THY - Would you recommend them?

[Sober Lark]

I don't know if things are better now but I have negative preconceived notions about THY mainly because of their spotty safety record and management philosophy.

Forthcoming trip to ADD, looks like THY is coming in cheapest and quickest in total journey time. Would you recommend them?

[Capetonian]

You don't have a massive choice of airlines flying into ADD but if I were in your situation I would go on KLM. My second choice would be KQ.

TK are not as bad as many others and if price were my only criterion I would probably use them. However, it isn't, as there is no price on safety.

[Businesstraveller]

Flown with them twice to IST, both occasions were favorable. I'll be flying with them to ADD this summer (via IST) and hope the service will be the same as that I received LGW-IST and BHX-IST.

[Phileas Fogg]

In a word "No",

Did two round trips to/from Tashkent with them (because they are/were one of the few operators in/out TAS, never mind losing my suitcase for the entire duration of one 8 day stay (because they wouldn't pay to forward it to me on another carrier) and then tried to bullsh1t their way out of paying me their rate of USD50 per day for lost luggage but ... in-flight they hand out complimentary newspapers and this one flight the cabin floor became littered with discarded newspapers.

When the trolley dollies came around doing their commission based duty free sales the discarded newspapers impeded their trolley wheels, rather than collect and dispose of the newspapers in a recognised fashion they merely swept them to the side of the aisle and couldn't care less that their actions had obscured the emergency floor lighting.

I recommended to our CAA Flight Ops Inspector of the time that THY might be worthy of a ramp inspection or few whilst on turnrounds in UK.

[Sober Lark]

From reading your previous postings I respect the quality of your character. Thanks for your helping me make up my mind on this matter.

[Noxegon]

I flew with them IST-AMM. The flight went overhead Cairo (presumably for political reasons). Good thing I wasn't in a hurry...

[CCR]

Flew with THY several times ex Dublin. Generous baggage allowances and good catering aboard. Nice airline.

[MAN777]

Used them 3 times MAN - IST twice & MAN - IST - IZMIR plus return

All flights were good and very comfortable (leather seats)

Connection to Izmir was a trek and a bit manic as our outbound MAN flight was delayed.

Airline has expanded rapidly in recent years which means lack of gates = lots of airside coach journeys (great if you like impromptu ramp tours:ok:)

Yes I would recommend them.

[crewmeal]

I've flown BHX-IST-AMM and they were excellent. Service good food reasonable timings good. Couldn't help laugh when I saw the flight deck head for the duty free in AMM and buy shed loads of malt whisky!

[Mouser]

Sponsorship of Man United has to be taken into account;)

[Fairdealfrank]

Quote: "I flew with them IST-AMM. The flight went overhead Cairo (presumably for political reasons). Good thing I wasn't in a hurry..."

Bit of a long way round isn't it? Can't see why a Turkish carrier would have an issue overflying Israel.

Having said that, did AMM-LHR on BD and that went north ex-AMM towards DAM then headed west, crossing the coast at BEY, rather than a direct north westerly heading and crossing the coast at or near Haifa (Israel).

Maybe no carrier can overfly Israel if the origin/destination is another Mideast country?

[Phileas Fogg]

Might avoiding Cypriot airspace have something to do with it?

[Espada III]

No issues with Royal Jordanian flying over Israel so no reason why Turkish should not also fly in to AMM over Israel.

To go off thread - Israelis never see aircraft flying at cruise altitude as they are always either departing or arriving into TLV or a little higher into AMM. An Israeli visitor to Manchester asked me if the white trails in the sky he could see were made because they 'looked nice'!. He had never seen them before.

[Aksai Oiler]

Espada III - whilst I don't doubt the guy made the comment, I lived in Israel for 10 years and I know it's not strictly true (re Israeli's and contrails).

Going back to the thread - I used TK frequently to travel to/from Central Asia (mostly ASB and TAS). TK is the only Alliance airline with a decent frequency to these airports. The flights were OK, just departed at poor times of the day; however once I landed into IST I would switch to a European carrier for my flights back home; 3 hrs with TK were enough.

I also see a lot of upwardly mobile Turks these days in Europe, even AGP has a daily frequency to IST; but my preference going east is an established European carrier - AY, BA, LH or LX.

[Fairdealfrank]

Quote: "No issues with Royal Jordanian flying over Israel so no reason why Turkish should not also fly in to AMM over Israel."

And BD.....

Exactly as I would have expected, that's why flying over DAM and BEY after leaving AMM on BD sticks in the mind!!

[Noxegon]

Might avoiding Cypriot airspace have something to do with it?

That was my assumption, yes.

[JWP2010]

DUB-IST-TIA with tight enough connections; not a problem. Good service, good food, though a little tight on legroom in one J class sector. I will be using them again.

[Malone]

I wonder if anyone can help on this. Has anyone tried stand-by staff travel on THY, especially transferring through IST?
Any comments welcome.
Many thanks.
Malone.

[9287Excellent]

I've flown THY many times, although not for about 2 years now myself. I've used them flying to visit family in Adana in Turkey via Istanbul and I can not rate them highly enough. The only bad experience I had with them, was when myself and two friends flew with them LHR-IST-ADA and my friends bags got left at Heathrow, but were put on the next flight out later that day and they had them by that evening. On some of there domestic flights some of the cabin crews' English can be a little limited, but I have always found them very helpful and willing to help if they/where they can. I remember on one flight from IST-ADA I asked one of the cabin crew members about travelling to Cappadocia (a very nice/historic area of Turkey) and he went off and got some information from some of the other crew and the pilot and even gave me contact details for a friend of his who lives in that area who he said would be happy to show us round...I didn't have the heart to tell him that my family were going to be taking us and showing us around, but I have yet to find as friendly crew on many other airlines.

