Friends,

I am currently in Turkey and for the first segment of my journey I flew Turkish Airlines’ 787-9 business class on the 11hr55min flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Istanbul (IST). Given this is a travel and points blog, I wanted to report back on the flight.

Overall, Turkish Airlines’ business class product is really strong. The crew was delightful, the seat very comfortable, and the food especially memorable. Our aircraft also featured (slow to unusable) Wi-Fi plus great IFE — though I do not really watch movies on planes so that meant nothing to me (in the best way).

While not as “immaculate” or polished per se as the Gulf carriers, I would not hesitate to fly Turkish again. I am working on a vlog for this flight, too, and will post the link here once uploaded — really excited to share it with you.

In this post:

• How I booked Turkish Airlines Business Class

• Turkish Airlines Business Class Check-In, Lounge, …

• Turkish Airlines 787-9 Business Class cabin & seat …

• Turkish Airlines Business Class Amenities

• Turkish Airlines 787 departure from DFW

• Turkish Airlines Business Class dinner service

• Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class lavatory

• Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class bed

• Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class breakfast

• Turkish Airlines Business Class service

• Turkish Airlines 787 arrival in Istanbul

• All in All

How I booked Turkish Airlines Business Class

This is a fun one.

I needed to be in Istanbul this week and the most convenient way to reach the city from Dallas was on one of Turkish Airline’s non-stops. While cash pricing was strong to quite strong in both business and economy class, their Miles & Smiles rewards program presented a unique value.

For context, they have two award redemption tiers: a promo-level and a standard, higher-priced level. The low is a bargain but hard to come by while the standard seems to be tied to near last-seat availability. You can see their full redemption chart here.

Award availability was quite expensive on other carriers from the US to Turkey for my travel dates, so I was grateful to be able to redeem at the standard, higher-level redemption rates for a business class seat on the non-stop from DFW.

My one-way ticket cost 135,000 points plus $276.50 in taxes, which I transferred instantly from CapitalOne (thank you Venture X card).

This business class ticket would have otherwise cost roughly $5500 — with economy pricing in around $2500 for my travel dates. As a further data point, paid upgrades were offered at check-in from economy to business class for a flat $1495 one-way.

While not an inexpensive award redemption, I was very grateful for a points ticket option on the non-stop to Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines Business Class Check-In, Lounge, & Boarding

I checked in online 24 hours before my flight, but then got a text from Turkish Airlines indicating I still needed to visit the airport check-in desk for document verification before clearing security. So I arrived at (a very busy) DFW airport just over ninety minutes before our 2:30p scheduled departure time and proceeded to the Turkish Airlines counters.

There was a dedicated lane for business class, Miles & Smiles Elite, and Star Alliance Gold passengers. While I had to wait for a few minutes to speak with an agent, it was a very efficient and friendly airport check-in process overall.

I did have enough time to take a painfully annoying selfie so I could share it with you here, too. Sorry I am not sorry.

Soon enough, I had a paper boarding pass and my carry-ons (personal item plus roll-aboard) were tagged as cabin baggage — so I made my way to security.

The TSA Pre-Check line at D30 was busy but efficient, and I was through in about five minutes. I then made my way back down the concourse to find the five-year-old 787-9 (reg TC-LLJ) that would fly us to Turkey that afternoon, which was parked at gate D11.

Turkish provided business class passengers access to the CapitalOne Lounge at DFW, however I did not partake before this flight. While it is a perfectly nice lounge, I’ve visited previously on account of my Venture X card and was excited to get on the airplane.

So, I lined up behind the others in the business class queue — and we started boarding shortly after at 1:40p local time or roughly 50 minutes prior to departure. After a brief, hot wait on the jet bridge for the aircraft cleaners to finish — we were welcomed onboard.

Turkish Airlines 787-9 Business Class cabin & seats

First impressions were something between “awesome” and “wow” (but in a more sincere sense than King George III in Hamilton). The cabin is well finished out with seats comfortably configured in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The seat itself is a suite (but without the latest trend of a closing door) that features a large entertainment screen, reasonable storage, and a AC/USB charging port. It converted into a fully flat bed, too, with a spacious footwell.

There windows were dimmable, and there was a reading light plus two individual air vents overhead and another reading light near the headrest. I chose 6K as the even A/K seats are set closer to the window, providing added privacy plus better views outside.

All in all, it was a great seat and I could not help myself: I took another cringy selfie to share with you all here.

Turkish Airlines Business Class Amenities

The crew was very friendly from the start, and immediately offered a selection of beverages plus a cold towel. I enjoyed a glass of champagne (Taittinger) and a sparkling water.

Shortly thereafter, the cabin crew offered a beautiful but rather basic (I am not complaining) amenity kit. While I did not make use of most of the contents, I did keep the case itself. Watch the soon to be linked video to see what all was inside the kit.

Noise canceling headphones plus a throw blanked and day pillow were already waiting at the seat for us; a full turndown service with more extensive bedding was offered after dinner.

Next, the onboard chef (you read that correctly) came around to provide menus and shortly thereafter took meal selections. The menu and drink offering was notably extensive, which quickly made more sense once the service began.

Forgive me though: I failed to take pictures of the menu on this flight. Let me know if you would like to see that, as a point of feedback, on future flight reviews?

Turkish Airlines 787 departure from DFW

The door closed right at our scheduled departure time of 2:30pm CST, and we pushed back shortly thereafter. I had a great view of the Air France A350 that had just arrived from Paris-CDG at the gate next to ours.

Engines were started while the crew screened the safety video — followed by a quick taxi out to runway 17-R for takeoff.

