlimited Vishne.
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10 comments
my first flight on turkish air , in 1972, was my first flight to europe and my honeymoon. the other passengers were mostly A bunch of old Turkish men all smoking heavily on the flight. i Don’t remember the food, if we got any. when we went thru passport control in Istanbul I was pulled aside and strip searched behind a bed sheet strung on wires by a woman who looked like a Russian Olympic weight Lifter.. what a start to a honeymoon! The rest was great!! I fell in love with Turkey. i am returning to turkey for the 4th time in October and so looking forward to the new turkish air experience. thank you for the review.
Oh my gosh, that sounds like a hectic experience – I hope if goes better this time 😉 Have a wonderful holiday!!
We had flown recently from Istanbul to manilla to be exact on 7.09.2020. In economy class. The plain was filled up to the last seat so basically there was no social distancing. That was first thing which wasn’t right. But the whole flight they were saying to keep social distancing. What a joke. The flight was around 11 hours. The staff didn’t care about our needs, they wasn’t helpful at all, at times rude even. Another thing was that we didn’t get a proper meal the whole flight, what we got was a couple of dry rolls with some cheese inside. It was absolutely disgusting,the way they served us , not even coffee or tea,it was absolutely disgraceful to be on that flight.i never experienced such of treatment on the flight before. I would never use this ridiculous airlines again and also I wouldn’t recommend that s….t show to even animal. I’m honest person never moan or complain but this time it was over the top. Don’t use them, disgrace at it’s best!!!
Oh man, Lukasz, I am sorry you had such a bad experience with them. This post was written pre-Corona times when their service was normal and as I mentioned, top notch. I know that quite a few airlines had to adjust their meal services and that most cannot afford to fly with middle seats unoccupied. I recommend researching the airlines prior to your next flight to make sure you find one that does keep them free though I honestly don’t know how many choices you will be left with. I hope everyone was at least wearing their masks properly? To me that is the most important thing.
In regards to their staff being unfriendly I would definitely send them a tweet or a message on FB if it was a pattern and not just one person who might have had an off day 🙂
I flew with Turkish airlines for the first time Back in 2011 for a 3 month job in izmir. It was one of the best international flying experiences of my life (no, I am not affiliated with the aurline). The price was right, the personnel were polite, professional, and the cabins were immaculately clean. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the entertainment as well.
I now fly Turkish Airlines every chance I get, and it’s nice that flights from the US to Turkey are opening up again.
Glad you had such a good experience with them! I am always amazed by their food too – so good and yes, the prices are incredible too.
I had the best experience with turkish airlines so far, my favorite economy airlines! but I’m super curious, how did you manage to take those people-free photos of the aisles?
Haha, since I was working with TK on this post I was allowed to board 5 minutes before everyone else to take those shots 😉
We’ll I was going to Thailand but due to various lockdown it was canceled I them booked another flight with them and that was cancelled and I am still to this day waiting for my money I’m not happy no contact I normally take 12 flight a year with them I’m still in Spain waiting to fly to my family and home in Thailand.
I’m not happy.
Michael John Morrissey
Oh no, I am sorry to hear! I think a lot of airlines are struggling atm with cancellations and refunds, to be honest, I think it depends more on the timing than the airline when and if you are getting money back. I had an Etihad flight cancelled and got my refund quite quickly but that was early April and they have since stopped giving refunds.