Turkish Airlines offers a premium flying experience with competitive airfares, particularly in business class, while serving over 130 countries (more than any other airline). The airline’s well-regarded for its food quality and inflight entertainment, and it’s a solid choice for long-haul routes and even European travel if you don’t mind routing through Istanbul. Here’s what to expect and how to make the most of flying with them.
Why should you consider flying with Turkish Airlines?
The extensive route network and competitive pricing Turkish Airlines offers in both economy and business class make it a frequent top result in international flight searches. While I’d say they’re sometimes slightly over-hyped compared to Gulf carriers, they consistently deliver good value, especially for less-travelled destinations in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa where they often eliminate a connection.
If you’re into food while flying, Turkish Airlines will keep you happy. Their catering is consistently good across all classes, with Flying Chefs working alongside flight attendants in business class to ensure proper preparation and presentation.
The trick with Turkish is knowing what you’re getting and choosing your flights wisely, a calculation that varies depending on what you value and whether you’re travelling solo or in a group.
Onboard experience
Turkish Airlines provides an elevated experience onboard whether you’re up front or in the cheaper seats. The result is generally a flight that feels like a step up from what many other airlines offer.
Business Class
When flying in Business Class long-haul with Turkish Airlines you can expect the following: lie-flat seats, amenity kits with the essentials and in cases that are great for gifting or reusing, free Wi-Fi up to 1GB, extensive meal service (you won’t go hungry) and a wide range of beverages, and lounge access at every airport along your journey.
European flights offer most of these perks but come with pared-down amenity kits.
Economy class
If you’re used to United Airlines economy class, Turkish Airlines will likely be a pleasant surprise. Expect legroom around 31 inches depending on aircraft and little amenity kits with basics like eye mask, toothbrush, and socks on select long-haul flights.
The food should also be a step up. While not as elaborate as business class, the quality is noticeably better than most airlines. You’ll have a 12-inch or 13.3-inch personal screen with a wide selection of entertainment and USB ports for power.
Turkish offers three economy fares: EcoFly, ExtraFly, and PrimeFly (least to most pricey), available on domestic Turkey flights and several other routes. On domestic flights, ExtraFly includes a baggage allowance of 20 kg and PrimeFly includes 25 kg, while for international flights ExtraFly typically includes 23 kg.
Service
The service experience on Turkish Airlines can vary quite a lot – from attentive and friendly crews to those who are simply getting the job done but offering nothing extra. This inconsistency is unfortunate. However relative to all airlines, I’d say Turkish manages a service that’s better than the global average on the whole.
Wi-Fi
There is Wi-Fi on many Turkish Airlines aircraft but it can be costly. However, if you sign up for the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles programme, you can get a package with unlimited messaging for free. In business class 1GB of data is free, but you’ll have to pay for anything beyond that.
Choosing the right aircraft for a long-haul flight
The experience on Turkish Airlines varies significantly by aircraft type, especially in business class. If you’re travelling solo long-haul, my preference ranking is A350, 787, 777, A330 (in that order). In economy, newer aircraft offer better screens and tech, but the differences are less dramatic.
The short-haul fleet is generally a lot more similar with recliner Business Class seats akin to First Class on many airlines, just generally with a much better soft product (food, service) compared to many airlines.
Here’s what distinguishes each long-haul aircraft and its business class offering.
Boeing 787
On 787 flights, you’ll get the airline’s most recent Business Class seat, which is very private and offers direct aisle access to everyone. It’s not as spacious as some competitors, however, and if you’re travelling as a pair, most of the seats onboard will have you sitting some distance apart, making chatting difficult.
Boeing 777
A 777 aircraft, on the other hand, typically has an older business class with less privacy, meaning if you’re travelling solo you may be seated next to a stranger.
However, if you’re travelling as a pair, these seats might actually be desirable, and as a bonus they are quite roomy, with no cramped footwells to contend with.
Airbus A330
The A330 is less commonly seen on Turkish Airlines longer flights and more commonly used to/from major capitals in Europe, however, it’s worth knowing that these have an older seat similar to the 777, but with less seat width because the aircraft is narrower.
Perfectly nice for a flight from Barcelona to Istanbul, but maybe less so on a transatlantic-length flight.
Airbus A350
The A350 is an interesting one because some of these have the latest Turkish business class seat as seen on the 787, while a handful of them were initially due to be delivered to Aeroflot, meaning they have the Aeroflot business class seat, an entirely different product altogether. These are suites with closing doors, and arguably the best hard product (the seat itself) across the airline.
It’s difficult to anticipate which version of A350 business you’ll get, but it’s hard to go wrong with this aircraft in any case.
Business Class seat selection tip
On the aircraft with Turkish Airlines’ latest Business seat (A350 and 787), if travelling solo the best seats are the even-numbered ones along the sides (A and K) – because these are further from the aisle than the odd-numbered seats and offer more privacy as a result. If travelling as a pair and you don’t need the window view, go for odd-numbered seats in the centre (E and F), which are the closest together.
Other things to consider
Here are a few things I’d keep an eye on when booking with Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines loyalty programme
It’s probably worth signing up for the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles programme just for the free inflight messaging alone. It takes only five minutes, after all. However, most travellers will be best served using a Star Alliance mileage programme from where they’re based to actually earn miles for the flight.
Istanbul Airport connections
Istanbul Airport, Turkish Airlines’ mega-hub, tends to split opinions due to its size. Even connections you’d previously considered safe may have you rushing, though it’s a serious improvement over the old, overcrowded Ataturk Airport.
This means you’ll want to avoid tight connections at Istanbul. Even if short connections are technically possible, the airport’s size can make them stressful, with taxiing and terminal transfers potentially eating into your connection time.
Opt for somewhat longer connections if possible.
Istanbul stopover programmes
It can be worth considering taking advantage of Turkish Airlines’ free stopover offerings. These come in two forms.
If you have a connection of between six and 24 hours, Touristanbul offers free city tours and experiences as an alternative to spending 8 hours in the terminal. You simply go to the relevant desk after arriving at Istanbul Airport and ask for the tour options.
If you have an overnight stop with a connection of at least 20 hours, Turkish will even put you up in a hotel free of charge through their Stopover in Istanbul programme. Economy passengers receive a one-night stay in a 4-star hotel, while Business Class passengers get two nights in a 5-star hotel. For this one, you need to apply at least 72 hours before via the designated email address for your country of departure.
This can be a nice added value on a trip, getting to see a bit of Istanbul before heading onward to your final destination, or perhaps on the return before heading home.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
