I normally do not post a travel related content in English but I know that a lot of people around the world are curious about Turkish Airlines' new Boing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft and of course its business class cabin. So I want to share my experience with you all to answer some of your questions in your mind.
I have never flown in an international business class flight, especially a long-haul one (So please review my comments considering this:) I accumulated enough miles to redeem for a long-haul business class flight and I was searching for a good vacation place to redeem them. I am not an aviation maniac person but I am interested. Anyway, I saw that Turkish Airlines will get its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, will operate it on new Istanbul - Bali Denpasar route. And the decision is made. I bought the ticket months ago and here are my comments afterwards...
If you are flying as a business class passenger, you may choose your seats when you buy your ticket. I tried to do so but there was a problem. This new aircraft has a new business class seat formation. Because of this, Turkish Airlines' old seat selection system didn't let me to choose the correct seats. In fact, in the seat selection screen, there were seats which are not in the actual aircraft. System gave me 3D seat which does not exist :) Unfortunately you can only choose your seats at the airport when you check-in. I and my wife were not be able to sit together if 1E-1F seats were taken by someone else. Because of this problem, there were a lot of discussion onboard to seat together.
I also want to briefly write about the business class experience at Istanbul Airport. Business class and Star Alliance gold passengers have a private entrance to the airport which is Gate 5. This gate directly takes you to business class check-in desks. After you are done with your check-in, you can directly go to passport control area using the dedicated fast-track entrance. Once your check is completed, there are 2 lounge options. One is Lounge Miles&Smiles which is accessible by Star Alliance Gold or Business Class passengers and the other one is Business Lounge (Located near gate E1) which is only! accessible by Business Class passengers. When the flight is ready for boarding, you are ready to explore the new Dreamliner.
There are total 30 seats in business class cabin. I do not know the other aircrafts but I guess it has couple of seats less. Cabin has a 1-2-1 seat formation. Each seat has direct aisle access which is not possible in Turkish Airlines' other long-haul business class cabins with 2-3-2 formation. Seat letters are A-E-F-K in odd rows and A-D-G-K in even rows. Everyone is wondering which seats are the best in this aircraft. I am going to put some photos and give some info to clear things out.
Let's get into deep about the formation of the seats. Some seats are close to the aisle while some are not. If you are seating near the window, rows 2-4-6-8 are close to the window. Rows 1-3-5-7 are close to isle and you have your personal storage near the window. Please note that, the extension of the seat block your window view if plan to seat 8A or 8K. Now, if you fly as a couple and want to seat together (I mean close because "together" is not possible), you have to choose honeymoon seats E-F in rows 1-3-5-7. If you choose other rows, there is a huge gap between you and your companion. So, seats EF in rows 2-4-6 are divorced honeymoon seats.
Bottomline, if you can, choose 1st row seats which offer more legroom. Besides, seats 1A - 1K provides an extra personal space because of the kidlet-cradle.
Seats are also pretty comfortable. They are not leather but alcantara which is a suede-like material. All electric controls let you easily recline your seats full-flat and vice versa. I am a 1.85m guy and slept more than 5 hours without any discomfort. By the way, there is no massage option in the seats like in other aircrafts.
Turkish Airlines stated a new ambience lightening would be presented in these aircrafts but I did not spot a difference at all. Cabin pressure is increased in this aircraft which really has a positive effect on the fatigue. I do not know, maybe it is the comfort of the business class :) With the operation of new aircrafts, Turkish Airlines also renewed their amenity kits. We were given Versage kit which are awesome. There are two different kits for ladies and gentlemen. The fragrance inside is different. Handbag for ladies is really gorgeous and may be used in daily life. There are eyepatch, dental kit, earplug with a beautiful case, body lotion, lip balm, moisturising spray, perfume, socks inside. I put a photo below.
