TK619 IST-RAK

July 4th, 2022

Posts in this series:

Introduction - Surf & Turf From the Aegean Coast to the Saharan Desert

Review - Air Serbia Business Class A330-200 New York JFK to Belgrade

Review - Metropol Palace Belgrade, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Review - The Bodrum Edition

Review - The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul

Review - Turkish Airlines Business Class B737-8 Max Istanbul to Marrakech

Review - Amanjena

Review - Royal Air Maroc Business Class B787-8 Casablanca to New York JFK

Check-in:

Turkish Airlines serves more destinations than any other airline in the world, so I was not surprised to find this direct link between Istanbul and Marrakech. Our flight was operated by a B737 Max 8 aircraft with standard recliner seats, while the flight to Casablanca was operated by a B777-300ER with lie-flat seats. As reluctant as I was to hop on a Max flight, I figured my life was not worth the additional transit🤔.

I hadn’t visited the new Istanbul Airport since it opened, and my gosh was it massive. We were dropped off at the separate entrance for priority passengers. The terminal could only be described as striking - it’s like entering the belly of an extraterrestrial creature. It also reminds me of the Queen Alia Airport in Amman.

The entrance led you straight to the priority check-in counters.

The check-in area was rather basic, with some seating on one side. For most premium check-in facilities, the real value-add is the time-saving. Istanbul is a very busy airport, so this perk should be quite valuable to those who have it.

Lounge:

There are certain aspects of airlines that become synonymous with that airline. Let me give you a few examples. When you think of Emirates, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The showers on the A380s, right? When you think of KLM, you think of the Delft blue houses. And when you think of Spirit, you think of fake Louis Vuitton duffle bags and drunk people fighting. I don’t make the rules.

In the frequent flyer world, when you think of Turkish Airlines, you think of the CIP Lounge in the old Atatürk Airport. It wasn’t over the top luxurious or anything, but I remember fondly of the various live cooking stations constantly whipping up irresistible Turkish dishes - fresh kebabs on charcoal with beautiful grill marks, warm and luscious lahmacun and pide, made-to-order manti, dazzling mezzes, Turkish delight and baklava for life…

I’ve heard positive feedback online about the new lounge, so I was excited to check it out myself.

At the entrance, you were met with this memorial-esque wall with the Turkish Airlines logo prominently lit. The automated turnstiles added to the futuristic vibe.

Just like in the old lounge, there was a substantial amount of clear lockers near the entrance,

A few conference rooms were available.

The lounge opened up to the terminal and looked onto the concourse level, providing rare insight into the ordinary life🙈.

We visited the lounge shortly before noon, and there wasn’t a huge crowd. But beware that Istanbul is a pretty banked hub, so the crowd ebbs and flows.

Plenty of seating arrangements were present given the sheer size of this lounge.

Unfortunately we were there in the morning, so the offerings weren’t as extensive as those of lunch and dinner.

We didn’t have too much time to linger around, so I didn’t have the chance to review other amenities. I thought the lounge was an enhancement over the already fantastic old lounge. If you are flying Turkish I’d definitely recommend checking it out.

Boarding:

Boarding was on-time yet unruly, to be expected on a flight going to Morocco😅. Again, I don’t make the rules!

Because of all the production and delivery snafus with Boeing, it’s hard to tell how old a Max plane actually is. Our bird felt spanking new to me, but it could have been in storage for the past however many years. Business class consisted of 16 seats in a 2-2 configuration and was similar to what you’d find in first class on a US carrier. However, the legroom and recline were beyond US airlines’ wildest imagination. These seats were probably the most comfortable seats I’d ever sat in, not counting lie-flat beds of course. To give you a sense of how generous the recline was, I could not have a drink without spilling when reclined all the way back. The padding was equally excellent.

I took a peek into the economy class cabin, which seemed modern and fresh.

Moments after settling in, the friendly FA came over with Turkish Airlines’ signature welcome mocktails. When she saw me taking pictures, she insisted to rearrange the stirrers so they all faced the camera, and thanks to that we could now read which drink is which. Small things like this make outsized impressions.

A pair of Philips-branded headphones was provided, which was decent but obviously not Bose or Bang & Olufsen.

Awaiting at each seat was the menu of the day, which reads as follows:

Meals on Turkish were offered by Do & Co, who has really established itself as the ceiling of aviation catering. They even made British Airways’ food go from hazardous to edible!

For a daytime flight, a more rudimentary version of an amenity kit was distributed. I liked the design - an elevated iteration of what you would find from a knick-knack store near the Blue Mosque.

Inflight:

Service started quickly once we leveled off. Our lunch tray included a small side salad with lemon olive oil dressing, a cheese plate, a smoked salmon appetizer and a chocolate mousse.

For main course, I went with the meatball brochette with bulgur pilaf and aubergine purée. A fresh bread basket was brought out to accompany the meal. Champagne on offer was the Monopole Heidsieck. I went with a Turkish red, duh.

My partner chose the grilled chicken brochette with sweetcorn mousseline and grilled zucchini.

Lunch was delicious - the meat was cooked perfectly, while the vegetables were fresh and flavorful. Living in the US, it bewilders me how vegetables in other countries actually have flavor. Like tomatoes actually taste like tomatoes and not just water, you know what I mean? I digress…

For business class passengers, complimentary wifi was available.

The speed wasn’t terrible, in the sense that I could send pictures. Coverage was, on the other hand, quite spotty.

Prior to landing, the FA came out with the landing cards for Morocco. She also handed out pens along with the forms - another instance of the attention to detail.

On Arrival:

I flew Turkish many times over the years, and flew with them domestically to and from Bodrum on this trip. Besides the great service and hard product, it ran an impeccably reliable operation. I came away feeling there was respect for my time. The new Istanbul Airport was a near masterpiece - clean, modern, easy to use and offers a ton of connectivity. This particular flight was too short to experience the true Turkish Airlines hospitality, so I can’t wait to get on a long-haul flight with them in the near future.

Soon after that we descended upon the Red City.