I enjoy most flight reviews and I’m generally a fan of Turkish Airlines. That’s why a recent trip report warning of the deplorable state of affairs in Turkish Airlines economy class really rubbed me the wrong way.
Reviewer Warns Of Deplorable Turkish Airlines Economy Class, But I’m Not Convinced…
The review of a Turkish Airlines A330-300 economy class journey from New York (JFK) to Helsinki (HEL) via Istanbul (IST) appeared on Insider.
The reviewer did not like the seat:
For an airline that’s supposed to be one of the best in the world, my seat on the Airbus A330-300 was one of the most uncomfortable I’ve had on a flight. My tiny seat was hard, I barely had legroom, and the tray table was so low it hung right above my knees.
I’m not sure what makes it “uncomfortable” or “tiny” when it is the same seat we see on so many airlines with legroom of 31-33 inches (she does not specify) depending upon the row. Sure, it is not a business class seat, but I’ve flown in this seat for 13 hours from Istanbul to Los Angeles and I thought it was okay.
She says, “The seats could be comparable to any US budget airline,” but has she flown Spirit or Frontier? Thankfully, the Turkish Airlines seats are much more padded and have screens, footrests, and USB chargers.
The reviewer also did not like the meal service onboard. Or did she? She says the food was horrible (even in the headline), but when it comes to describing the meal itself she said:
Dinner on my first flight wasn’t as bad as I thought. My vegetable pasta dinner — which I picked over the fish — was surprisingly good: slightly sweet but salted with a heavy hand.
So I guess the dinner was surprisingly good…
Unfortunately, the shrimp in the “salad” finished on notes of plastic while the fried eggplant with cheese was so oily it could’ve powered a cross-country drive.
Note to author: avoid (the attempted) humor.
Breakfast was a problem:
Nothing like a creamy eggy mush, a flavorless tomato, and seemingly unseasoned slabs of mushroom and potatoes to start off your day. The side serving of cheese was fine although the tasteless feta had the mouthfeel of a block of rubber…I couldn’t take more than five bites of the egg slop.
Five bites? That’s like half the dish. But she’s not picky.
I’m not a picky eater but I was so noticeably turned off from the meal.
What else made it so bad?
Well, the bathroom was “surprisingly clean.” She liked the amenity kits onboard, “But to my delight, we all received toiletries bags with items like socks, eye masks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste during a later service.”
Service? “The flight attendants were straightforward and never cracked a smile.” Her gripe was with the other passengers onboard, some of which played their music loudly and without headphones. She laments that flight attendants did not intervene.
That is her one reasonable gripe.
All of this on a ticket that cost only $637.
Insider (formerly Business Insider) is a respected online platform – I would not waste my breath if it was just an obscure blog review. But this review leaves me shaking my head. Rather than just dismiss it, I offer this constructive criticism to the author: I enjoyed your writing (beyond the cringe-worthy humor). But you might want to fly a few more carriers before you complain so bitterly about Turkish Airlines. I’ve flown many by now and while it is perfectly reasonable not to love Turkish Airlines, I find it fairly unreasonable to gripe about a standard seat and food that is by many measures above average compared to the competition.
I guess for me Turkish Airlines comes out still looking just fine, but for the readers who may never have flown Turkish before, the carrier is painted in an unfair light.
There’s a lot missing from the report too. No info on the hundreds of movies and TV shows available onbaord. No info on internet. Nothing about the transit experience in Istanbul or anything about the connecting flight (beyond the breakfast, which was yucky…).
Good first draft…now I’d like to see more details filled in.
CONCLUSION
Turkish Airlines is not great in economy class…I don’t think any carrier is great behind the curtain (maybe Singapore Airlines). But in terms of internet, IFE, food, amenities, and yes, even the seat, I think Turkish Airlines offers a very respectable product in economy class. I’d have no qualms about taking my family on it should the situation merit.
How do you find Turkish Airlines economy class?