Basically, although my experiences are a few years old, I would highly recommend them! My family travel with them all over the World and they only have good things to say about THY! I'd say go for it! :)

[Bond'll Do]

:=
I've just returned from a multi-sector trip with TK. April '13.

BRU-IST-MLE-CMB-MLE-IST-BRU as this was recommended to me to go to Sri Lanka on 'J' Class (Biz) at approx. 1,000 EURO less than other itineraries.

BRU-IST on A321 in 1D was OK. Food quite nice. IFE with big headsets (audio only) not working. (reported to crew, but crew not interested). Flight on time. Supposedly 'European Airline of the Year' from somewhere? (PR magazine?)

Then arrived circa 22.30hrs to find massive queue to transfer flights. Eventually found unmanned 'White' desk for Biz pax some distance from mega queue and found my way through the maze to get to the 'award winning/supposed best worldwide lounge'....to find it completely packed full and all food services shutting down. My hope of what looked like fresh 'kebabs' and other food...well past closing time...despite a huge number of TK (and other flights leaving at this time).

There was still a great display of various beverages still there of which I partook. I tried to use one of the impressive display of I-Mac computers to send an e-mail to find that they were all un-serviceable. I reported this to the Biz lounge desk to get the reply that yes, one Mac was working earlier but they couldn't remember which one. I had approx 2hr connection.

So, off I trotted to have a look at the shops and have a cig in the farthest end of the terminal (quite a walk!).

I came back to the lounge to find a 1hr 55min delay on my IST-MLE-CMB flight. By now I was very hungry, so I asked what food was available. I was told by the three remaining lounge staff that breakfast would begin about 6am. I told them that this was unacceptable and they just shrugged their arms. I asked if they had a voucher to dine for full-fare Biz pax. No, they said, but if your flight is delayed more, then we will provide a hotel room.

So, I went to what I thought was a quiet area of the lounge and met a group of delayed passengers for other TK delayed flights to Dhaka, Kabul and Baghdad at this time of night.

Not long after sitting with them...mainly NGO regular travellers on this route, the display board came up with 5hrs delay for my flight to CMB. So, I went to the lounge desk to ask for more info. I was offered a hotel room at a nearby hotel. This, it transpired would involve me paying for a Turkish Visa, no food offered, just a bed....in all, about 2hrs in a hotel room and then back for departure. I declined....only to find the delay creeping after my decision to 5hrs 25, then 35 and then 6....

Eventually the flight was called on the screen. I had asked a lounge receptionist to 'wake me up' for boarding...but that never transpired...and when I left the lounge there were no staff present at reception. I arrived to find a 'zoo' of people trying to board. No priority for Biz pax at all. Half an hour more of standing around for eventual boarding.

To cut a very long story short, post boarding/takeoff....all I was offered in Biz class was a supposed 'crepe' of scrambled eggs. Yes, that's right....on an 8hr flight to MLE, 1hr 50 mins transit there and then 1hr 20 min flight in 2A to CMB that was all that was offered. I reported this to the Purser who could only agree that she had never seen such poor food offering on Turkish Airlines, however, apart from a pack of Turkish Economy hazelnuts...she had nothing more to offer. All I can say, is if you want to know how bad the Biz service was back to IST from CMB, just e-mail me on here. There isn't the space to comment on bad seats/disfunctional IFE/couldn't care less attitude by crew.

I certainly don't recommend TK if you like a good drink. I like a Bacardi & Coke sometimes....no Bacardi served on TK....just a very slim selection of alcohol. No Duty-Free service on TK on any route, also.

Seat out was OK in new config...no IFE working but leather horizontal seat. Way back was old-style fabric seat....very uncomfy to try to sleep in. I can only think that as this is a new route for TK that they are short of aircraft/crew. 'Abysmal' is my overall experience. :*

[Bond'll Do]

Responding further to my 'Abysmal' experience with TK as a full-fare 'J' payer (to collect airmiles etc)....funny how it sounds but if you have ID (staff) tickets to use, I can share the following:

IST-MLE-CMB was about 60% full in 'Y' outbound and about 50% full in 'Y' inbound.

In 'J', I think I and 2 other pax were full fare 'payers' outbound and me the only payer on the way back.

It was embarrassingly obvious on the way out from IST-MLE-CMB that the Captains wife was loaded into 2D opposite me, then put in empty 1A in front of me before takeoff on this mega-delayed flight. Old 'Captain' seemed to regularly come out for a 'puff' on a cigarette in the flight crew 'bunks'. One could smell the smoke! Also, despite trying to go forward for the Biz lavatory, I was redirected to the rear of the cabin to use the toilet there. Perhaps this is for some reason?

Old Captain dined with his wife in front of me for a couple of hours before returning to flight deck. They certainly didn't have what was offered to other pax....and much 'bowing and scraping' to wifelet and el Capitano observed. Ho hum. There were 'bones' sticking out of what was cooked for them...so I can only guess that it wasn't the undercooked scrambled-egg 'crepe' that I returned to be reheated....and it was exactly that...the same thing brought back after 10 mins partly eaten...all dried and crusty. El Capitano and wifey dined on for approx. 1 hr after we mere mortals finished and cleared away.

What more can I say.....?

No food offered more than this to fare-payers on the remaining flight to MLE or on subsequent sector to CMB....truly abysmal. Cabin crew 'couldn't care less' attitude...IMEO.:*

[heavy.airbourne]

Did you post any pix on tripadvisor? Would love to see them. :ok: