Today we are flying Turkish Airlines TK 071 in Business Class from Hong Kong to Istanbul – including a flat, long bed, a real chef on board and service at the highest level. Despite minor lounge shortcomings and an outdated seating arrangement, this flight really surprised us with its delicious food, top crew and great hospitality. Curious? Then grab your (virtual) boarding pass and read on – it’s worth it! We promise.
Review #69
| Departure – planned (actual) | 07.01.2025 – 23:20 (22:37) |
| Arrival – planned (actual) | 08.01.2025 – 5:10 (4:18) |
| Flight time – planned (actual) | 11:40 (10:41) |
| Delay | 7 Min (departure) 52 Minuten too early (arrival) |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 777 – 300 ER (TC-JJK) |
| Class | Business |
| Seats | 7A & 7B |
Disclaimer:
Unfortunately, between this flight and the publication, our laptop and our external database with all the images from the flight were stolen during a break-in. Fortunately, we had already backed up all the videos on another computer.
Therefore, for this article we unfortunately have no choice but to work with screenshots from the videos. Accordingly, we apologize for the quality, which does not really meet our standards and cannot keep up with the level of the other reviews. Nevertheless, we didn’t want to withhold this review from you.
Thank you for your understanding & have fun reading and discovering!
Inhalt
Arrival
We took the Airport Express Train directly from our hotel, the W Hong Kong in the city, to the airport. The train departs from the Kowloon stop directly below the hotel and only makes one other stop in between. A train departs approximately every 10 minutes and takes a good 20 minutes to cover the distance. During the journey, you can enjoy one last fantastic view of this magnificent city. You can buy tickets directly at the stop. There is even a special price for two people of 150 HK dollars – around 16.50 Euro.
Of course, you can also take a cab or a bus. However, the cabs are quite expensive and the busses are cheaper, but also takes the longest.
Once you arrive at the airport, you don’t even have to use your ticket a second time to go through a barrier, but can simply throw your card into one of the boxes set up for recycling purposes. A ramp takes you about 50 meters further on to the check-in hall. Super convenient.
Hong Kong Airport
Hong Kong Airport is located on an artificial island in the South China Sea and was built in record time by international teams of architects. More than 1,100 planes land here every day, while high-speed trains rush under the tarmac towards the city center. Particularly impressive: the terminal building is built so efficiently that even at peak times, no one needs more than five minutes to get to the next gate.
Source: airportmaps.com
Check-in & Bag drop
Unfortunately, the online check-in didn’t work for me even after several attempts, but I had suitcases to check in and therefore had to go back to the counter anyway. However, I always prefer to check in beforehand, I’m simply more relaxed when I arrive at the airport.
The Turkish Airlines check-in is actually always located in row D – and this evening was no exception. On our departure day, three Business Class and four Economy Class desks were open. There were only 4 parties in front of us in the Business Class queue and all three counters were occupied. So it should be quick – we thought! Unfortunately, the check-in process at Turkish Airlines apparently takes at least 10 minutes per booking – we were able to experience this for ourselves. And this despite the fact that everything had already been pre-filled and we had no special issues such as excess baggage or visa problems. You have to be able to afford that as an airline.
Checking in our suitcases and getting to Frankfurt via the two other stations, Istanbul and Vienna, was no problem. Neither was getting all the boarding passes – in this case, it went better than with other airlines.
Interestingly, Turkish apparently allows you to take as many suitcases as you like in Business Class – as long as they weigh a maximum of 40 kilos! Wow, isn’t it! That was a novelty for us! You should remember that if you ever have a lot to take with you…. 😉
Security
Departure in Hong Kong is combined with the security check. You can even use the e-gates with a German passport. You simply have to place your passport on the scanner, then go through the first gate and then scan your boarding pass, then you can go through the second gate. After that, you will be right at the security checkpoint – here you can simply leave all electronic devices and liquids in your hand luggage. You then leave the country in the traditional way at border control by showing your passport and boarding pass to an official.
There was really nothing going on at all and at all three stations, ao it was our turn immediately and not a single other person in front of us.
Lounge
As Turkish Airlines Business Class guests, you can use the SilverKris Lounge of Singapore Airlines in the basement, which is the only represented partner of StarAlliance to operate its own lounge here in Hong Kong at the moment. The United Club will reopen soon. Personally, I found the lounge quite nicely furnished, but unfortunately very constricting and uncomfortable without any windows. Accordingly, we immediately moved on to the next lounge.
The Sapphire Lounge right opposite the AMEX Centurion Lounge (which was unfortunately totally overcrowded!) was therefore the place of our choice and at check-in we were met with very surprised faces. We thought we had access via the Priority Pass, but actually we should have received an invitation voucher at check-in, which would have entitled us to be admitted here.
So we had two different access possibilities – also good. The lounge wasn’t too crowded and was okay. There was enough space for the guests and we even had a whole room to ourselves. The food on offer was rather average, but there was even a proper bar where you can order cocktails and even order drinks directly at your seat using a QR code.