After boarding was completed, welcome drinks were served and then a pair of luxurious noise cancelling headphones by Denon were given. I was not expecting such headphones. I congratulate Turkish Airlines on this because noise cancelling headphones may really increase your comfort during such flight. I personally have Bose QC35 for this flight with me so did not use the Denon all flight long but I gave it a try. It was not as good as Bose of course but it does the job really. A normal headphone listener definitely would not understand the difference and have a nice flight with these. Since those headphones are expensive, they are collected 1 hour before landing with noting on a paper and they give you a basic low quality headphones for the rest of the flight. The jack input was three-pronged but I was able to use my two-pronged connector without any problems.
On your left or right side, there is an open and close storage to put your stuff in. Closed one has really tiny and you cannot put anything after putting your headphone case. There are USB port and also a power socket which support pretty much every plugs types around the world. Near this storage, there is another tiny open space to put your stuff on. There is a concealable mirror which is a nice thought. On the opposite side of this storages, you have your reading light near your headrest. In the honeymoon seats, there is a divider which may be elevated by pressing on it to provide more privacy.
The overhead bins are spacious enough but some seats do not have these (I guess 1A-1K and 8th row seats). Tray table is located under the screen. You have to slightly pull it towards yourself and open it. It is really similar to the ones in economy class. In fact, I like the old tray tables in business class of Turkish airlines which are one piece and have classy aluminum finishes.
I definitely want to mention about the entertainment system. There is a really large screen (I do not know the exact size but must be something about 19") in the back of the seat in front of you. The distance between you and the screen is not that far so you can use touchscreen controls if you want. Screen is pretty responsive and you feel like using an iPad. You might also use the remote controlled attached to your seat to control the screen. Unfortunately, there is a different interface in the remote so you cannot use the remote controller as a trackpad or mouse for the screen. Anyway, there are lots of contents address everyone. There are movies, tv shows, music, live TV, etc. I was able to watch a US Open game live without an issue. The camera which shows outside was crystal clear and had a super resolution. One thing I did not like was there were a lot of ads when you first turn on the screen and you cannot dismiss them. It was pretty annoying actually. By the way, if you are flying in business class, you also have an unlimited Internet connection. In order to connect, you have to turn un the wifi in your device, connect the network and then call the flight attendant because there is a website you have to login. To be honest, I was not expecting an Internet connection this fast. I was able to surf and even watch videos on Youtube. At some point, I got disconnected but in general it was a pleasant experience.
Let's talk about the flying experience in general. When you first come onboard, you are redirected to your seat by the flight attendants. Afterwards, welcome drinks are served with 3-4 different options. As soon as you are all settled, onboard chiefs give you the menu for the food and beverages and you are asked to choose what you want to eat or drink. In some flight, you have to fill a form to design your own breakfast. There were two meals in this flight and none of them were breakfast and you can choose to eat anytime you like during the flight. After takeoff, your bed is made by the attendants. If you wish, your dinner is served. During the entire flight, you can order some food written in the menu or any beverages you like at any time. I have to say, there are really good choices in the menu for the beverages like single malt whiskey or 5-6 kinds of different teas. Most of the passengers chose to eat some time after the takeoff. So, the light were dimmed down just after the eating is finished. Since my flight was a red eye flight, there were no need to dim down the windows. I could not see the sun light or the aircraft at all :( Anyway, it was a 12-hour flight and at the end, I was not not tired or exhausted at all.
Bottomline, it was a perfect, elegant flight. Both hard and soft products of Turkish Airlines in this aircraft were awesome. The whole flying experience from the airport entrance to baggage claim was really pleasant. Although, there were turbulence a lot during the flight, coziness of the cabin, the cabin pressure, lighting, comfort of the seats were perfect. Service during the flight and attitude of the flight attendants were outstanding.
If you want to fly with one of Turkish Airlines' Dreamliners, you have to check the flights from time to time since new aircrafts keep coming. At the time I wrote this review, the flight are operated to Denpasar, Amsterdam, Washington, Cancun, JFK, New Delhi.
I also recorded a video during the flight. If you are interested, please watch the video located below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfaJc5yj17I
( Turkish Airlines, Dreamliner, Boeing 787-9, Bali, Denpasar, Istanbul, Business Class, Flight, Cabin New Route )
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