It stands to reason that I am a frequent flyer on several airlines. But consider my shock when the Turkish Airlines gate employee scanned my ticket and a red light came on (you know, in that nasty “something might be wrong with your ticket” buzz). After the red light came on a second time, he read the tiny monitor, marked out my economy seat number and wrote in a Business Class seat number instead.
Alright! It has been years since I was bumped up to Business Class.
I quickly found my seat, stowed my backpack and purse in the handy storage unit in my “cube”, took off my shoes and put on the provided slippers.
Let me interject here that the folks at Turkish Airlines were kind enough to provide me with the photos in this post. My few cell phone photos simply don’t do the experience justice!
Before we took off, I was offered a welcome drink and settled in for the 12 hour direct flight to Istanbul.
Soon, several men dressed as chefs started to appear. I would find out later they are called “flying chefs”. A cart came around to each passenger laden with salad and soups. Then the main course was served. It was obvious the chefs were preparing the courses; this was no ordinary meal! They even provided a battery-votive candle to add to the fun.
I can’t tell you everything I ate (I wish I had kept the menu), but the sea bass was the best I have ever had – seriously!
A desert tray was wheeled by as well, with decadent deserts and confections before coffee and tea were served.
After dinner, a flight attendant made my bed and I settled in to watch two Oscar-winning movies before making my seat lay flat and falling asleep. I was even provided with noise-cancelling earphones for my movie-watching.
More important than the divine dining, the selection of movies and the comfort of a bed during a long flight were the graciousness and friendliness of the flight attendants. Excellent service always speaks loudly.
When we arrived in Istanbul, I had the advantage of de-boarding priority, making it easier for me to make my connection to Cairo.
My research shows Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline in the world with a network of 300 destinations in 120 countries on five continents.
According to a press release, “having a centrally-located hub between the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, Istanbul provides excellent connectivity and we’re able to increase our passenger numbers consistently. The airline has extensive coverage in 
I remember once my wife and I waiting in the boarding area when an airline assistant was walking through the lounge just looking at travelers. My wife and I always wear “dressy” clothes when traveling rather than “athletic relaxed” clothing. She stopped in front of us and asked for our boarding passes. Disappeared for a while then came back and handed us upgrades to Business Class.
On my last London – San Francisco flight I was in my Sunday best clothes and managed to score 2 First Class seats.
I asked the Flight Attendant why are we having smoked salmon sandwiches with afternoon tea. We’ve already had salmon for lunch. He replied :
“Someone has made an awful mistake putting salmon on the Menu twice on one flight. Ask for a complaints form – then ask for half your money back”
” On what I paid ” – I told him – ” half my money back wouldn’t cover the cost of the sandwiches”
I agree. Dressing up helps tremendously. That is so cool the employee just walked up and surprise…Business Class!! 🙂
George G, considering what I’ve seen in business class while walking through, I think the gate agent was trying to upgrade Business Class by upgrading you!