Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class Airbus A321
This review covers my Turkish Airlines business class flight on an Airbus A321 from Istanbul (IST) to Birmingham (BHX).
Flight to Birmingham
After my visit to the fantastic Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, it was time to get moving and head to the departure gate for my flight to Birmingham.
Istanbul Airport is massive and it can take quite a while to reach some of the outer departure gates, although fortunately the walk to the gate was quite short this time around.
Note that if you depart from Istanbul on a flight to the UK, there will be an additional security screening at the gate.
This process involves a document check and a manual inspection of your hand luggage by a security guard, although my experience is that when you’re flying in business class or have a high enough frequent flyer status you are usually ushered through quickly.
Boarding
Even though I arrived at the gate a bit early, I didn’t mind the wait, as large airports like Istanbul are always great for people watching.
That’s certainly the case for Turkish Airlines flights to Birmingham, as a motley bunch of passengers from all over the world were connecting here in Istanbul for their flight back to the UK.
From Pakistanis adorned in traditional shalwar kameez to Sikhs sporting their distinctive turbans and Afghans donning pakol hats, people with origins on the Indian subcontinent were especially well-represented on this flight to Birmingham.
Boarding commenced on time, and after the pre-boarding of some passengers in wheelchairs, priority boarding for business class passengers and Star Alliance gold members started.
I was the first in the priority queue to board the Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 which would operate the morning flight from Istanbul to Birmingham.
Istanbul (IST) to Birmingham (BHX)
Turkish Airlines – Flight TK1967 – Airbus A321-200
Plane registration number: TC-JRZ
Economy class – Seat 1F
Departure: 7.50am – Arrival: 9.55am
Flight time: 4h05m – Distance: 1,612 miles
Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 cabin
Turkish Airlines has a large Airbus A321 fleet numbering well over 100 aircraft of this type.
These planes range from the brand new Airbus A321neo to older A321s, which come in slightly different configurations.
On the Aerolopa website, you can find accurate seat maps detailing all the various Airbus A321 configurations in the Turkish Airlines fleet.
The plane that would fly me to Birmingham, an Airbus A321 with tail number TC-JRZ, was already 11 years old.
Although the cabin of this Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 was not the newest and showed some slight wear and tear, it still offers a great product for short or mid-haul flights.
In business class, the seats are arranged two abreast, whereas economy class features a standard 3-3 seating configuration.
Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 business class seat
With almost every airline in Europe using standard economy class seats as business class and just leaving the middle seat empty, it’s always a pleasure to fly with Turkish Airlines and get a proper business class seat.
Turkish Airlines has leather recliner seats in business class on its Airbus A321, which make for a comfortable way to fly.
I found the seat to be highly comfortable and spacious, and there was ample legroom as well.
In one of the armrests, you can find your in-flight entertainment screen, while a power socket is located right below it.
Pre-departure service
As the last few passengers boarded the plane, a flight attendant came by with pre-departure drink options, including freshly squeezed orange juice, Turkish Airlines’ signature mint lemonade, and water.
Although I normally opt for the lemonade, this time I went for the orange juice as welcome drink.
Moments later, refreshment towels were also distributed to the passengers in business class.
Departure
Although economy class seemed to have a solid occupancy rate, business class was only sparsely booked.
I had initially assigned myself seat 2F, but upon noticing the empty bulkhead row, I opted to switch to 1F when the flight attendant announced that boarding was completed, as this way I wouldn’t disturb the passenger seated behind me in 3F when reclining my seat.
It was a beautiful summer morning in Istanbul and upon departure I enjoyed some great views over the Black Sea coastline.
Meal service
As soon as we reached cruising altitude, the in-flight service commenced, and the flight attendant serving us in business class came by to inquire about meal preferences.
During boarding, we were already provided with the menu and drinks list for today’s flight to Birmingham, which you can find below.
Turkish breakfast
While breakfast is often the most disappointing meal when flying business class, this is rarely the case with Turkish Airlines.
Of course, much of this has to do with Turkey having a proper breakfast culture and some special dishes for this mealtime, so it’s unsurprising that Turkish Airlines has the ability to ace its breakfast service.
On my flight from Istanbul to Birmingham, the business class breakfast was indeed superb.
Although the meal was served on a tray, it was elegantly presented with a tablecloth wrapped around it, adding a touch of class.
My tray featured some traditional Turkish breakfast specialties, including turkey breast, tomatoes, cucumbers, two types of cheese, marinated olives, sundried tomatoes, yogurt, butter, jam, as well as a bowl of fresh fruit.
From a bread basket, I selected a croissant and poğaça, a traditional Turkish pastry.
After finishing the breakfast starters, my main course arrived: A traditional omelette from the Black Sea region.