It was a beautiful, clear day over Dallas as we turned left and then began our track Northeast towards the Atlantic.

Turkish Airlines Business Class dinner service

Very pleasantly, the crew sprang into action near immediately after takeoff and the dinner service began. It all felt a little like the song “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast (in the best way). The service and presentation, insofar as airline meals go, was next level.

To set the stage, Turkish Airlines staffs three “regular” cabin crew members plus an onboard chef who largely functions as the galley crew member in business class. The purser also helped in business class and to my observation assisted in economy, too.

Having an onboard chef — even if just for show — really adds to the experience.

The service began with another round of beverages (I opted for a second glass of Taittinger) plus mixed nuts. While this was being served, the purser came to each business class passenger’s seat to introduce herself and offer a personalized welcome aboard. We had a very nice conversation about my trip to Istanbul, and she made some recommendations for my time in Turkey.

The flight was off to a great start.

Next, the crew brought out table settings, which included a little faux-candle.

This was followed by a bread service that featured “the oldest bread on earth”. This was a well-executed though gimmicky service element, but maybe I am under-appreciating the significance? The bread, for what it is worth, did not taste special in any way to me.

The packaging was unmistakably terrific.

Next, the soup and appetizer trolley-cart made its way down the aisle, and I sampled nearly everything. It was a beautiful presentation, and the food itself was very good.

Appetizer dishes were then cleared efficiently, and plated entrees brought out shortly thereafter. When ordering, I asked the chef whether he recommended the beef or salmon — and he recommended I try both.

I obliged and each entree was, as far as airplane food goes, delicious.

Next and finally was dessert, which was again served from a well outfitted trolley-cart. Unfortunately I was unable to take a picture of the cart itself, but I had a sampling that included Baklava, strawberry ice cream, and a chocolate-fruit tart.

It was a predictably wonderful end to the meal.

And while enjoying dessert, I watched the news — which was a little less inspiring.

To their credit, Turkish Airlines offers a selection of live channels onboard their 787s and complimentary inflight messaging for Miles & Smiles members. I also received 1GB of free internet for browsing and then bought a $35 flight pass — but unfortunately the Wi-Fi became unserviceable as we left the North American continent.

Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class lavatory

I failed to take photos of the lavatory but did get a video walk through for the vlog, so wait for that link!

Most memorably, there was a bidet plus Molton Brown amenities and the crew did a terrific job of keeping it clean through the flight. Check plus for sure.

Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class bed

The meal service finished up as we crossed into Canadian airspace, and I continued to work for a while longer before requesting my seat be “turned into a bed” (which never ceases to be cool). The crew was delighted to oblige.

The bed was comfortable and spacious — I fell asleep as we crossed over Greenland. Individual air vents were a great bonus, too.

Also note, and this is not a complaint as much as a data point, that while Turkish offers a full turn down service and great bedding — they do not provide pajamas in Business Class.

Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class breakfast

Sunlight and breakfast came early — I was gently awoken from a sound sleep with two hours remaining en-route to Istanbul for breakfast (after sleeping for three hours at most).

And so at midnight Dallas time after finishing a fairly extensive dinner only a few hours prior, I was having an omelet and drinking coffee.

The crew did pass out a fairly extensive coffee menu, too — though somewhat unimaginatively I went with a basic cup of black coffee. It was still really great.

Breakfast was split into two courses, starting with a wonderful fruit plate and then the actual entree, which was a choice between french toast and an omelet.

A pastry basket was also offered, and I opted for a croissant.

As mentioned above, I went with the omelet for my entree selection — which was surprisingly good (though I at best ate half of it).

All in all, it was a great breakfast service — almost over the top after the wonderful dinner service that preceded it by just a few hours, but terrific nonetheless.

Turkish Airlines Business Class service

While this was my first flight on Turkish Airlines, I cannot overstate the quality of the crew. They were just delightful! I am flying short haul in TK’s business class tomorrow and have high expectations (again, it the best way).

Our purser and cabin crew were kind, attentive, and hospitable — and serving a full or nearly full business class cabin is really hard work. They made it look easy.

They were also just delightful to talk with and, while perhaps not as consummately ‘polished’ as peers at Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines, outstanding at large.

Turkish Airlines 787 arrival in Istanbul

I slept a bit more for the final hour of our flight, and was awoken as we were preparing to land in Istanbul. The crew offered goodbye chocolates alongside their thanks, which was a kind gesture.

Our morning arrival was beautiful, too — and we overflew the old airport on approach to the (new) IST.

We landed a few minutes early and had a quick taxi in past an Iraqi Airways 787-8 to find our stand next to a company A321. Overall, it was a very easy arrival to be sure — a good conclusion to a wonderful flight.

I bid farewell to the crew and disembarked into Istanbul’s massive terminal — where there was virtually zero wait at immigration or customs. With no bags checked, I was curbside and on my way into the city in minutes.

All in All

Turkish Airlines delivered on every front — a safe, very comfortable business class flight across the Atlantic that offered memorable dining and great sleep. For my purposes, it was a stellar use of miles, and I would not hesitate to recommend the experience.

I am also really excited to fly with them again, soon. Thank you (seriously) for letting me share a bit about my flight with you here; I hope it is a help to you and inspires future travels.

What is your take on Turkish Airlines’ 787 Business Class?

Fly well.

Links

American and United temporarily suspend Middle East flying due to the ongoing conflict in the region.

CapitalOne’s new JFK lounge just opened today in Terminal 4. It looks fantastic; I cannot wait to try it out and post a review.