Insider has really gone downhill. I’ve read other flight reviews posted on there, and they all seem to be written by people who don’t have a lot of experience flying (ie they aren’t aware of the general state of what it’s like to fly coach these days). I have no doubt that the food served in Turkish Economy is far better than what one would receive on AA/DL/UA.
In fairness, on the service aspect, what you get in deep coach on TK is far different than the Business Class experience bloggers gush about. I’ve had crews ranging from disinterested to flat-out surly. But as far as the actual Y product, I didn’t find it meaningfully better or worse than anyone else really (though I thought the food was pretty good). I’ll fly them again if the price and schedule suit my needs.
I have flown TK in Y…not great, but also not bad and in my case, certainly above average.
Hi Matt, I have used Turkish Arlines like 10 times and I find their services worth the money.
I revelry flew TK in business and let’s just say I rank it below US carriers. Very subpar product.
I flew Turkish airlines 787-9 economy, on the 29th of September 2023, if they had business class available I would have purchase a seat to get better treatment, but they were full, the flight attendant in the economy class were horrible, they had bad attitude, like they don’t want to be there! when we arrived to Istanblu and ready to depature they closed the curtain between the economy and the business, to let the business class to departure first. that was uncalled for!!
I have never seeing this before.
That is quite common in my experience.
I’ve flown Turkish Airlines about 40 times; I’ve scarcely seen the TK staff — or that space-occupying “sky chef” in J — crack a smile, nor try to do anything remotely customer service-oriented. Though, I do wax nostalgic for that separate security and immigration for xIST’s TK lounge.
Still, I have my own IFE, Turkish food is great, and the planes have all landed at their intended destinations. Things could be worse … I could be just signing-up now for MileagePlus.
TK can be absolutely horrible, but that’s got nothing to do with their product. Their handling of IROPS ranges from problematic to comical. The pax who wrote that review was quite fortunate not to have experienced the bad side of the airline, and I agree that she was rather unfair to them.
I read that article and quite frankly the economy meals she photographed looked better than UA Intl J. It felt like the writer flew this fully wanting to write a bad review rather than actually having an open mind.
And it would not surprise me if that was exactly the point to show some balance since Insider is comped a lot of flights and therefore forced, even if not explicitly, to publish positive reviews more of the time.
UA INTL J should certainly not be the measuring stick for airline catering. I’ve had plenty of meals in Y on other airlines that were leaps and bounds better than Polaris.
That was my point. It is the measuring stick for economy meals on other airlines.
I am still trying to get a refund for seat selection. You are unable to speak to anyone and are forced to fill out forms online. Their customer service with ticketing is horrendous. FYI, if your flight changes by 20 minutes ,you get a new ticket number which then deletes your seat selection that Turkish will not refund automatically ( or even tell you). Their call center is also unable to refund…
For at least the past two years, Insider has been publishing “reviews” exclusively written by neurotic, obese women who have virtually no experience traveling and who are clearly still terrified of covid. It’s the travel magazine for people who will never travel, written by compatriots who do so only in order to dissuade them.
Spot on!
Yes.
If you are not concerned about Covid, you are an idiot and a dangerous idiot. It can ruin your life or, in some cases, not ruin it but end it. It is not “just the flu”. Fortunately, treatments are better but mask wearing has foolishly ended. The exception might be EVA Air, which has the sense to have nearly all passengers wearing masks.
Covid-19 has always been just a cold for the majority of people. There is no such thing as “long covid,” except for in the sense of a mental illness unconnected to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Masks have never stopped the spread of respiratory viruses—and they never will.
I could go on debunking all the falsehoods contained in your post, but instead I’ll just be frank: I feel truly bad for you, Derek. You really need to get some help.
