Flight: TK 1422 Departure time in Tallinn (TLL): 13:00 (actual 13:14) Arrival time in Istanbul (IST): 17:15 (actual 17:42) Aircraft: Boeing 737-800, Aksaray Seat: 3A Duration: 3h 28min Date of flight: December 21, 2017
*Revenue Ticket, Business Class flight #141
Here's a video review of this flight from my YouTube channel
Tallinn Airport Departures Hall
We arrived at the airport around 10:30am but had to wait until 11am for the check-in counters to open.
Check-in, Desk 2
At exactly 11am, the check-in desks opened and we were helped by a friendly agent in desk 2 which was for business class passengers. We got our boarding passes both for Istanbul and for Panama although seating together on the flight from Istanbul to Panama was not fixed and we were advised to ask for it in Istanbul. I was also informed that my rollaboard weighed more than 8kg (I had 10kg) so I told her I'd transfer my laptop to my backpack and it worked.
Turkish Airlines logo and Turkish flag
On our way to security, we passed by this stage which was meant for a celebration. It has actually been ten years since Estonia became part of the Schengen 👍
They also had some souvenir chocolates 😉
Fast Track
Unfortunately, the fast track was not being used or at least there was no separate screening 👎
Duty Free Shops
Tallinn Airport duty free
Business Lounge
After passing through security, we headed to the Business Lounge which had a cool fireplace and Christmas tree 😉
Boarding, Gate 13
Boarding started around 12:45pm although it was scheduled at 12:15pm, starting with business class passengers and those with Star Alliance gold status. The agents also checked our passports while boarding.
Aircraft, Boeing 737-800, Aksaray
Turkish Airlines B738 named Aksaray which is just 15 months old 👍
Outside the doors was a trolley of newspapers although I didn't see any English ones.
Cabin
Turkish Airlines B737-800 business class cabin
The cabin is in a 2-2 configuration from rows 1 to 4, with a total of 16 seats.
Business class cabin
Seat 3A
My seat, 3A was a window.
Seat pocket
Under the left armrest was the IFE and seat controls.
IFE controls
In-flight magazines, safety instruction card, waste bag
Between the two seats, under the armrests were the personal screens.
In front of these armrests were power ports.
Reading lamp
Coat hook
Foldable tray table
Mood lighting
Personal air vents, reading lamps
In-flight Entertainment
For this flight, Philips headphones were offered.
Personal screen
Premiere movies
From the movie selection, I ended up watching "Dunkirk".
From my seat, I could see the boarding of Ryan Air passengers.
Around 13:03pm, boarding was completed.
Minutes after settling in, we were offered some welcome drinks with the usual water, orange juice, raspberry and lemon mint.
I chose a glass of water while Mike had the lemon mint.
Newspapers and menu cards were distributed moments later. Justin, the cabin chief came on the PA to welcome us and to give the usual informations.
Safety Video
The safety video was played on the screen and we had our pushback around 13:15pm.
Take Off
Taxiing
We had a smooth take off and around 13:39pm, hot towels were offered. A few minutes later, the flight attendants started taking our drinks order and I chose a glass of apple juice.
The ad featuring Morgan Freeman 😉
Dining
Turkish Airlines menu card and wine list
Appetizer, salad and dessert were served all together.
Mike had the Grilled Swordfish Brochette which according to him was very good 😋
I on the other hand chose the Islim Kebab which was phenomenal 😋
After the meal, the trolley came offering coffee, tea and liquor.
Mike had some cognac ...
... and a cup of coffee.
As usual, I had my green tea.
A small packaged hazelnut was also offered which was the first time I've seen on a Turkish Airlines flight.
Airshow
Airshow en route to Istanbul
Lavatory
There is just one lavatory located on the left side, in front of the cabin.
Landing at Istanbul Airport
Around 5pm, the captain was back on the PA to give us updated infos and informed us that we would be starting our descent. The flight attendants also started collecting the Philips headphones. We landed at Istanbul Ataturk Airport around 5:34pm and parked in a remote stand about 10 minutes later.
Remote stand, Istanbul Airport
Fortunately, there was a separate bus waiting for business class passengers which was a big help since we wanted to clear immigration quickly and try the complimentary hotel which Turkish Airlines is offering to its business class passengers when they have at least 7 hours transit time in Istanbul.
CONCLUSION
We definitely could have started our trip from Stockholm since we live there but starting this trip from Tallinn saved us a few hundred dollars, and gave us a wonderful night in Tallinn so it was worth it. The fast track not being used and the lounge being a pretty mediocre one were definitely a minus but with very good meals, comfortable seats, extensive movie selections and friendly flight attendants, the flight overall was very nice 👍
