Review: Turkish Airlines A330-300 Business Class Istanbul-Dhaka
Intro
The next portion of the series "5 nights on a plane", would see me flying from Istanbul over to Dhaka. Following the flight 2 nights prior on Alaska Airlines from San Diego to New York, a day in New York, an overnight on LOT to Poland, a day in Poland, another flight on LOT, and a hectic connection in Istanbul (yeah this trip has been crazy already), it was time to embark to country number 100: Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has long fascinated me with its intriguing history dating back to the country gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971. With plenty of time on the ground, I was really looking forward to this part of the Aeroplan adventure.
So how was the Turkish A330-300 in Business Class? I've gotta say that this flight was a treat. With a relatively empty cabin, the lack of privacy on these seats wasn't an issue. The crew was top-tier, and the food was delicious. My only regret is the flight wasn't longer...
Route-Istanbul (IST)-Dhaka (DAC)
Seat- 5K
Flight Number- TK712
Aircraft- Airbus A330-300
Date- August 16th 2024
Flight Time- 6 Hours 56 Minutes
Price Paid- 87.5K Aeroplan Miles+120$ (4 legs)
How I Booked
As I wrote about in a separate post, I booked this flight as part of a multi-city Aeroplan adventure for 87.5K Miles. Ordinarily, this flight would cost 70K Aeroplan points in Business or 88K on United. Considering I paid 87.5K Miles for the following, this is a fantastic redemption:
New York-Warsaw LOT 787-9 Business
Warsaw-Istanbul LOT E190 Business
Istanbul-Dhaka- TK A330-300 Business
Dhaka-Bangkok TG 777-200 Business
Boarding
After quite a nice flight from Warsaw onboard the LOT E195 in Business, I had to rush to gate B15 as we were due to board at 5:25 pm. Due to traffic in the airspace, as we would soon find out once onboard, boarding ended up being delayed until 5:45 pm at which point passengers in business class were invited to board.
I was so excited to get on board my first Turkish Airlines flight in Business Class, that I ended up queueing up to be the first one on board!
Stepping onboard, I knew this was going to be a good flight. The cabin crew, with big bright smiles, welcomed me onboard.
The Seat/Cabin
When it comes to configurations on the Turkish Airlines A330s, you usually have a better chance at hitting the jackpot in Vegas than knowing which seat you are going to have. Thankfully, today we were assigned the best A330 in their fleet: the A330-300 with lie-flat seats.
Seats in this configuration are laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration, with 5 rows down each side, and 4 rows down the center. These seats are mightily similar to the ones you will find on the LOT 787s but with a few differences.
All seats are pretty much equal with this setup. However, if direct aisle access and not being disturbed is something you are after, I recommend selecting a seat in the middle section since nobody has to step over another.
As per usual, I chose a window seat in the back corner on the right: 5K. It came with plenty of privacy and felt very spacious.
Each seat features a large high-definition television, unrestricted foot space (the perks of having this configuration), in-seat power, a headphone jack, and a remote under the armrest.
This configuration certainly has its pros, but it also has its cons. When this cabin is full, this is an extremely uncompetitive product, as there isn't even a privacy divider separating your seat neighbor and you. However, this configuration also allows for unrestricted foot space unlike what you would find on the likes of United Airlines in Polaris. So I suppose it just depends on what tickles your fancy.
Departure
Boarding was wrapped up with our light load today by 6:05, at which point the cabin crew came around to welcome business class passengers onboard and offer them the Turkish Airlines traditional welcome drinks.
Roughly 15 minutes later, the captain came on to once again, welcome us onboard, and inform us of our flight time of 6 hours and 50 minutes over to Dhaka. He mentioned that the airspace was clogged up and apologized for the delay.
At this moment, the safety video began playing as we pushed back at 6:30 pm local time, 15 minutes behind the scheduled departure time.
A long taxi later out to runway 36, we were wheels up at 7:08 pm local time departing North. What a gorgeous liftoff with the shadow of "Gukceada" reflecting off the ground. Wow.
Amenities
Once takeoff was completed, I figured this would be a perfect time to check out the amenities that Turkish Airlines offers business class customers. Let's just say: nothing short of exceptional!
Each passenger received a comfortable pair of slippers, a beautiful Ferragamo amenity kit, a decent pair of headphones, as well as a comfortable pillow and blanket for sleeping (more on that later).
All in all, this is more than an adequate setup for a flight time that is just around 7 hours.
