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Home » Reviews » Flight Reviews » Review: Turkish Airlines 777-300 Business Class
Flight ReviewsTurkish Airlines

Review: Turkish Airlines 777-300 Business Class

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 15, 2021November 14, 2023 9 Comments

a row of seats in an airplane

While the thought of a middle seat in a business class cabin seems dated, Turkish Airlines offers a spacious and comfortable product onboard its Boeing 777-300ER. This review covers my Turkish Airlines 777-300 flight from Istanbul to London in business class.

In This Post:

Toggle
  • Turkish Airlines 777-300 Business Class Review
    • Booking
    • Lounge
    • Boarding
    • Seat
    • Service
    • Food + Drink
    • IFE + Wi-Fi
    • Amenity Kit
    • Lavatories
  • CONCLUSION

Turkish Airlines 777-300 Business Class Review

Booking

This flight was part of my one-way journey from Cotonou (COO) to London (LHR) via Istanbul (IST). I paid 42,500 Turkish miles for a one-way business class ticket, plus about $400 in taxes/fees.

Lounge

During my layover in Istanbul, I visited the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge, a lounge I have reviewed before. Addressing the pandemic, the lounge had retooled its buffet to offer individual portions in disposable packing.

a woman in a white coat standing in front of a counter with food

a person in a white coat and gloves standing in front of a display of food

a display of food on shelves

a display of food on shelves

a display of food on a counter

a group of white bowls on a white plate

a plate of food on a black surface

a plate of food on a table

a food on the counter

I had slept through breakfast on my flight from Cotonou and enjoyed a hearty breakfast including several barista-made cappuccinos, delicious Gözleme, and a cheese sandwich.

a menu on a table

a plate with food on it

a plate with food on it

a sandwich on a plate with a cup of coffee on a table


> Read More: Turkish Airlines Business Lounge Istanbul (IST)


Boarding

The gate area for my flight to London was quiet. As this was the week the world finally woke up to COVID-19, most cancelled their travel plans and few passengers took the flight, a sign of what was to come in the months ahead.

a sign in an airport

Turkish Airlines 1985
Istanbul (IST) – London (LHR)
Sunday, March 15
Depart: 01:30 PM
Arrive: 02:35 PM
Duration: 04hr, 05min
Distance: 1,550 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 4A (Business Class)

Onboard, I found an empty business class cabin and had it to myself for several minutes. It was only toward the end of the boarding process that a few additional business class passengers boarded.

Seat

Turkish Airlines offers 49 lie flat seats in business class onboard its 777-300ERs. Spanning seven rows, each row has seven seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. Although the thought of a middle seat in business class seems so outmoded in 2021, one thing I love about the Turkish Airlines business class seat is that your feet are not constrained. That actually makes sleeping easier. Sure, aisle access becomes an issue on a full flight, but the cabin is configured to be booked to 42/49 (86%) without utilizing the middle seats. Window and aisle seats are the same (unlike on some carriers, where the size of the cutout varies).

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of monitors on an airplane

an airplane with seats and a window

a man standing in front of a television

a seat in an airplane

a group of seats in a plane

a plane with people standing in the back

a close up of a seat

I chose a window seat, 4A, which turned out to be missing a window. Avoid that seat. I could have easily moved, but just decided to stay put.

a chair in a plane

a seat and a table in a plane

a seat and a table in an airplane

Notice all the room in lie-flat mode, even with the lack of privacy:

a seat in an airplane

a seat in a plane

a seat and a chair in a plane

a seat and a monitor on the side of a plane

Seat controls are located in the center console along with a USB outlet, universal plug, and limited personal storage under the armrest (the space was big enough for a tablet or small laptop). There’s also a large storage cabinet inside the ottoman.

a close up of a control panel

a close up of a device

a seat in a plane

a seat with a paper in it

a black and red box with a red lid

Privacy dividers are available between each seat, but provide only limited privacy.

a close up of a seat

a close up of a seat

The front cabin includes four rows while the rear cabin includes three. The rear cabin had four passengers, making a total of eight in business class.

a plane with seats and a couple of people

a seat in an airplane

Service

Although the cabin was empty, it was fully-staffed. That essentially gave each passenger their own flight attendant. A smiling flight attendant offered a pre-departure beverage of water, lemon mint juice, raspberry juice, or orange juice. The orange juice was freshly pressed and included an orange slice.

a tray of drinks with different colored drinks

a glass of orange juice on a table

While I would not call the flight attendants chatty, they were extremely attentive and did not pull a disappearing act after the meal service. I asked for another orange juice 30 minutes prior to landing and was obliged (in a plastic cup):

a glass of orange juice and napkin on a table

Food + Drink

Menus were distributed along with hazelnuts prior to takeoff. Today’s lunch selections included grilled lamb chops, grilled chicken, or artichoke ravioli. All delicious, but the choice was instantly clear for me: lamb. meal service began shortly after takeoff with a hot towel.

a menu and a packet on a table

a menu on a table

a white towel on a table

The appetizer was seafood-based, including salmon, shrimp, and trout. The tray also included a small green salad, a selection of cheeses, and a profiterole (cream puff) for desert.