Robert that’s a hugely sh**y comment, asserting without any evidence that Long Covid is ‘just’ a mental illness. You could go on debunking but I’m glad you didn’t – you’d just be cherry-picking questionable evidence to support your unfounded claims. You clearly have an issue with people who are unlucky enough to have an experience that’s far worse than the common cold, and it’s a weird position to take. Have some compassion for God’s sake. Gaslighting a section of the population because you have an axe to grind makes me feel almost sorry for you – it doesn’t make you look clever, it just seems like you need help. But you’d never be humble enough to admit it.
My son, at 13 months old, caught it. Guess what, had a fever for a day, back to normal at day 3. COVID was a common cold for the vast majority. Stay scared…
exactly, I think she made up her mind to write a bad review before she even boarded the flight and what do you expect for 600 bucks! I have lived in the middle east for over 20 years and flown on over 20 carriers short and long haul. Turkish do not come anywhere close to being as bad as some of the “others”
I have flown Turkish Airlines 10 times and every flight is outstanding and even better than the last. Indeed the Reviewer ought to fly at least several lomg haul Airlines before slating what is arguably the best Airline in the world where Inflight product is concerned. It really annoys me, when likes/follower oriented people try to make an Airline look bad by using bait-style language. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please….do your research if you are trying to help Travellers make informed decisions !
“I’m not sure what makes it “uncomfortable” or “tiny””
Might have to do with the huge bag she stuffed under the chair in front of her which looks like it took away half of her legroom?
It does seem like she had a negative attitude coming into the whole experience, as she was surprised about the amenity kit and some of the food being decent.
Yes it’s economy so it’s not going to be a great experience, but bu economy standards, it’s somewhat above average. And the food is definitely above average in terms of economy class.
I have been flying TK for 8 years, both YC and BC. Aside from an oversold flight from IST to IAH several years ago, which was poorly handled, my experiences have been nothing but positive. I have always found the crews to be friendly and professional. I’m not sure what the expectations are here but I do think the writer needs to get a few more flights under her belt before being so overly critical of one TK flight.
Yeah, I read her review. Complaints about other people. Complaint that half a foot of space pictured between her knees and the setback was insufficient. Not enough to necessarily deter me from my first try on Turkish Airlines.
Actually, her silly review actually comports with many other silly reviews by small foreign females.
To the contrary, a dear small foreign friend of mine flew Turkish leisure with her husband last summer and told me that it was lovely and that I should try it.
i dont know about economy but u have flown few times BUSINESS CLASS and i enjoy it
great service , food , confort, turn down of seat,
and on too of that i was on the flight from instabul to jfk that had severe turbulence 2019 flight when several 30plus passengers inhured , flight attendant broke her leg- and pilot and flight staff exceptional in the chaos; urube the video was no joke. so i disagree with review
Insider is not a respected platforms.
Food bad. Customers allowed to listen to their own music with headsets. Get real. Sounds like a free for all or here in America, Spirit Airlines. Turkish Airlines, no thank you. Delta or another American Airline if traveling abroad.
I too had questioned that interview. It would seem that this person has not flown any long haul international flight before, not any flight inside Europe. Had she flown Y with any other European carrier from anywhere in Europe she would have not complained about the food quality….. Because there is none, as had not been for at least a decade. The TK econ seats are a 6 out of 10 for a Y seat. Perhaps she should see the pitch given by UA,DL,BA, or others before going after TK pitch. Overall just a terribly written piece.
I’ll have to agree on the seat comfort – not suitable for long haul flights, way too hard, and tight. When arrived, it feels like having been sitting on a rough rock for quite some time..
I was tempted by Turkish so flew them from LHR to BOM so had 4 flights in the space of a week to compare. The crew were great, the food better then most, amenity kit was very generous, the lounge in Istanbul was AMAZING! The LHR to Istanbul sector was a wide body so lie flat seat for 4 hrs which was great! The reason why I’d never fly them again was some of the passengers were awful. Every single flight I had to confront people cutting lines, sitting in my seat, pushing and shoving, entitlement and general rudeness. Honestly it was exhausting dealing with such rude people and have never flown them again. Totally get cultural differences but for some reason, people holding a J class ticket on this airline had a high concentration of
Jetzillas! It soured all the hard work the crew and airline put into the product. Maybe other airlines nip it in the bud more as I’ve flown the same sector hundreds of times on every thing that’s smoking and that was next level stressful!
