I recently flew Turkish Airlines from Los Angeles to Istanbul. Turkish boasts flights to the most destinations in the world, and indeed it has set itself up as a strong competitor to the ME3 super-connector airlines (Emirates, Qatar and Etihad) linking the world through its Istanbul hub.
Check-In and Ground Service
Check-in was a breeze at Tom Bradley LAX. Turkey has removed all Covid entry restrictions, eliminating the bureaucracy of document checks at the check-in counter. I was issued my boarding pass and proceeded to the Star Alliance Lounge after passing through security. One word about security: It is a much-improved experience, at least at Tom Bradley. No more post 9-11 theatre of removing laptop, liquids, shoes etc. This is thanks to new computed tomography (CT) scanners now in place that make it a lot easier to see what’s in your carryon.
The Star Alliance LAX Lounge
After clearing security, I headed over to the Star Alliance Lounge for a quick bite and to do some work. I love this lounge – it’s one of the few worth visiting for the design and architecture alone. The lounge wasn’t overcrowded when I visited, but I took advantage of the warm weather to sit outdoors.
Boarding and Pre-Departure
I was among the first to board the 787-9 Dreamliner. The process was smooth and I settled into 4A, a window seat which I selected for unobstructed access to the window and a little more privacy, given the storage area of the seat provides greater seclusion from the aisle. I was warmly greeted and served a pre-departure beverage. Before too long, the onboard chef came along and took my order for lunch.
Turkish Airlines is the only airline with onboard chefs, complete with toque blanche. They don’t actually cook anything onboard of course, but they are responsible for taking orders and the plating and presentation of the meal. I think it’s a very good idea because this frees up the other flight attendants to focus on service, which was pretty stellar throughout the flight.
The seat is a standard lie-flat seat, ensconced in a pod with lots of storage and power ports for electronic devices. It felt roomy and private due to the aforementioned storage unit separating the seat from the aisle. Depending on the seat you choose, the storage unit may expose you more or less to the aisle due to its placement, so this is something to consider when you assign your seat.
Situated under the seat is a footwell that is flush with the seat when it is in sleeping position. Manual controls next to the seat allow you to adjust the recline all the way to flat. There’s lots of adjustable lighting for working or reading when the cabin lights are dimmed.
Dining
Fish on planes is a running joke with me because it is all over the place, from excellent (like an unctuous seabass on Swiss) to execrable (an overbaked and shrunken cod on the same). But while not a pescatarian, I generally prefer the fish option (if offered) to the chicken/cow, otherwise I would go for the vegetarian option.
I chanced it on the salmon and found it perfectly done. The seafood appies and dessert of chocolate mousse were also terrific. In contrast, the pre-landing meal wasn’t very memorable – an omelette with a cheese toast along with a fruit plate. I picked at it, but to be fair, I was quite full.
Service matched the high quality of the food. It was professional and attentive without being too obsequious (note: I actually love obsequious). As noted, the onboard chef took some of the pressure off the flight attendants who were able to just focus on high-quality customer care during meal service.
After lunch, I was offered turndown service and I did not refuse.
Inflight Entertainment
The IFE system offered the usual array of Hollywood and international films, along with TV shows, live news, music albums, and other entertainment options to while away the time. I watched The Batman and listened to old favorites (Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack), and discovered some newer artists (St. Vincent). The Denon noise-cancelling headphones were of excellent quality. You can control the IFE using the touchscreen or the handheld control, which comes in handy when you’re watching a movie in bed mode.
Amenity Kit
This is the Hackett-branded amenity kit. Enough said. I don’t actually keep the whole kit because they create clutter in my house. But I do poach a few things like the hand lotion and the travel-sized toothpaste (you can never have enough of those). That said, I do appreciate amenity kits and other freebies the airlines offer, such as loungewear and playing cards, particularly if they have the airline’s branding on them. They bring back memories of collecting useless Singapore Airlines-branded junk as a kid. I knew even then that simply putting a logo on things builds a strong emotional connection to a brand. It may be costly to do this and arguably wasteful, but it is simply fundamental to building brand awareness and loyalty.
Gripes
The cabin was a little warm, making it hard to sleep. They were dangerously close to being out of TP in one of the toilets. I alerted a male FA, who was a little desultory in his response. (I’d give him the benefit of the doubt – he looked like he was coming off crew rest as he had a little bit of bedhead.)
Final Word
Overall, it was a stellar flight made memorable by exceptional lunch service and attentive crew. Since this flight, I’ve actually flown Turkish several more times (including a long-haul segment from Istanbul to Bali, where I’m writing this from. I daresay Turkish even surpassed itself on the latter flight. Turkish Airlines may be the airline that serves the most destinations on the planet, but it hasn’t achieved its scale at the expense of small details and generally great service that make people want to travel.