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a shrimp on a tomato on a plate

a plate of food on a table

a bowl of salad with vegetables and meat

a bowl of cheese and olives

a bowl of chocolate pudding

a plate of food on a table

Although the portion was small (I suppose I could have asked for another), the lamb was delicious. In fact, this would turn out to be my best airline meal of 2020. The dish included buttery mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. Had the meat been cooked a medium rare instead of well-done, it would have been even better. I would have also preferred fresh fruit over the cream puff, but an excellent meal overall.

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a fork on a plate of meat and vegetables

a plate of food on a table

Coffee and tea followed, but I was already over-caffeinated from the lounge.

a table with a tray of food and drinks on it

IFE + Wi-Fi

After lunch, I checked out the in-flight entertainment. Prominent warnings about COVID-19 filled the screen in its default mode. Turkish offers a wide selection of movies, TV shows, games, and music. Today, however, I tuned into live TV (CNN). The topic of the day would be the topic of the year: coronavirus.

a seats in a plane

a screen with text and images on it

a sign on a plane

a screens on a wall

a screen with a screen on it

a screen with a screen on it

a screen with text on it

a screen with a screen on it

a screen with music on it

a screen with cartoon characters on it

a screen with a picture of a plane

a screen with a blue sky and red text

a screen with a map on it

a screen with text on it

a screen with a woman on it

a black electronic device with a screen

Turkish Airlines provides noise-cancelling headphones from Philips in business class.

a plastic bag with green text on it

a pair of headphones on a table

1GB of free wi-fi internet was included for business class passengers, though internet speeds were terrible.

Amenity Kit

No amenity kits was provided on this flight. Turkish Airlines does provide amenity kits on longhaul flights in business class.

Lavatories

The 777 has spacious business class lavatories with black stone countertops and Molton Brown soap and hand lotion. I liked the “faux” window on the wall.

a toilet and sink in a bathroom

a sink and soap dispenser on a counter

a group of bottles of liquid and a bottle of liquid on a wood stand

an airplane window with a wing and blue sky

CONCLUSION

Turkish Airlines treats its business class passengers well and remains one of my favorite carriers. The pandemic has ushered in a cutback in onboard service, but hopefully the full service, as I experienced on this flight, returns later in 2021.

a sign on the wall


This story is part of my An African Adventure As The World Shut Down trip report.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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9 Comments

  1. Vinod Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    I enjoyed reading your review – Thank you. My family and I exclusively fly BA / OneWorld for Longhaul and US domestic, so it is always nice to read reviews from other airlines. That said, my family’s BA elite status is to too valuable (e.g. ability to use AA Flaghip lounges when flying domestically – of course, there are all shut for now) to change alliances.

  2. PM Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    Great report, brings back memories of happier times- indeed my last flights were on TK, just a couple of weeks prior to yours.

    For any readers who are not familiar with flying within Europe and may think that this is the type of transcon service you normally get, it is worth noting that the business class alternatives to Turkish Airlines on these routes generally involve flying an A320 with economy seating, maybe 34″ pitch if you’re lucky (on BA you have to make do with 30″), and the middle seat blocked. The soft product is also rather far behind TK in most cases- only Aegean’s comes close.

    • Jerry Reply
      January 15, 2021 at 2:10 pm

      I flew this same route on BA in J back in September, and as you described, was nowhere near as nice as this.

    • Tom Reply
      January 15, 2021 at 8:56 pm

      Funny how different it was for me. I used to be OneWorld Sapphire (mainly for CX even while in US) but AA ruined it for me. Both their FF program and lousy customer service. I couldn’t justify giving them my money anymore. Years ago I switched to StarAlliance and that was one of the best choices I ever made regarding my business and travel. It also doesn’t hurt that I travel to Asia quite often which StarAlliance absolutely dominates that continent (when BR launched out of IAH it was a game changer for my business in Taiwan). Two things I miss though about OneWorld are CX and their lounges at HK and Qantas. Flying IAH-SYD on UA is nice but DFW-SYD on QF was special.

  3. Mark Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    I think Turkish is great as a couple but not great as a single (I guess except when the cabin is empty….)

  4. Derek Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    Lie flat for a sub 5 hr route and Comfort class sold as business for a 7 hr overnight flight?

    As for the seats, I’d rather have a middle seat if that means no cramped footwell. The 2-4-2 on many of UAs Hawaii routes are very comfortable for sleeping

  5. HChris Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    This review makes me nostalgic. I flew TK a handful of times before the pandemic and was blown away by the catering quality. Then I flew them again this past August from Istanbul to Chicago and is was nothing short of sad how bad the pre-packaged food was. A complete 180 degree turnaround, and it left me utterly disappointed after already having experienced how great they were pre-Covid

  6. Andy K Reply
    January 15, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    As always, TKK has a great on board experience! Shame it was such a short flight only from Constantinople to London.

    I do enjoy the Swiss planes which actually do have windows in the lavatories.

  7. PM1 Reply
    January 17, 2021 at 11:36 am

    Thanks Matthew! Brought back so many memories of my many business class flights over the years on Turkish 777s. Besides more legroom, another positive of this layout is the ability to take over an empty seat next to you – the window seat is a bed for the duration of the flight (with bedding) and the aisle seat is for lounging & eating. Privacy and even more space. 🙂

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