Wednesday 13 July 2016

Flight Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur


This was our second Business Class flight on our Euro-Asia World Trip in 2015, from Turkey on the way to our second stop: Singapore! These business class flights were redeemed from Aeroplan points, which we collected for over two years. After redeeming for the cost of flights, the only price we paid is the fuel surcharges, which ended up being very little.




We started off to the Istanbul airport travelling from the Nowy Efendi Hotel (see review here) by using the Tram.



  

Using the Moovit App, we planned our route which was quite an easy one. Starting off from the Sultanahmet Tram Stop, we took the T1 Tram West for 15 stops to Zeytinburnu. After you exit, you have to cross the tracks to your right, pull your luggage up the ramp, and scan your IstanbulKart again to access the M1A Train to Ataturk Airport (havalimanı).

The total cost was TL 3.95 per person, not counting the cost of the card itself. 

The ride on the tram wasn't the most comfortable. I don't think we managed to get a seat until many stops down the line, as the tram was very busy during the evenings. So we had to stand and hold on to our luggage most of the way for about 30 minutes, which was tiring for sure. But that little hardship was well worth it for that price compared to paying 30 Euros per person for a drive to the airport from the hotel.


Next we boarded a train and got some seats for a direct trip to Ataturk Airport, which was only 6 stops away.


After we arrived to Istanbul's lovely airport and got our boarding passes, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Business Class passengers have their own security gates which exit into the lounge! This was a delight for sure, compared to waiting for over an hour in lines in other countries.


The Turkish Airlines Lounge is absolutely world class. There are two levels, a play area for kids, tons of comfy couches, live chefs cooking delicious grilled food, and lots and lots of Ayran (chilled yogurt drink).


We've come to the consensus that this is the best lounge we've been to in the world.


What you're looking at is the top level of the lounge with staircases intertwining a huge Turkish Airlines globe structure.


These couches in the lounge were quite nice. Our flight was very late again, so it was nice to be able to relax (and perhaps take a quick nap?) while waiting for our flight.


The food was absolutely fantastic. Everything was freshly made and still hot from the grill, it was restaurant quality food and completely buffet-style! What a lounge! On the top right of this picture you'll see a glass bottle of Ayran, which I dream of to this day. Wish I could have a crate of those shipped to Canada.


There are a lot of interesting goodies around the lounge as well, like this racing track!


Our flight was delayed by at least an hour, so it was a relief when we were able to board our A330-300 plane.


We chose the same seat selection as the last flight, which is the far back corner to the right. The seats were the exact same as the previous flight, albeit a little newer.


Flight attendants approached us as usual and offered welcome juices, but we had delicious bottles of Ayran, so we asked for glasses with ice instead. We fondly said goodbye to Turkey while toasting with the best yogurt drink on the planet.


Goodbye, Istanbul! :( Thank you for treating us well! We hope to be back someday, inshaAllah!


Next came investigating our flight goodies. This time our flight accessories were Jaguar branded, with a really nice zippered Jaguar bag.


Everything inside was the same was the previous flight, except for the Jaguar branded lotion, lip balm and description card.

Here's a proper look at the Jaguar-branded Amenity Kit:


Stay tuned for a contest to win this brand-new amenity kit from our trip!


At some point I decided to catch some beautiful Zs on the lie-flat seats with a sleeping set mat, pillow and blanket, so most of the following opinions on the food are brought to you by my husband.

What you have here is an appetiser course for dinner, which was a mini-samosa, grilled zucchini wrapped around cheese, and a meatball. All were good.


Next you have a seafood platter with fish, shrimp, mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. The fish was very plain.


Next was a Caesar salad with chicken. The salad was fresh however the chicken needed more seasoning.


Here's the second entree, grilled chicken and vegetables along with rice and a grilled tomato. The chicken was a little cold but the rice was fragrant. 


Next came dessert which we shared, which was all fantastic. There was a creme caramel, cake, chocolate ice cream, and a small blueberry tart.


This was the breakfast platter near the end of our flight, which was cheese, vegetables and olives, assorted fruit, yogurt, and what seems to be honeycomb.


This was an excellent flight and we have no complaints. Turkish airlines is truly a wonderful airline.
So we finally touched down in Malaysia, where we stopped over to transit to Singapore.


What adventures await us next? Find out next time!

-Maryam

__________________________


Click here to see more articles from our 2015 World Trip!

And click Here to Like our Facebook page! We've got lots to share!

1 comment:

  1. Travelco is proud to offer great deals on Turkish airlines flights to Pakistan destinations. If you’re looking for cheap airfare, try our flexible booking calendar to find the best day to fly Turkish Airlines within your schedule.

    ReplyDelete