Definitely a route or just unfortunate timing issue. I have flown them multiple times to/from MAN and BHX, never had any problems with fellow pax. Once we got struck by lightning and I actually ended up making a couple of good Turkish friends after the flight returned to IST and we had a few drinks in the lounge.
I will say I ended up from BOM to IST sitting next to an halarious German guy (think Del Griffith from Trains Planes…) and we decided to get pissed together the whole way back. That was fun. Felt awful by the time I got to IST so after a few amazing Turkish coffees in the lounge I was ready for bed. Alas, even though the flight was empty the crew put an old British woman next to me to look after. She was bandaged like a Mummy! Turns out who when she retired, she booked the safari holiday of a lifetime to Uganda! Sadly on her first day, she fell down a flight of stairs at her hotel breaking most of her bones and spent 6 weeks in a Ugandan hospital before her insurance could fly her back home business class (on an indirect route poor woman) and straight into a UK hospital. After 6 weeks of being stuck in an African hospital she was thankful for someone British to talk too (or at!)! The crew refused to serve her alcohol due to her being obviously on strong medication so I kept asking for doubles and handing them to her hoping she would sleep! Woman had the constitution of an Ox! Maybe that marked my experience!
Insider used to be ok. It is now a rag. Hope this saves you future frustration.
I’ve flown TK around 20x, I dislike it. Why are the planes so hot? I think the plane temperature makes people sweat more, and creates a wafting BO scent that can permeate. The seats ARE uncomfortable, and the food ranges from tolerable to not edible. Compared to an airline like JAL or ANA, they’re an absolute joke.
I’m sitting in a Turkish Airlines flight right now as a matter of fact. Flight TK 163, seat 2D in business class. I’m an elite gold card member. I’m using the onboard wifi to post this comment. I’m really upset with attitude of the staff today. The pilots put their luggage in my overhead bin. I paid for a business class seat, but the pilots themselves obviously don’t care about the customers because they asked me to put my belongings in another overhead bin. And they said we’re the pilots, as if they are entitled to take the space we pay for.
The author had a bad experience. It happens. She will never fly them again. Issue solved.
Seems like the difference between reviewing flying economy generally and reviewing a specific airline/route.
Long haul economy is always a drag. Crammed into small, uncomfortable seats for hours at a time, crossing time zones, getting no exercise and stuffing your face with one of whatever two choices have been deemed least offensive to a mixed group of hundreds of passengers from all across the world with different tastes and food cultures. Oh, and can be heated up in tiny Wendy-house ovens in the galley.
This is just the nature of flying. Some airlines will be able to offer a slightly better or worse experience. This review doesn’t seem to take that into account. It’s like reviewing a dentist by talking about how unpleasant it is to have them rooting around in your mouth.
I stopped reading at “I was flying JFK to HEL via IST”. That’s insane. And stupid.
I read that article within an hour it was released. Quite concerned about the amateurism in that Insider article, the fact that she compared her seat to a budget airlines speaks volumes. Even an average passenger could tell the difference between that seat vs a budget airlines economy seat (hint hint: IFE screen, cradle recline, footrest)
Turkish may not be the best airline but their Economy product is an acceptable, if not decent choice, depending on the mood of the crew.
She even mentioned flying “Istanbul Airlines” in a (now updated) earlier version of this review. Lol
Can’t take this serious tbh….
I’ve only flown with Turkish airlines four times, two flights out & two back so perhaps my opinion is’nt really fair but l & my husband both thought the seating really uncomfortable & everything seemed really crammed – long haul too to Mauritus ! The food l’m sorry but to my taste was very poor & could’nt eat ! Flight attendants were ok but appeared really bored ! Would l use Turkish airlines again – only if l could fly first class .
