With a 4 hour delay its was a very basic flight which was just bearable. We were offered food vouchers for the delay and then they didnt work, so that was annoying. Also poor communication about the delay which got pushed out 3 times.
This is really the rating of two flights. JFK to IST then IST to NQZ. New York to Istanbul was good. Good crew and all positives. The flight to Astana was so bad that brought it all down. Crew was nonexistent above the minimum, seats were cramped, and it was hot on the plane. Turkish Airlines seems to be slipping down to US based carriers level.
Very good overall.... apart from the cost of extra check ed in luggage where they charge £17 per kg, and no option to just buy an extra bag allowance (at least on the route I took)
The food we received during the flight was excellent. The service was very friendly. Definitely the best value for the money when flying across the Atlantic.
The security at the airport was excellent. The one criticism is the boarding process just before entering the plane. There were only 2 boarding lines and there were no barriers thus leading to a mass rush to enter the plane. I suggest that they board by rows, eight or ten rows at a time to prevent the mass rush to enter the plane. Otherwise, I would highly recommend Turkish Airlines
The check in process at Istanbul airport caused my family a great deal of stress and disappointment due to the following factors: 1) WE HAD TO PAY US$330 for check on bags, despite holding Economy tickets that Turkish airlines website clearly states that flights from Istanbul to Miami had a 2 checked bags allowance. 2) Airport staff not only lacked empathy for senior travelers (75 yrs old and 71 yrs old), but were also rude as well. The supervisor at check it offered "if you don't pay for the bags, you can just remain and sleep at the airport for however long you wish. What a terrible way to treat customers !!! 3) We were bumped from agent to agent to agent FIVE times, showing everyone the communication we received telling us we had the 2 bags entitlement. Two elderly people lugging 4 suitcase around and around the Turkish terminal. Again, what a sad way to treat customers !!! 4) We need a case opened to get a refund for the amount we paid. Something is amiss, screams unethical, and sounds unscrupulous......At First , we were told we must pay for 4 bags. All of a sudden, it became 2 bags, and finally all 4 bags were checked on with payments demanded for 2. Why did it vary from agent to agent???? 5) OVERALL, A TERRIBLE AND SUSPICIOUSLLY UNSCRUPULOUS EXPERIENCE FLYING WITH TURKISH AIRLINES. WE ARE TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED AND SAD THAT OUR VISIT TO A BEAUTIFUL CITY ENDED IN SUCH A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE
Flight Singapore - Istanbul was perfect. Flight Istanbul - Sao Paolo - Buenos Aires was really good but there was a big delay in Sao Paolo (Brazil) due to a problem with the ground staff and not related to Turkish Airline. Overall a very good and solid experience
Ordered Vegan meal - it was ok, but not exceptional. Seat ok row 39 middle section aisle. Nearly full flight - crew was busy but they did the best they could. There was a USB A port at the seat. I listened to my own music and only looked at flight information. One nice thing was the connection information was made available in the screen.
While we were picking up passengers in São Paulo, on our way from Buenos Aires to Istanbul, it was impossible to use the bathrooms for 90 minutes. The crew was largely inattentive with one or two exceptions. They should distribute more water for a flight that long. When I signal that I wanted to have a second glass of wine, my prayers were left unanswered…
One of the best flights I have been on in a while.
