Istanbul-Gothenburg on Turkish Airlines in business class : a strong performance

This long trip that led me to Mexico through Sweden and Turkey is coming to an end and it’s time to go back to Gothenburg, city of departure of my journey on Turkish Airlines.

As a reminder, the routing of this trip.

And the articles related to this trip

Review#TypePost
1Hotel Moxy Paris CDG (no article, look at our previous articles on Moxy Paris CDG )
2FlightParis-Frankfurt – Lufthansa – Business Class
3FlightFrankfurt-Gothenburg – Lufthansa – Business Class
4FlightGothenburg-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class
5FlightIstanbul-Mexico – Turkish Airlines – Business Class
6FlightMexico-Cancun – Turkish Airlines – Business Class
7HotelRenaissance Cancun Resort and Marina
8HotelRitz Carlton Cancun
9FlightCancun-Istanbul – Turkish Airlines – Business Class
10FlightIstanbul-Gothenburg – Turkish Airlines – Business Class
11HotelGothia Towers Gothenburg
12RestaurantEpoque in Gothenburg
13FlightGothenburg-Zurich – Swiss – Business Class
14FlightZurich-Paris – Swiss – Business Class

Ground experience and lounge

If one of the common reproaches made to the new airport of Istanbul is that one walks a lot there, it must be recognized that it is superb.

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The business lounge being still closed I go to the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles lounge.

Still as pleasant but much less crowded than the last timeI went to Mexico.

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Time for a small snack and to rest a little and it’ s already time to walk back through the airport in the other direction to take my flight to Gothenburg.

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Boarding

I am always surprised to see the load factor of the flights from Istanbul to Gothenburg. The waiting area is already full.

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Passports and health documents are checked before boarding.

Boarding can then begin with strict respect for priorities: business class will board first and there will be no chaos in the waiting lines.

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We have to wait a few minutes in the jetway but finally we are authorized to enter the apparatus.

The business cabin of the Turkish Airlines A321

This A321 has theold medium-haul cabin of Turkish Airlines, unlike my outbound flight where I could discover the new one.

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To each his liking butI appreciate the cozy side of this seat which makes me think of a lounge chairand is very comfortable.

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I have everything I need to recharge my devices.

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The seat, a “recliner” of course, is easily adjustable.

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The remote control of the IFE looks old.

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Shelves and screen are located in the armrest.

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And the reason I’m a fan of this cabin: the legroom.

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The space is, to my recollection, less important than onthe 737 I had taken, again between Istanbul and Gothenburg, two years earlier but is quite unique on the European medium-haul market.

I’m all set and ready to go.

There are 4 rows of business class on this aircraft and we will be 7 passengers. We have plenty of room, unlike the economy class, which is almost full too.

The flight and the service

A welcome drink is served.

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And the menu is handed out…

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For once, mezze and meatballs are not on the menu!

While we head towards the runway the safety instructions are broadcasted, less boring in the long run than the old “Lego 2”.

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The taxiing is always long in Istanbul, which gives the opportunity to spot a little. We say goodbye to the terminal…

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This must be the first time in my life that I see a Meraj Airlines. It is a privately owned Iranian airline, based in Tehran and operating a modest fleet of 6 aircraft.

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We take off and I say goodbye to Istanbul.

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It’s hard to get a better seat on a medium-haul flight, except on an Asian airline where you can, for example,fly from Singapore to Bali in a 787 in a full-flat seat on Singapore Airlines.

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The service starts quickly with, first of all, the starters.

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It’sa little less sophisticated than on my outbound trip, but it’s fresh and can be eaten without a problem.

For the dish I chose the lamb chop.

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The cooking of the meat is quite good (red meat is often a risky choice on a flight) and the whole thing is tasty and is enjoyed with pleasure and appetite.

The crew will come back4 times to offer us drinks during the flight.

My meal ends as we fly over a mountainous area in northern Romania.

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I doze a bit until the beginning of the approach to Gothenburg.

Landing and arrival in Gothenburg.

No more Mexico and Turkey, it’s an all-Swedish weather that awaits us.

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The approach will be much less bumpy, however, than two years ago and I’m won’t complain about that.

This time we will be parked at a remote parking standagain but there are only twenty meters to walk to get into the terminal building.

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Happy to be able to drop the mask as we step on the Swedish ground. The immigration control will be as fast as possible and it is deserted corridors which will lead me to the baggage claim (the traffic of the “non Schengen” part of the airport of Gothenburg is anecdotal).

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The baggage claim area really seems to be from another age.

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I will not wait too long for my luggage and I am not unhappy to go to my hotel after having spent long hours in flight since the day before.

The Crew

Very present, professional and efficient. I often criticized Turkish Airlines crews for disappearing after the main service, but there, as on the outbound flight, they remained present from start to end and constantly offered refills.

Bottom line

As always a very solid performance on Turkish Airlines.

Bertrand Duperrin
Bertrand Duperrinhttp://www.duperrin.com
Compulsive traveler, present in the French #avgeek community since the late 2000s and passionate about (long) travel since his youth, Bertrand Duperrin co-founded Travel Guys with Olivier Delestre in March 2015.
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