After an exceptional outbound flight from Istanbul to Izmir I was eager to make my return flight hoping that the experience would be at the same level ….
Boarding by bus
At TravelGuys there are words we don’t like to say or hear and among them is “Paxbus”, the term that designates the buses used to take passengers to the plane when it can’t be parked at the contact with the gate for a direct access from the boarding lounge. A boarding process that is never overly appreciated in terms of customer experience.
Well, it was quite different because as you have read in my review of the Turkish Airlines lounge in Izmir, a bus comes to pick up the passengers at the exit of the lounge and brings them to the bottom of the plane. Nothing like a collective boarding by bus and a very premium experience.
We are the first to arrive so the “economy” passengers have not yet started to board.
The aircraft and the cabin
As for the outbound flight, it is a twin-aisle Boeing 777-300ER which is generally found more on long or even very long-haul flights than on domestic flights where one spends barely 40 minutes in the air.
We thus benefit from a long-haul business class with a flat-bed seat but, as for some time still on Turkish Airlines, from a 2-3-2 configuration a bit outdated for an airline of this standing.
A different seat from the one of the outward journey and that I find perhaps a little more dated (and the cabin a little more worn) but with, as always, the traditional ottomans (normal we are on Turkish!)
No problem to fit my 1m88
Arrival on board
They immediately take off my jacket and offer me a drink (non-alcoholic) to wait until the takeoff as well as some salted cakes to nibble.
They bring me the menu.
Logically, for a flight of this duration…we have no choice. But such a service on such a short flight is still appreciable, especially when you are used to the medium-haul business of European airlines.
Unlike the lounge and even during Ramadan, wine and liquor are offered.
I would have time for a second drink before the doors close and we prepare for takeoff.
Diffusion of the very beautiful film of security instructions that I presented here.
A detail however: if it is pleasant to watch this film on Youtube, the fact that it is long and is broadcasted twice in a row, once in Turkish and once in English, is a bit boring.
Given the duration of the flight I will not explore in-flight entertainment device especially since I already had a movie running on my iPad.
We’re ready to take off
In-flight service
As soon as the cloud layer is gone, the crew starts to work because there is not a minute to lose considering the duration of the flight.
Meals are brought individually to each seat.
As an appetizer, the mezze is very good but, for me, lacks meat and has perhaps a little less taste than the service served on the outward journey.
The chicken is melt-in-the-mouth! The mashed potatoes too (not always the case on a plane), and the vegetables could have deserved a little more seasoning.
Nothing to say about the flan that will slide by itself.
The wine will be very acceptable…
And we will finish by tea…we appreciate the cardboard sleeve which avoids burning ourselves with the hot cup.
No sooner have I finished than it’s time to clean up and prepare for landing.
Nothing to add about the food, very good for such a short flight and with a service always as courteous as efficient on Turkish Airlines.
Unlike the outbound flight, the cabin was barely half full, so it was a very quiet flight with a crew that had a little time.
Landing and arrival in Istanbul
Nothing to report about the landing except the opportunity to film a nice “parrallel landing” when arriving in Istanbul.
In spite of the size of the airport we still manage not to park at the contact and therefore have to disembark by bus.
On the other hand, as on the outbound flight, a special bus will pick up the business class passengers before disembarking the economy class.
Once in the terminal, the passage to the international zone and the controls that go with it will be very smooth, in contrast to the experience we had in the old Atatürk airport.
For the record: routing and pricing
- Paris-Francfort : Lufthansa / Business
- Frankfurt-Istanbul : Lufthansa / Business
- Istanbul-Izmir : Turkish Airlines / Business
- Izmir-Istanbul : Turkish Airlines / Business (it’s here)
- Istanbul-Frankfurt: Lufthansa / Business (no interest, no review)
- Frankfurt-Paris: Lufthansa / Business (no interest, no review)
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