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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeTrip ReviewsFLIGHT REVIEWSVilnius to IST: Turkish Flight Review 1 out of 8

Vilnius to IST: Turkish Flight Review 1 out of 8

Vilnius to Istanbul Turkish Flight Review is part of the Iraq Homecoming Trip Report.


Are you ready for Turkish Airlines Flight Reviews? As part of my RTW ticket (see 25,000 Mile RTW Trip Including Iraq Booked!), I made great use of ANA’s flexible routing options to add many new countries to my Country Count List (see Where I’ve Been). While flying direct is the most optimal way to book such a ticket, I had no choice but to transit in Istanbul over and over, and over, and over again. Accordingly, I have these eight flight reviews to share:

  1. VIL to IST
  2. IST to BGW
  3. BSR to IST 
  4. IST to TUN
  5. TUN to IST 
  6. IST to TBS
  7. TBS to IST 
  8. IST to DOH 

I have never been particularly impressed with Turkish. The last time I flew their long-haul it was from Istanbul to Shanghai on an old school 2-3-2 (see Turkish Business IST-PVG: Really, 2-3-2?). I have found the soft product to be anything but soft. It is typically service curt and short (see Turkish Business IST to Beirut: Just the Basics). After flying Turkish eight times, I enjoyed the consistency and familiarity of what it offers but cannot say that it is a great business class product when compared to airlines like SQ, Cathay, or Qatar.

The Familiar

Since there are eight of these posts, I refuse to audit each flight as if it were my first time. For this review, I will focus on the familiar. The first is the seat which can range depending if I were flying on a 737, an a321-200, or an a321-neo, with the latter being the best.

a seat on an airplane
a321-200 on this flight

Another familiar on-board offering is the welcome juices. I prefer champagne (see Get Ready to Takeoff: The World’s Best Champagne), but it was not offered. a glass of lemonade and a lemon slice on a table

What would a Turkish flight be without its mezze? Prepare to see this photo again and again.

a plate of food on a table

In keeping with the theme of familiarity, another consistent attribute of Turkish is that the main dish is inconsistent. Sometimes it’s great (see Turkish Business Beirut to Istanbul: Lamb Chop!), and sometimes it’s this:

a bowl of food on a table

Overall

Lest you misinterpret my post, I am not slamming Turkish Airlines. I was happy to fly it eight times, but I recognize and can affirm its limitations.

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