I flew Turkish Airlines several times before covid and was happy to book my last trip to Tbilisi with Turkish Airlines at a good rate during Ramadan. My guess is that Muslims fly less in the middle of Ramadan and that is why Turkish was having a sale. The only difference before and after covid was that the food was slightly more limited but still fresher than any other airline I have flown economy. This time I paid for a reserved seat, an extra $39 because I really appreciate the window, and getting an arbitrary middle seat for that long of flight which I had when I flew before, is not a good idea. As far as I am concerned, the Turkish Airlines economy product is about as good as it gets. For Tbilisi there is always a long layover. I have access to the centurion lounge with American Express, so The layover is quite pleasant. But, there is also an area for sleeping with very comfortable lounge chairs that any passenger can use. If I did not have lounge privileges, I would probably use that.
I’m from Brazil and I fly Turkish Airlines twice a year. That “Review” by ms Chang makes ZERO sense. Deliberate, disgusting smearing attack. Business Insider is so lowly.
I hate that they make everyone pull their window shades down for the entire flight in the daytime, just because some want to watch videos. I feel like I am stuck in a coffin and it gives me anxiety.
Flew on Turkish twice with the second flight having been an “upgraded” 787 where the seats were hard. I preferred the older plane (generally, economy class on older planes is better because the seats are better cushioned.) Food is better, IMO, than other economy trans-continental flights particularly the ‘special’ fruit meal that I had ordered which was delicious and refreshing. My daughter’s kids meal was also pretty good considering how fussy she is. As Matt points out, the IFE on Turkish is good as well as good drink service. I don’t recall an amenity kit but the FA’s gave my daughter a coloring book with crayons on request.
One gripe I had, minor, was the transfer distance at the new IST airport. We had to schlep from one side of the airport to another and walk by dozens of shops. I think it was a good 1/2 km with no electric walkway. My 88 year old father-in-law can outwalk us anyday, so no concern on that but for my sleepy 5 year old at the time, I put her on a luggage cart. Airport food options weren’t great but perhaps that has changed.
Insider travel reviews are only rivaled by their “Best (insert any type of food here)” reviews. They seem to be written by a 20 year old with little to no experience.
Slow news day thay you have to pick apart a subjective review of a company you don’t even work for?
For the integrity of all reviews.
Turkish airline is a very good Airline . Food , service , amenities , are wort the money that we pay .
I flow with most of the best Airlines carriers and I was impressed about things I wrote above and are almost same level of the elite . For that reason I became a frequent flyer member and now my wife to.
Regarding the firmness of the seat, has anyone else experienced “firmer” seats in recent months? I fly UA 3 times a year to England (7-8 hour flight) for the last 10 years and I swear the seats have got more uncomfortable/harder in the last year!
I recently had the pleasure of flying with Turkish Airlines, and I must say it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. From the moment I stepped foot on the aircraft until my final destination, Turkish Airlines exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Here’s why I give them a well-deserved five-star rating:
1. Impeccable Service: The flight attendants were incredibly friendly, attentive, and professional throughout the journey. They made me feel welcomed and comfortable, ensuring that all my needs were met promptly. The level of care and attention to detail exhibited by the Turkish Airlines staff was truly outstanding.
2. Spacious and Comfortable Cabins: The cabins on Turkish Airlines’ flights were well-designed, spacious, and immaculately clean. The seats were comfortable, providing ample legroom, even in economy class. I appreciated the extra comfort they provided during the long-haul flight.
3. Delicious In-Flight Cuisine: Turkish Airlines is renowned for its exceptional onboard dining, and I can certainly vouch for that. The meals served were absolutely delicious, offering a wide variety of options to cater to different dietary preferences. The presentation and quality of the food were impressive, making each mealtime a delightful experience.
