Doing another flight that I’ve seen several times in-person, specifically the one I saw while going to Portland on April 24th of this year.
The red tails of Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of Turkey (officially the Republic of Turkïye), have been a common sight in Los Angeles, the airline’s first West Coast destination, since 2011. Initally operated exclusively by the 777-300ER four days a week, once per day, the service has expanded to twice-daily service throughout the week. While the 777 retains its original slot, arriving in the afternoon and departing in the evening, Turkish Airlines sends another flight to LAX earlier in the day, which alternates between the 787-9 in the Northern Summer and the A350-900 in the Northern Winter. Since I did this route the day after Thanksgiving last year, I figured it was high time to do it with the 787, but it’s only in the past couple days that I actually got around to doing it. Hope you all enjoy this trip report!
Server: Solo
Airline: Turkish Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Origin: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Destination: Istanbul Airport, Arnavutköy, Turkey (IST)
Flight Number: TK180
Route: KLAX-LTFM
Seat: 8K (Business)
Time En Route: 11 Hours 56 Minutes
Getting our first look at our aircraft at Gate 131 from the departure level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Even though we’ve got a couple of hours until our flight, the ground crew has already been loading cargo containers, fuel, and catering for the roughly 12-hour flight ahead. Our experience with Turkish’s long-haul business class product has been extremely positive so far and we’re hoping it continues today on this 787-9.
We’ve had a long taxi this afternoon to Runway 25R for takeoff, with the FedEx ramp across the runways from us. From the outset, our hopes for our flight have not been dashed. Turkish Airlines has configured its 787 business class cabin with a total of 30 seats in a 1-2-1 setup. We’re in 8K, the seat just forward of the 2R door. The seat itself is comfortable, spacious, a d wonderfully designed, with the controls for adjusting the fully lie-flat seat being remarkably intuitive. The cabin as a whole is hued with blue, gray, and gold accents, contributing to the sleek, modern feel of the hard product in business class. Looks like we’re going to have a good ride over to Istanbul if the seat is anything to go off of.
Getting airborne as we listen to the twin GEnxs rumbling away. Afternoon departures from LAX, particularly during the hot summer months, tend to be fairly heavy on the condensation that erupts over the wings and flickers in the engine inlet, and ours is not an exception. This makes for a fairly spectacular takeoff. On the Delta maintenance ramp below, just about to be obscured by the starboard engine, is the Atlanta-based carrier’s “100 Years”-liveried A350-900, likely undergoing a cabin cleaning between transpacific flights.
After looping around Palos Verdes, we’re returning to the coast near Seal Beach. With the GEnxs at climb thrust, the cabin is library-quiet, or at least a library where we’re directly under the rooftop HVAC units. We’re starting one of the many movies available on TK’s IFE system to pass the time until dinner.
Halfway through dinner over western North Dakota. Turkish Airlines’s in-flight dining doesn’t disappoint on our flight this evening, either, with our meal consisting of lamb kebabs and pasta. Right next door to an area with some of the best airlines in the world, Turkish Airlines has once again demonstrated why it’s a strong player at the crossroads of East and West, both geographically and metaphorically speaking regarding aviation.
After falling asleep over Baffin Bay and catching a few hours of Zs, we’ve woken up over the coast of Norway. Sleeping with the seat fully flat was extremely easy due to both the comfort of the bedding and the amount of space afforded width-wise, even if the bed was a few inches shorter than we are tall. Now it’s time to check out the breakfast menu, which we hope is as good as the dinner one.
Finishing up our initial descent over the Sea of Marmara. The past several hours flying across Europe have been quite pleasant. As our journey comes to an end, we’re going to be descending over the countryside of the European side of the Bosporus.
Arriving in Istanbul on Runway 35R. As usual, the main passenger terminal is buzzing with activity. Easy to see why IST is one of the busiest airports in Europe.
Taxiing to the terminal with Istanbul Tower and the cargo ramp in the background. Opened in 2019 to replace the overcrowded Atatürk Airport, IST has grown to become the second-busiest airport in Europe behind London-Heathrow and the largest privately-owned and operated airport in the world. As the main hub of Turkish Airlines, Istanbul Airport sees departures to over three hundred destinations from the national carrier alone, with TK and other airlines serving a total of 122 countries from the airport.
Disembarked at the D Gates. In the past decade or so, Turkish Airlines has become on of the world’s leading airlines, providing superb on-board accommodations, dining, and cabin service. Our flight lived up to the airline’s reputation, offering likely the best business classes in the industry outside of East Asia and the Gulf. As we leave our aircraft to go through customs, we’re already planning out our next trip on Turkish Airlines.