Nathan's Insights

Turkish Airlines
Date: 03 June 2023
Gate: 102
Seat: 6B (Economy Class Seat)
Plane: Airbus A321neo
Boarded: 02:45 (early)
Pushback: 03:21 (Scheduled 03:30)
Arrived: 05:10 (Scheduled 05:20)
Duration: 3 hour 49 minutes
Distance: 2,555 kms

This flight was from Ashgabat International Airport to Istanbul International Airport.

Note: I was very unwell before this flight, vomiting from food poisoning but was better by the time of the flight. As a result I did observe as much as I would normally do.

Airport Check In

Before entering the airport you and your bags are scanned.

Check In was at the Turkish Airlines counters around 00:30. There were two economy check in counters and one business class. They called economy passengers up to business counter when it was free which is the one I used.

My one bag was checked to Istanbul. My daypack has given a cabin baggage tag so show I was allowed to take it on board. I pack as many of the essentials as I can in my daypack in case my bag is delayed or lost. My checked bag as 11 kg, I’m guessing my daypack might have been 8 kgs.

Security and customs clearance was on the slow side. You have both thumbs scanned before you will be stamped out.

Lounges

As I was travelling in economy class I didn’t have lounge access but there were signs indicating a business lounge does exist.

There are reasonable areas to wait for your flight and at least two cafes and 4 duty free shops (I throw up in 1 of the shops, luckily in a bag I had on me). All my tour group was on this flight so most of us stayed in a cafe area and played cards.

Boarding

We boarded from Gate 102. Business class passengers boarded first and then economy class passengers boarded starting from the last rows.

The Seat

There werefour rows of business class seats in a 2 by 2 configuration (16 seats). Economy class started in row 5 with a 3 by 3 configuration and went to row 34 (180 seats) giving the plane 188 seats. Business class is separate from the main cabin.

Standard economy seats are 18.4 inches wide with 30 inches of pitch. Each seat also has a 12-inch touch screen for entertainment.

I found seat 6B to be reasonable. It was the second row in economy. Being in a middle seat isn’t ideal but the passengers in 6A and 6C gave me enough space to make the flight comfortable.

Amenity Kit

There was no amenity kit for economy class passengers but I could see there was in business class.

Meals

A meal service commenced in economy around 04:20 or one hour after pushback. As I was unwell I didn’t use the meal service at all but the meal included a quiche with water. Pepsi was served as well with later option of tea or coffee.

Service

The service was good for this flight. Announcements were made in Russian first and then English.

Entertainment System

I only used the entertainment system to monitor the flight but there was a large selection of Western and Turkish movies and TVs shows.

The Flight

This was a smooth flight with no turbulence. The cabin temperature was just right.

Arrival

We arrived slightly early. The flight pulled up right near the Immigration clearance area so unlike last time in this airport I didn’t have to do a 15 minute walk. I scanned me passport for free 1 hour internet access so I could catch up while waiting in line and for my bag.

Summary

Turkish Airlines is a fine airline in the top tier.  Their staff are friendly, and everything just works. I’d be happy to use them again.