4. Extensive Entertainment Options: The in-flight entertainment system offered a vast selection of movies, TV shows, music, and games, ensuring there was something for everyone. The high-resolution screens and user-friendly interface made it easy to navigate and enjoy the entertainment throughout the flight.
5. Efficient Connections and Punctuality: Turkish Airlines demonstrated remarkable punctuality, and their seamless connection service deserves special mention. Despite having a relatively short layover, the airline ensured that my transit experience was hassle-free, with clear instructions and dedicated staff to assist passengers. It was evident that they value their customers’ time and go the extra mile to make the journey smooth and efficient.
Overall, flying with Turkish Airlines was a truly memorable experience. Their commitment to customer satisfaction, top-notch service, comfortable cabins, delicious cuisine, and punctuality sets them apart from other airlines. I would highly recommend Turkish Airlines to anyone seeking a remarkable travel experience. They have certainly earned my five-star rating, and I look forward to flying with them again in the future.
That’s ChatGPT right there.
I fly around 150,000 miles a year on Star Alliance carriers. I will go out of my way to avoid Turkish. Too many bad experiences both on the ground and in the air. Employees often come off as apathetic.
We first flew Turk Air in 1972, and it was a hoot. Of course, we were 22, and this was part of a summer in Europe. Fast forward to 2012, and our trip to Turkey and a further trip to Turkey and Egypt in 2019. It is difficult to imagine ruder and less caring flight crews. I can only imagine that they were trained (?) in the Gulag or a death camp. The planes were cramped and uncomfortable. On our 2012 flight, blasts of hot air were pouring from the floor, next to my wife’s window seat. Trying to contact the airline by phone, email or text was impossible. It’s a pity. We love Istanbul and Izmir, but the journey is not worth the vile employees. One exception. Their clubb, at Dulles (IAD) is superb. WE’ve flown at least 1,500,000 miles each. There will never be another mile on Turk.
I traveled Turkish Siri recently and except first flight to Istanbul on 14.06.2023, other flights from Istanbul to Seattle on the same day and then from Seattle to Istanbul Nd lastly from Istanbul to New Delhi were good. Commendable hospitality, good food and comfortable zones in the flight. But there is always a place for improvement.
I travelled many times with Turkish airlines, both economy and business class, compared to Airfrance / KLM Turkish Airlines is far ahead of this two when it comes to seat quality, food quality ( real metal cutlery ), delicious food and cabin service. The bad review must be written by someone with bias towards Turks or Turkish airlines…
Hi, i am a frequent user of Turkish Airlines for the main reason that i live in Turkey.
Domestic flights are compared to international flights surprisingly more comfortable. After my flight to Hannoi i decided not to to use TA anymore for long distances because of the poor quality of the seats and legg space. Time that food and service was above average is long gone.
How about paying extra for economy seats with extra legroom on Turkish… only to find out the plane was changed but my preselected (prepaid for seats) were not reserved on this new plane (no notice or email sent)… told desk agent i want what i paid for… she asked to see what seats i paid for (umm y is that not in your system) she walked over to a colleague and confirmed exit row seats she was giving us would have extra legroom .. arrived on the plane to find our given seats were exit row seats (but without legroom)…told flight attendant i want my over $300 back… luckily there were two free exit row seats with extra legroom… this airlines systems/processes are a joke… never again
“Insider” has devolved in the last few years to this sort of “content” that is just amateur writers (generally with little to no writing experience) “documenting” their travel experiences, often just highlighting how truly amateurish they actually are, as they generally have done zero research about whatever they are about to review.
However, Turkish is far from perfect, they are a middle -tier airline that is the flagship carrier of a quasi-totalitarian state. We flew them a lot last summer for the first time — in general they were on time, the food was fine, probably above average for the class. My gripes are that the seats WERE uncomfortable (not zero padding like Spirit and company but close) but many configurations of similar airlines have similarly poor seats. The other gripes were that the crews were just “minimally present” as in they did the bare minimum and were not friendly but were not hostile, more like just going through the motions. My REAL gripe was the poor WiFi, it was super expensive, so I bought the lowest price tier (which was still like $10 for 10mb) but I had one online task I had to accomplish from the air but could not get it to work, and then found they had charged me like four times for WiFi I never got to work. As others have said, you can contact them all you want after the fact, but they never responded to me, but I was able to just get the charges reversed with the credit card, I think because they were not large charges each. However, because of Turkish’s lack of customer service, they would be not at all be first choice for a transatlantic flight unless the price were too good to pass up.