IFE/WIFI
As I waited for my meal order, I figured that this would be the perfect time to check out all of the in-flight entertainment. Located in the back of your seat is the touchscreen featuring plenty of selection. From the latest movies to live television, it would be hard to get bored on a flight that is longer than this.
I always get confused when airlines charge long-haul business-class customers for wifi. Tickets are expensive, and honestly, Turkish Airlines does a good job by providing those in business class with free wifi. Simply head over online, type in your seat number, and last name and you will be online!
Meal Service
Let’s throw it back a little bit, as shortly before takeoff, the cabin crew came around to distribute menus and take our orders for once we were airborne. The delicious-looking menu was as follows:
Keep in mind that Turkish Airlines only offers chefs and their more “premium menus” on flights over 8 (maybe it is 9) hours. This includes Champagne Monopole instead of the regular Tattinger.
Once airborne, service started started with a hot towel, and a drinks order roughly 10 minutes after takeoff.
Within 30 minutes after takeoff, my whole plate of food had been brought out to me. An area where Turkish Airlines could improve would be to add wine glasses in Business, as I feel that this is such a premium airline that it makes sense.
However, this meal was so tasty with crunchy warm bread, and perfectly cooked chicken and sauced-up gnocchi, that it felt as if my taste buds were in heaven. In fact, it was so good that I asked for seconds! This might have been the best meal I have had in business class (flavor-wise) outside of the SQ braised beef cheek with gnocchi 😉.
Including seconds, the meal was wrapped up 65 minutes after departure. I guess the light load helped, but that is some pretty impressive timing for a long-haul business-class flight.
Bed Time
Induced in a food and wine coma, it was time to put the bed into lie-flat mode and tuck in for my third straight night on a plane. At this point, the sun was setting at our current location, but it was roughly 11 pm Dhaka time; a perfect time to get some rest.
So yes, I might have been absolutely shattered, but this was one of the best nights of sleep I have ever had on a plane. 2 pillows and a couple of blankets later, I was knocked out cold.
Feeling the most rested I had felt in the past 6 months, I awoke from my coma about an hour and a bit outside of Dhaka.
Within moments of waking up, I was greeted by the lovely flight attendant working my aisle asking me if I wanted anything to drink. Not in the mood for champoffee 😉, a mimosoffee and a bottle of water were brought out to me promptly.
While I declined breakfast (as you know I am not a breakfast person), she brought out around some pastries just in case I was feeling a little peckish.
Which brings me to my next point:
Service
The service onboard today's flight was nothing short of exceptional, and some of the best I have come across. There were a few things that particularly stood out to me
The cabin crew was very warm the whole flight. Smiles all around and very friendly.
When I woke up, it couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes before the flight attendant came over.
When the FA came over, she whispered to not wake some of the other sleeping passengers up (this is the most impressive).
The whispering thing is one that I wish more airlines would do. Unlike me who sleeps like a baby, I know plenty of light sleepers who get bothered by noise. All of these small details made for an excellent flight!
Arrival Into Dhaka
The captain came around 4:35 am to wish passengers a good morning and inform us that we would now be beginning our descent into Dhaka (country 100 woooo).
Moments later the cabin crew came around to thank us for flying Turkish Airlines (can I also say their uniforms are quite the look) and hoped to see us onboard again soon.
We had. a smooth touchdown on Runway 14 at 5:04 am, but a long taxi to our gate, as we pulled in next to a Salamair plane 15 minutes later.
Side note: I wish the taxi time was longer, or perhaps. a diversion back to Istanbul to enjoy another chicken and gnocchi 😍.
The cabin crew bid us farewell with big smiles, and that sadness soon turned to excitement as we were in country 100! A big milestone 😃. Dhaka is not a bad airport, which I'll touch on more in the outbound.
That excitement soon turned to frustration, but that is for the next post, as what a sh*tshow the visa situation is here...
Final Thoughts
What a simply fantastic flight this was on all levels. The only wish I have from this flight is that the flight was longer. In terms of hard product: the seats aren’t the most competitive due to the lack of every passenger having aisle access, but with unlimited footspace and a comfortable sleeping surface, I slept the best I have slept in a long time. The service was some of the best I have experienced, the food was so good I ordered seconds, and free wifi for business class customers? I am sold!
In fact, I am so sold that I have been seeking to fly Turkish Airlines very soon again, but this time I want to try the Turkoflot which is now flying to Boston instead of Los Angeles!
FANTASTIC!
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