8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (2024)

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Brittany Chang

2023-07-09T11:53:00Z

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (1)

I took two Turkish Airlines flights from New York to Istanbul to Helsinki but didn't enjoy either.
The airline-ranking company Skytrax rated Turkish Airlines as the sixth-best airline in the world.
These are my eight takeaways from my 14 hours aboard two Turkish Airlines flights.

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Check the weight of your carry-on — bags to be stored in the overhead bins can't exceed eight kilograms, or about 17.6 pounds.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (5)

I never thought to check for the weight or size requirements of my carry-on bags (yes, I am to blame). After all, I've never had an issue with it. But this time, my heavy camera equipment and the week's worth of clothes in my carry-on luggage squeaked past the 17.6-pound requirement I was alerted to at the check-in counter.

Reshuffling my carry-on purse to accommodate everything I needed for my one-night layover was a less-than-delightful experience.

The gate was shockingly chaotic.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (6)

During my trip from New York to Istanbul, "gate lice" swarmed the premises before any boarding announcements were made. While the airline can't be blamed for all this, more stern calls for order could have alleviated the anxiety-inducing sight. This crowd only settled after boarding began, shown above.

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You'll receive a small bag of toiletries even in economy.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (7)

I didn't expect much for my $637 economy ticket. During my 10-hour flight to Istanbul, my seat came lined with the typical blanket, pillow, and headphones. But to my delight, we all received toiletries bags with items like socks, eye masks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste during a later service.

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The seats could be comparable to any US budget airline.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (8)

For an airline that's supposed to be one of the best in the world, my seat on the Airbus A330-300 was one of the most uncomfortable I've had on a flight. My tiny seat was hard, I barely had legroom, and the tray table was so low it hung right above my knees. I couldn't use my seat's footrest when the tray tables were down.

The seat on my second flight was just as uncomfortable, but at least I had more space between the tray table and my legs.

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Dinner on my first flight wasn't as bad as I thought. My vegetable-pasta dinner —which I picked over the fish — was surprisingly good: slightly sweet but salted with a heavy hand.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (9)

Unfortunately, the shrimp in the "salad" finished on notes of plastic, while the fried eggplant with cheese was so oily it could've powered a cross-country drive.

Despite the oil, the eggplant was my favorite bite (at least it tasted good). The carrot cake deserves an honorable mention, but it was dense, and the frosting was too thick for my liking.

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I couldn't stomach breakfast, which was the same on both flights.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (10)

Nothing like a creamy, eggy mush, a flavorless tomato, and seemingly unseasoned slabs of mushroom and potatoes to start your day. The side serving of cheese was fine, although the tasteless feta had the mouthfeel of a block of rubber. During the first leg of the trip, I ate most of my food. But by the second flight, I couldn't take more than five bites of the egg slop.

I'm not a picky eater, but I was so noticeably turned off by the meal that the person sitting across the aisle from me later asked me about it.

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The bathroom was surprisingly clean.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (11)

I don't expect much from airplane bathrooms, but the one on my first flight was spotless. To my joy, it had an automatic sink, a pedal for the trash can, and Molton Brown-branded soap, lotion, and reed diffusers.

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The people on the flight can make for a terrible or great experience. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best.

8 takeaways from flying Turkish Airlines for the first time — from the uncomfortable seats to the terrible breakfast (12)

The flight attendants were straightforward and never cracked a smile. Fine by me; I live in New York City, after all. However, my gripe is with the other passengers. Amongst other complaints, some people played their phone audio aloud during the flight. I was surprised flight attendants didn't jump to stop them (at least to my knowledge).

Correction: July 10, 2023 — An earlier version of this story included a reference misidentifying which airline the writer used. It's Turkish Airlines, not Istanbul Airlines.