The only hiccup was a change of plane and the resulting delayed departure, otherwise everything was more than OK.
The crew were very hospitable and pleasant. The food was pretty good. Unfortunately, there was a flight delay of more than 2 hours. We're not sure why but it appeared to be outside the control of Turkish Airlines.
With a 4 hour delay its was a very basic flight which was just bearable. We were offered food vouchers for the delay and then they didnt work, so that was annoying. Also poor communication about the delay which got pushed out 3 times.
This is really the rating of two flights. JFK to IST then IST to NQZ. New York to Istanbul was good. Good crew and all positives. The flight to Astana was so bad that brought it all down. Crew was nonexistent above the minimum, seats were cramped, and it was hot on the plane. Turkish Airlines seems to be slipping down to US based carriers level.
Took forever to board. They made announcements without the loudspeaker and since the waiting room was full of screaming kids, no one could hear what they were saying. The business class sleeper seats were designed for tall skinny people. When partially reclined there was nowhere to rest my feet because they did not reach the footrest. and when fully reclined there wasn't room at my sides for my arms. Definitely one of the worst sleeper seats I have ever had.
It was great except my luggage was C severely damaged over i picked it up off the carousel in London. . A suit case that had been used once does no longer have the use of the extendable arm as it’s broken
Amazing trip! No delays, no broken or lost luggage, and amazing food.
Everything was very good, except that the plane was an hour and a half late
This flight was in the air when the national power outage happened on 28 April 2025 in Spain and Portugal. As a result Lisbon airport was closed and the flight was diverted to Porto. There were no phones, internet or ATMs working and the Turkish Airlines ground crew in Porto were trying to find alternative transport to Lisbon (by bus). This did not materialise until late in the evening. The Turkish Airlines ground crew suggested that passengers may find their own way of getting to Lisbon. That in itself is a failure of Turkish Airlines, but understandable as there were no means of communication. The Turkish Airlines ground crew also said that any expenses insured for travel to Lisbon will be refunded by the Airline through their website. Unfortunately, I could find no way to travel back to Lisbon other than to hitch hike with an Uber driver. Because no systems were available and no credit card payment possible I paid the driver 140 Euros in cash with no receipt as systems were down. I arrived at my Lisbon hotel at 23:30 (flight was scheduled to land at 12:30). Upon contacting Turkish Airlines for compensation they are not willing to do anything as I do not have an invoice for my expenses. They do not even consider the 10 hours of delay and inactivity on their part as a reason to provide any sort of curtesy towards me. I find their behaviour appalling.
I’ve been traveling for 20 years. I tried Turkish airline for the first time horrible horrible service and it would be my last time even if I get offer for a free ticket, I will not accept it. They have races and the worst Flight attendant