To drink, I indulged in some more fresh orange juice and a glass or two of champagne.
All combined, the meal was absolutely fantastic, as all the food tasted fresh and was of great quality.
Service levels
Although I personally don’t mind a drawn-out meal service on daytime flights, I appreciated the fact that the service was fast on this flight.
As we flew over Belgrade about one-and-a-half hours after take-off, the meal service had concluded.
While Turkish Airlines may not match the polished and highly professional business class service of carriers like Singapore Airlines or Qatar Airways, I do always find the flight attendants to be welcoming and genuinely friendly.
That was also the case on this flight, as the service was delivered with a smile, and refills were proactively offered.
During moments in the flight when the flight attendants were on a break and temporarily left the cabin, they responded swiftly when the call button was pressed.
In-flight entertainment
In business class on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A321, your personal in-flight entertainment screen can be found in one of the armrests of your seat.
The screen is rather small and doesn’t have the best resolution, but given that you wouldn’t have your personal in-flight entertainment system with nearly every other European airline when flying on a narrow-body plane, it’s still nice to have it on such a mid-haul flight in Europe.
Although not all-encompassing, the selection of films, series, music, and games in the in-flight entertainment system on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 is decent enough.
Wi-Fi internet
There was no Wi-Fi internet on my plane, nor will you find Wi-Fi on any other Airbus A321-200 of Turkish Airlines.
However, if your Turkish Airlines flight is operated by an Airbus A321neo, your plane will be equipped with Wi-Fi internet.
In business class, you would get 1 GB data free and unlimited messaging, although if you happen to hold Star Alliance gold status through Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (Elite or Elite Plus status) there will be no data caps at all.
Approaching England
Due to the short night of sleep I had before, I was quite tired and slept for most of the way to Birmingham.
When I woke up, we had just left Belgian airspace and made our way across the North Sea towards the English coast.
As we approached the English coast, we started our descent towards Birmingham Airport.
I asked the flight attendant if I could still have some Turkish coffee before landing, and she gladly obliged, even though she had to serve it in a carton cup instead of proper china due to health and safety rules.
Landing in Birmingham
Although the weather appeared cloudy as we flew over the south-east of England, the skies cleared up as we started our final descent towards Birmingham Airport.
As we descended towards Birmingham Airport, there were some gorgeous views over the West Midlands countryside.
We eventually landed smoothly and on time on the runway of Birmingham Airport.
To my great surprise, the weather was absolutely gorgeous on this summer morning in England, with clouds giving way to clear blue skies.
After a short taxi ride, we parked next to a TUI Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the terminal of Birmingham Airport.
After thanking the crew for the pleasant flight, I was the first off the plane, and with no queue whatsoever at the automated gates, I breezed through passport control in a jiffy.
As it had been quite a while since the last time I set foot on English soil, I was certainly looking forward to my travels through the country.
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Conclusion
My Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Birmingham on the Airbus A321 once again demonstrated that the Turkish flag carrier offers the best overall business class product in Europe.
This is mostly down to the business class seat, as unlike nearly every other airline in Europe, Turkish Airlines has proper recliner seats on most of their narrow-body planes such as the Airbus A321.
Turkish Airlines is also one of the few airlines that manages to provide a proper breakfast service in business class, which was certainly the case on my flight to Birmingham, as I thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Turkish breakfast.
The only downside is the lack of Wi-Fi on the Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-200, although if you happen to fly an Airbus A321neo, you will be able to connect to the internet.
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘From Cornwall to Yorkshire: Train Travel Through England‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. My British Airways Cancellation and Compensation Saga
2. Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class Bucharest to Istanbul
3. Review: Turkish Airlines Business Lounge Istanbul Airport
4. Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 Business Class Istanbul to Birmingham (current chapter)
5. Review: CrossCountry Train Birmingham International to Reading
6. Thirsty in Tyburnia: Spending a Sunny Afternoon in London
7. London Paddington and the GWR First Class Lounge
8. Review: GWR Night Riviera Sleeper Train London to Penzance, Cornwall
9. Penzance: A Visit to Cornwall’s Down-to-Earth Seaside Town
10. By Train to St Ives: A Trip on the Branch Line From St Erth
11. St Ives: Cornwall’s Most Picturesque Seaside Town
12. St Michael’s Mount: A Visit to Cornwall’s Most Iconic Sight
13. Review: Great Western Railway (GWR) Penzance to Plymouth
14. GWR Pullman Dining: Great Food on One of Britain’s Best Trains
15. Review: Avanti West Coast First Class London to Manchester
16. A Dewsbury Lock-In: A Night in Britain’s Most Run-Down Town
** rest of the chapters to follow soon **
