Retro Review: Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class, New York-Istanbul

Turkish Airlines A330 business class, New York to Istanbul


Flight: TK4
Departure time in New York (JFK): 12:50
Arrival time in Istanbul (IST): 5:40 (+1)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Seat: 4D
Duration: 8h 50m
Date of flight: April 24, 2013
*This is an award travel, Business Class flight #17

Check-in, JFK Airport Terminal 1

As with all other airlines, Turkish Airlines has priority check in for their business class passengers and status members at JFK airport in Terminal 1. We were helped by a very nice lady with the check in process and received our boarding passes in no time at all.

Alitalia Michelangelo Lounge

Turkish Airlines uses Alitalia's Michelangelo Lounge in Terminal 1 which is probably not the best lounge I have been to but still okay to visit before your flight.

Boarding, Gate 4

Boarding was scheduled to begin at 12:15pm but it was 25 minutes delayed.

Business Class Cabin

The business class cabin has a 2-2-2 configuration with a total of 28 seats which were all occupied that day.

Seat 4D

Already waiting at my seat is a pillow and a blanket.

Personal screen

IFE controller and headphones

The seat control which lets you turn your seat into a fully flat bed.

Turkish Airlines business class blanket and slippers

While waiting for my pre-departure drink to be served, I tried to have a look at the amenity kit containing toothbrush/toothpaste, hairbrush, socks, eye shades, earplugs, shoehorn and products from Lanvin.

Pre-Departure Beverage

For my pre-departure drink, I had a glass of lemonade.

Dining

Turkish Airlines is one of those few airlines who has a private chef on board. Lovely 👍

Lunch

Assorted Canapes, mixed nuts and a glass of water.

Selection from our trolley:

Mediterranean seafood salad
Cerkez chicken
Fried eggplants & green peppers with tomato sauce
Spinach yoghurt salad
Fried mushrooms
Marinated zucchinis
White cheese and roasted red peppers

I decided to have a little bit of everything. The champagne on board was Gossert Brut Grande Reserve.

Traditional Turkish Lentil Soup, Herbed croutons

Pan-fried Monk Fish
Green peppercorn butter / grilled leeks, Roasted red peppers / rosemary potatoes 😋

The other choices for the main course were:

Herbed Guinea Fowl
Rosemary sauce / grilled asparagus, Roasted red peppers /sauteed eggplant / potato gratin

Tagliarini with Artichoke Sauce
Sun-dried tomatoes, Grilled artichokes and eggplants / parmesan

From the cheese, fruit and dessert trolley, I decided to have a few sliced fruits and the Apple Walnut Crostata with Vanilla Sauce 👍

Time to Sleep

This is just what I needed for a long flight to Istanbul, a fully flat bed 😍

Breakfast

Breakfast Menu

Homemade strawberry smoothie, black tea, strawberry sour cream yoghurt, homemade muesli, chicken breast and smoked turkey ham, seasonal fresh fruit plate, selection of cheese

Turkish style scrambled eggs with tomatoes and green peppers, White cheese and black olive toast, Grilled tomato and green pepper

The other choice was Fried free range eggs in butter.

Transfer at Istanbul Ataturk Airport

Arriving at Istanbul Airport and connecting to our Turkish Airlines business class flight to Stockholm, we had access to fast track and I have to say it really helped since there was a long queue for economy class passengers when we came.

CONCLUSION

It was indeed a very lovely flight from New York to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. The staff were very friendly and the food tasted excellent. Not to mention that they have their own private chef. The seat that turns into a fully flat bed is just perfect for a long flight. Honestly, I didn't expect Turkish Airlines to be that good so I was really blown away with the service and the product. No wonder they have been continuously voted as Europe's Best Airline at the Skytrax. No doubt, this airline is definitely going to be on top of my list. To all the crew on this flight, "Tesekkur Ederim"!