Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class

Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 cabin

As I stepped into the business class cabin of the Turkish Airlines Airbus A350, I was impressed by its elegant and contemporary looks due to the grey-and-black colours used on the seats and bulkhead.

The business class cabin on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 features 32 seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, ensuring direct aisle access for every seat.

The business class seats are all staggered, with the window seats in the even rows being located closer to the window and separated from the aisle by a side console, while the seats in the odd-numbered rows are located closer to the aisle.

If you are travelling alone, my pick of the seats would therefore be one of the true window seats in the even-numbered rows, as you will have more privacy and less disturbance from crew or passengers walking along the aisle.

The seats in the middle section are also staggered, with those in even-numbered rows being spaced further apart, while the seats in the odd-numbered rows are right next to each other, and therefore would be the pick of the bunch if you are travelling with your partner or a close friend.

Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 business class seat

The Turkish Airlines business class seats on the Airbus A350 are all cocooned in a hard shell, which on the inside is covered with some fine-patterned fabric that give it an elegant look.

Although these business class seats aren’t fully enclosed and don’t have sliding doors, they still offer a lot of privacy as due to the shell you won’t easily make eye-contact with other passengers.

The business class seat on the Airbus A350 felt quite spacious too and there was enough room to wiggle your feet around in the footwell, which didn’t feel restricted at all.

Of course, the seat turns into a fully flat bed, with plenty of space to sleep in whatever position you prefer.

In the compartment above your side console you can find headphones, as well as conveniently located power outlets (both a power socket and USB charging port).

This compartment also offers plenty of space to store some small personal belongings, such as your passport or glasses.

It also features a fold-out mirror, which is a nice touch.

The seat control were responsive and easy to use as well.

Overall, I was perfectly satisfied with the comfort of my seat, and it was a pity I could only enjoy it on this one-hour flight instead of a proper long-haul.

Pre-departure service

Shortly after the first business class passengers had settled into their seats, one of the crew members came by with refreshment towels.

There was also a pre-departure beverage service, with the choice of drinks being between freshly squeezed orange juice, lemonade with mint, and water.

The mint lemonade served by Turkish Airlines is a personal favourite of mine, and I almost always opt for it as my pre-departure drink of choice because it is so refreshing.

Departure

The load in business class was relatively light today, as there were only six other passengers or so in the forward cabin.

We departed from the gate on schedule and swiftly taxied to the runway, which at Bucharest Otopeni Airport is just a short distance away.

As it was already dark, there wasn’t much of a view from the window.

Fortunately, the Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 is equipped with cameras on the tail, as well as at the front and underneath the fuselage.

You can therefore watch how the plane takes off on your in-flight entertainment screen.

Meal service

Although the flight time between Bucharest and Istanbul was one hour and 20 minutes on paper, in reality the actual time spent in the air is much shorter.

The actual flying time can be as low as 45 minutes, depending on the exact flight path.

It’s therefore highly impressive that Turkish Airlines manages to do a full meal service in business class on this extremely short international flight.

Unless you have requested a special meal in advance, there is no choice of meal, as everyone in business class is served the exact same dish.

When it comes to drinks, you can choose out of a selection of juices, teas, coffee, soft drinks, as well as alcoholic beverages.

Beer, white, red and sparkling wine, rakı, as well as liqueurs and other strong alcoholic drinks are all available in Turkish Airlines business class on intra-European flights.

You can see the full menu for my business class flight from Bucharest to Istanbul below.

Food

The meal, which was served on a single tray, was served almost immediately after we reached cruising altitude.

Dinner consisted out of a selection of Turkish meze, cucumber yoghurt, sea bass and julienne vegetables en papillote, a selection of different cheeses, as well as a mascarpone passion fruit tart.

To drink, I enjoyed a glass of white wine.

Everything tasted delicious – which wasn’t much of a surprise as I think Turkish Airlines and its catering partner Do&Co consistently excel in their business class food offerings.

Sure, the food might not be as fancy as you can find with some other airlines in business class, nor is the Turkish Airlines wine selection particularly impressive.

However, this is more than offset by the consistency and quality of the food that is served, and I also really appreciate Turkish Airlines’ dedication to highlight local delicacies from different regions across Turkey.

After the delicious meal, there was still plenty of time left for me to enjoy a cup of Turkish coffee.

In-flight entertainment

Although I didn’t have time to watch a film due to the short flight time, I did browse through the in-flight entertainment system on board the Turkish Airlines Airbus A350.

The entertainment selection was impressively extensive, offering hundreds of films, series, games, and a vast music library.

Operating the in-flight entertainment system was straightforward, and the headphones provided were of high quality, effectively cancelling out the noise from the cabin and plane.

Moreover, the actual in-flight entertainment screen at my business class seat was large and had a high resolution.

Wi-Fi internet

The Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 is equipped with Wi-Fi internet, and passengers in business class get complimentary access with unlimited data.

It’s enormously straightforward to connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi network, as the only thing you need to provide is your seat number and surname.

Business class lavatories

When the fasten seatbelt sign went on as we approached Istanbul, I had a quick look at the business class lavatory.

The business class lavatory on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 is spacious and stocked with Molton Brown toiletries.

Service

The Turkish Airlines flight attendants on my flight from Bucharest to Istanbul provided a friendly and attentive service.

While Turkish Airlines might not provide the most polished business class service, I consistently find their crews among the friendliest, reflecting the hospitable nature of Turkish people.

Landing in Istanbul

With a population of well over 15 million people, landing in Istanbul is always impressive as the urban spread seems to go on and on.

I certainly enjoyed our holding pattern over the city suburbs, watching all the lights of the thousands of cars and buildings below.

After a short while, we started our final approach towards Istanbul Airport, where we landed on time.

Istanbul Airport has an extremely large surface area, and taxiing to your gate can easily take 20 minutes or more if you have the bad luck of landing on the far opposite side of the airport from your arrival gate.

This time, it also took a good 20 minutes before we reached our parking spot.

Arrival

After bidding the crew farewell and thanking them for an enjoyable flight, I disembarked the plane.

Depending on your flight’s origin, you’ll either be directed straight to the airport concourse for a connecting flight, or need to pass through transit security first.

Weirdly enough, there doesn’t seem to be much consistency when it comes to flights from Romania, as about half of the times it’s deemed as a “clean” point of origin and you can walk straight into the terminal, while other times you are required to re-clear security.

Fortunately, that was not required this time, as Turkish Airlines gate agents guided passengers with Istanbul as their final destination to the arrivals hall at the end of the jetbridge, while those with connecting flights were directed straight into the terminal.

Conclusion

The Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 is a delight to fly in business class, as it has comfortable seats offering lots of privacy, complimentary Wi-Fi internet, and good in-flight entertainment.

One of the best aspects of the Turkish Airlines business class product is the exceptional food, as Turkish consistently delivers delicious meals that showcase local cuisine.

Even on my Turkish Airlines flight – which had less than an hour of actual airtime – business class passengers were served a full three-course meal, with time to spare for coffee after.

Enjoying Turkish Airlines’ business class aboard the Airbus A350 doesn’t require a long-haul flight, as Turkish frequently operates widebody planes to several European destinations.

I really can’t think of a more enjoyable way to fly within Europe than on a Turkish Airlines widebody plane like the Airbus A350.

Trip report index