I’ve flown TK Dub-Bkk via IST a few times and will do again in December. Cheap seat. They are OK, I’d take them over most alternatives the price , booking via TK , can be very good and thd 30kg luggage allowance is nice. Seats are fine, ditto for food.
I’ve zero interest in shopping at airports and I dislike the new IST airport, in fact that is the only real draw back of using TK imho.
Guys,
Here is my quick story about great service from Turkish airline.
I’m writing this letter in regards to a recent incident with Turkish Airlines. I was to board a flight with booking number TBF3NS on 06/14/2023 that would go from Miami to Istanbul. Following this flight I was to board a flight on 06/15/23 that would travel from Istanbul to St.Petersburg. As a flyer with a service animal, I was told to reach out to Turkish airlines over the phone and have someone from the company manually add my service animal to my flight ticket. On 06/13/23, I received final approval from Turkish Airlines– +1 (800) 874-8875– to bring my service animal on both flights. The case number in the message was TK-8771812. We also received an email stating the same information. Despite this, upon my arrival to the airport four hours prior to the international flight, I was told I was not allowed to board as another passenger had a cat on board and that two species could not be mixed (as my service animal is a dog). Firstly, I was told that the cat on board was not a registered service animal, making my animal a priority in boarding. Secondly, when I was booking the flight I was never informed of this fact and that someone already added their pet, suggesting I would need to pick a different flight. I then asked the attendants at the gate if this then means that I would be put on the next flight to my location. However, I was told that they could not do anything regarding the situation and I would have to call Turkish Airlines. Having followed their advice, I was faced with automated voice messages in my multiple attempts at reaching a representative. Stuck at the airport without any help or accommodations from the airline, my rights as an owner of a service animal were blatantly ignored. Nevertheless I needed to get my destination, meaning I would have to purchase new tickets without the airlines help. When I reached out asking for a refund, we were denied one as the airline claimed that we were not at the airport even though we have photos proving the exact opposite. Still, we have not been issued a refund for the $2,115.25 that was wasted throughout this ordeal. We had followed every single rule provided to us by the company in regards to bringing a service animal (vaccinations certificate, training certificate, ID card), and yet were treated with disinterest and disregard. Despite my husbands and mine attempts to amend the situation from our end, Turkish Airlines failed time and time again to return the same sentiment. After dealing with this at the Miami airport, I was forced to book a new flight home to procuring additional costs such as a hotel stay and transportation. Once again, Turkish Airlines refused to help us with the costs i’ve gathered after adjusting to the situation the airline company put us in. After returning home, I still needed to fly out to Istanbul and then to Russia. Since I would have had to purchase the tickets within a 48 hour time slot, the prices were about double what I had initially paid for the flights. With all of the additional costs I procured between transportation from airport to home, additional flights, and veterinary costs, I had lost about triple what I paid for the initial flights thanks to Turkish Airlines.
I certainly have all of the documents to support this claim as well as call log, showing all of the phone activity.
We are extremely disappointed with the service and carelessness that we received from Turkish airline. It is certainly a concern, that such a large company like Turkish airline can’t handle business in civilized matter.

