A smile goes a long way.

With plenty of room to stretch, Turkish Airline's business class seat is one of the best, it's even better when I paid $79AUD for this privilege.

When searching for a simple SGN to BKK flight I was faced with a nice array of carrier's to chose from,  the standard carriers such as Vietnam Airlines, Thai Airways and Air Asia came up but I was intrigued when a unique option to fly Turkish Airlines came up. 


Turkish airlines currently don't fly to Australia so after some research on the carrier as well as finding out the equipment that would operate my flight would be a 777 - 300 a rush of adrenalin went through my body and in five minutes I was eagerly reading through my itinerary. For a flight that was 1 hour in length I had paid $79AUD for a joyride in a internationally configured 777 which doubled up as a fantastic chance to put my Turkish Airlines Mile and Smiles Gold status to good use. 


Plenty of legroom.

My partner and mother would be accompanying me on this trip so I put my Gold status to good use and snagged the best economy seats on offer to us which would be seats 26 ABC, these are bulkhead seats located behind Business class, meaning no one would recline into us, that there would be plenty of legroom to stretch and that these seat's were located in a mini economy cabin of only 5 rows. 

Of all economy seat's I've been on I must say that the Turkish Airline's economy seat is superb and highly comfortable for a short or long haul flight compared to Singapore airlines. The seat has a very flexible adjustable head rest while the seat width is 18inch with a 32inch seat pitch. 

The mini economy cabin. 


Getting back to the pre flight, we arrived at Tan Son Nhat airport 3 hours before our flight was due to depart at 20:30. With countless times of visiting my second home I planned our journey from district one strategically to beat the clustered and frustrating traffic of Saigon. To our luck, our taxi driver knew the fastest route to the airport and within 30 minutes I was embracing the humid weather of Saigon for the last time before heading inside the airport towards the check in counters. 

We arrived as the check in counters opened and I could see there was a small line forming in the economy line which deterred us towards the Business line which was fantastically policed by a charming attendant dressed in the Turkish uniform directing us back into the economy lane before I flashed my Gold card which sparked excitement in her as she said it's first time she's seen the Turkish loyalty card and baggage tag. 

Check in for the flight was a smooth process and we were handed a lounge invitation card to the Daisy lounge which is used by a variety of airlines in the terminal. We proceeded to customs and by coincidence saw a friend who worked in the airport as a Vietnam Airlines check in supervisor who escorted us past the lines of customers at the regular customs line towards a private line used by airport staff and crew. 

After clearing customs and immigration Samuel walked us to the Daisy lounge which was at the point of exploding due to overcrowding because of a small delay on a couple of flights arriving and departing. Samuel jumped on his two way radio and within a couple of seconds we got the okay to head to another lounge which was right next to our departing gate. 

Samuel was right about the lounge, perfect location to do some aircraft spotting.

Here's a couple of shots of the lounge food offerings which I've been told is the same standard across all lounges in the terminal.

Instant noodles and pho.

Selection of deep fried spring rolls and stir fried noodles.

Help yourself snacks which always find's its way into my bags incase of mid flight munchies. 

Fuselage and GE90 shot. 

After a glass of wine and something to dine on, a friendly attendant approached us and advised it was nearly time to board, I checked the time and saw there was an hour until takeoff and thanked him before we left. As we approached the gate I saw that the agents were about to open the gates and we approached the priority lane.

A final passport and boarding pass crosscheck was mandatory before we were given the green light to proceed towards inside the aero bridge caused a bit of excitement in me as I was eagerly proceeding towards the aircraft door. Boarding was done via the 2L door and I was greeted by a Rochelle who was very relaxed and bubbly who directed us to our seats.

Seat 26A


In flight touch screen which was very responsive.

My view of the GE90. Pure beauty. 

We were on one of four 777-300 three class configuration's operated by Turkish Airlines which was rare to come by and I was immediately impressed by the cabin cleanliness and after settling down into our seats, I made my way to the galley located behind our mini cabin and sparked a nice conversation with Rochelle. The flight supervisor welcomed us in Turkish and English over the PA and asked the flight attendant's to secured the plane for takeoff.

With a seat right next to the engine I was in a perfect spot to hear the mighty roar as we rushed down the runway and slowly disappeared into the night towards Bangkok. 

The seatbelt sign was extinguished and the flight attendants sprang into efficient mode as they prepared for a snack service on our flight of 93 passengers. I asked what was on offer and got shown  a chicken and cheese sandwich and a slice of cake which was tossed at me by one of the flight crew followed by a smile who also handed me a glass of coke. Efficiently and cold she wasn't one to be messed with and moved onto the next row and proceeded in the same way of service. 

The snack service on the flight.



I asked for a bottle of wine with my hands ready to catch as she tossed the bottle at me and asked if I would like a glass.

The flight attendants did the rubbish run and ensured the cabin was spotless all in 30 minutes. I was impressed and decided to go for a wander around the cabin. It was a very empty flight as I saw guest's getting comfortable spreading out over the 3 seats which converted into a makeshift bed.


If only all flights were like this.

A nice touch in the rear lavatory. 

As I walked past the galley Rochelle emerged and surprised me in which she then handed me a bottle of water and told me to follow her with a cheeky smirk on her face. We walked passed our seat Rochelle asked me to sit and wait for her to return.  Rochelle poked her face through the curtain split and asked me to follow her into the Business cabin which caused my heart to beat in excitement. 
Rochelle said seat 16A was mine and told me I was free to sit and explore the seat and for the remaining duration of the flight which I eagerly accepted. 

Stretching my legs. 

Rochelle told me she saw running down the aero bridge towards the aircraft with excitement and a massive smile on my face which was a highlight and one of the reason's why she loved her job which bought a massive smile towards my face. I thanked Rochelle for her generosity as well as her tips and suggestions for Bangkok and decided to relax in my new seat while she swiftly disappeared through the curtain back into economy in which she proceeded to escort my partner and mother and directed them into 16 D & E. 

 
My new comfier seat. 

Air vent and seat control.


Massive In Flight Entertainment Screen.

Nice and neat set up. 


I asked Rochelle for her contact details and was happy to cross path's with a new friend on my journey. The captain made an announcement that we were starting descent into Bangkok as Rochelle and the crew finalised the cabin for landing. I thanked Rochelle once again for her generosity and couldn't be more happier with Turkish Airlines and astounding crew. 

After a smooth touchdown and taxi towards the gate an announcement came over asking all passengers who were continuing their journey towards Istanbul to remain on the aircraft while passengers who completed their journey to Bangkok to exit the aircraft with boarding pass ready to be crossed off a manifest once on their aero bridge. 

Rochelle proceeded towards us after the announcement from the First cabin and escorted us towards door 1L and bid farewell and thanked us for flying with Turkish Airlines which definitely indented this memorable flight into my mind. 


3 comments:

  1. Glad you had a better experience then me !

    I was lured to this airline by their extensive advertising, I wish they saved the costs of advertising to improve their equipment and services. I paid for business class and I didn't even get anything near decent "economy standard".

    The plane was old. The seats were in a very bad state. Boarding was chaotic service was poor. Staff not attentive to passengers, especially for International business class flight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was feeling kind of boring this afternoon so I started looking for those who are giving the best services in adshel posters. I found quite a lot of numbers with different kinds of ranges.

    ReplyDelete