Having just flown Turkish Airlines for the first time JFK>IST and back in A330-300 (as well as several domestic flights in Turkey), I agree it’s a terrible airline. The planes were all very old (there may be a USB port, but there’s also and old Internet port and what looks like a port for a coaxial cable!!) the seats are upholstered (which screams “dated plane”), the leg room is the worst I’ve had in economy class for long-haul, and the tray table issue is real! You have to put the foot rest down to use it and if you are at all tall, it will rest on your legs and you have to hunch over it eat. I also really dislike that there is no airflow control at the seats. It was very stuffy and hot on both flights…which is miserable for an overnight flight. My other complaint is lack of customer service and terrible app. We booked flights 8 months in advance, paying extra to choose seats…only to have the seats cancelled the day before the flight. We spent 2 hours on the phone with Turk Air, only to have to pay for seats two more times!!! The second didn’t take either. We went from row 11 to row 30 with all the hassle and were dangerously close to not getting the two-seat section of a row….overall NOT impressed and would never fly them again. I would take a connecting flight over their monopoly on direct flights to IST.
I’d also like to add to my comment that I think it’s ridiculous that they don’t offer premium economy. The two options when we booked (with Turkish Air being the one-and-only direct option between NYC and Istanbul) were $5,000 business class or $1150 (+$40 for that seat assignment we didn’t get) economy. We were going during high season (Aug 2023) and I didn’t follow flight costs after booking. I would have spent more to book a premium economy seat like most other airlines have to get more space for the 10 hour flight. But this airline clearly just wants to cram in as many people as possible. The only positive was that their food was better than other airlines (those still airline food)…their alcohol service is terrible, though. Flight attendant on flight to IST poured a tasting portion of wine (~2oz) per glass.
The worst flight in my life via Turkish Airlines. We went with our family form Bishkek to Belgrade via Istambul. We had a dog with us. He was travelling in the luggage compartment due to his weigh (10 kilos).
After landing in Belgrade I went to meet my dog. I saw how the airport worker opened a door of a service room and threw my cage on the floor. Then he went away and closed the door. I run into the cage and it was completely broken and there was no dog! I began to knock the service door that man came out , I asked him about the dog. He yelled at me that he would call the police if I go on knocking the door and he didn’t know where he was. I stayed at the door crying, my family came to me and saw the cage, my son had had a panic attac becase of our beloved dog. 30 minutes we had been waiting and at last they found our dog and gave him to us in another cage. The dog was alive but deadly scared.
Airport workers didn’t call a vet, I had to examin my dog by myself. They didn’t explain what happened, they didn’t apologize, didn’t offer compensation for the cage. Just nothing. I wrote a review about their acts #9838036 on 19 of November, and it was written on the site that they were to answer in a week, but there is still no anwer, they just don’t care!
We were lucky that our dog was alive, but neither me, nor my family had had such stress in a flight.
I just flew with Turkish Airlines economy class for the first time (Bangkok – Istanbul – Bangkok) and I thought they were OK. To be honest, I find economy class much of a muchness across all the airlines these days. The seat was reasonably comfortable (by economy class standards) and the in-flight entertainment system was good, but I found the stewardesses a bit aloof and the food was mediocre at best. The real downside to flying Turkish was Istanbul Airport (surely the most expensive airport in the world for basic food and drink?) No wonder the food courts were empty and there was a queue of people filling up bottles at the water fountain. And why make getting a wifo password such a palavar just to get an hour of crappy, slow connection. Frankly, I wouldn’t fly Turkish again if it meant going through Istanbul.
Very disappointed was my trip from Valencia to Dhaka.
Valencia airport ground staff was excellent.
Cabin crews was simply disaster( from Valencia to Istanbul)
There is no paracetamol even they provide on board flights.
Please be sure that you should not carry any fragile in in your luggage, because as per ground staff said they don’t have this facilities on their flights.
Meals on Valencia to Istanbul ( pasta or chicken) from Istanbul to Dhaka (pasta or chicken)
Return flight from Dhaka to Istanbul ( Pasta or Chicken) from Istanbul to Valencia ( pasta or chicken)
While I was in Istanbul before the gate the person who was checking the ticket and passport he was rude and resist.
The summary is that I will never travel with this airline again, please try yourself then believe me.