Boarding
After our short stay in the lounges, it was already time to board at Gate 30. The boarding gate had not yet been determined at check-in or during most of our waiting time at the airport, so we had to keep checking which gate we would be departing from. Fortunately, the lounges are centrally located in the middle section of Terminal 1 and so the short walk from there only took a good 5 minutes.
We were really impressed by the great design of the gate, which has a huge LED screen installed above both doors. This enables the airport to pass on all kinds of information directly and centrally. Each airline can also be displayed individually.
Unfortunately, our original departure time was corrected from 23:20 to 00:05 and our boarding time was pushed back accordingly, but this was then adhered to quite well. The various waiting areas for the different boarding groups were already prepared at the gate. Business Class passengers had their own queue and Turkish Airlines actually started for the premium passengers in Group 1 parallel to the families and people who needed help boarding. Business Class was processed at the left-hand counter and the other group at the right-hand counter.
Interestingly, the Swiss plane to Zurich was handled directly opposite at Gate 29.
Immediately after the gate, there is a sloping corridor and then Turkish Airlines and Hong Kong Airport offer two boarding bridges, with the front one reserved for Business Class guests boarding through the first aircraft door.
Welcome
We were warmly welcomed at the front door and, after looking at our boarding passes, were directed to the front aisle and told that our seats were in the second cabin. Accordingly, we walked through the front Business Class cabin and past the second aircraft door to our seats.
The two of us like sitting at the back of the cabin because it’s a bit quieter there and we have a nice overview of everything and don’t just look at the wall, but of course there is also the disadvantage that – as in this case – virtually the entire plane has to walk past the seats and arriving at the seat and the welcome drinks, as well as the hot, fragrant towel that is handed out straight away, involves quite a lot of squeezing past and slaloming for the flight attendant. When it came to drinks, we could choose between champagne, water and orange juice.
Start & Routing
The postponed departure time was perfectly adhered to and so we left the gate at 0:05 on the dot at the announced take-off time and taxied the long way to the runway in a seemingly endless taxi.
After taking off in a southerly direction, we made a right turn and a wide arc along the Vietnamese border, across Myanmar and Bangladesh and along the northern border of India. Then through Pakistan, past Afghanistan and across Iran, over the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan and Georgia, over the Black Sea to the Turkish mega-metropolis of Istanbul and thus to the home airport of Turkish Airlines.
Source: flightradar24.com
Cabin & Seat
Turkish Airlines flies the Hong Kong – Istanbul route with one of its 36 Boeing 777 – 300 ER. The aircraft was not brand new, but in pretty good condition. However, the seating is at least questionable, especially in Business Class. The airline has seated its premium cabin on this type of aircraft in a 2 – 3 – 2 configuration.
This type of layout is great for couples and families with one child – they can sit together in this configuration and share the flight experience. However, I personally wouldn’t particularly like to have the middle seat between two strangers. In my opinion, this is not really appropriate for a Business Class cabin and the associated prices.
Turkish Airlines has already installed much newer seats on other aircraft types, in some cases even in 1 – 2 – 1 seating. In this 777 – 300 ER variant, however, the airline offers a total of 7 rows of Business Class seats with 7 seats each – i.e. a total of 49 seats and in Economy Class in 3 cabins with 3 – 3 – 3 seating for 300 guests.
Quelle: aeroLOPA
Seat
Our seats 7A & 7B were the last seats in the rear Business Class cabin on the left-hand side. Turkish Airlines has opted for seats that face straight forward and have an ottoman opposite the actual seat, which can be used as storage space but also as a footrest. As a result, you have three windows to yourself on this aircraft – a luxury that is otherwise only offered in First Class!
Between the seats there is a console in front of the armrests which serves as a storage area for drinks and in which the seat controls are installed. Of course, you can control the individual seat elements via this console, but you can also move the seat to preset positions. What the MR and M+ buttons have changed, however, is unfortunately not clear to me.
Below the inner armrests there is a compartment in which the headphones are stored. At shoulder height, in the area between the seats, there is another extendable remote control with monitor, which can be used to control the IFE entertainment system in particular, but also the lights. There is a rotating reading lamp above and a small divider can be extended between the two seats if required. Unfortunately, there are no individual fresh air outlets in this Turkish Airlines aircraft.
Bed
Of course, you can also extend the seat into a flat bed and, together with the ottoman, have a considerable bed length of 196 cm. The mattress toppers for each seat were ready in the overhead compartments and shortly after take-off the flight attendants proactively came through the cabin to ask all Business Class guests if they could pull the mattress topper onto their seats.
We quickly did this ourselves and then made ourselves comfortable with the rather thin but sufficient blanket and the standard pillow. The seat by the window is also really quite cozy, but everyone lying in the aisle really has no shielding or privacy at all. That’s just the disadvantage of such an open cabin configuration.
Entertainment
Turkish Airlines offers every Business Class guest the opportunity to use Massenger services for a total of 1 GB free of charge during the entire flight. Simply log in and off you go. You don’t have to download any app or anything else beforehand. The WiFi worked great for us and logging in worked without any problems.
The heart of this entertainment program is, of course, the monitor. However, due to the design of the seat, it is relatively far away and not particularly large. The screen can be controlled via touchscreen or remote control.
The in-flight entertainment system offers various films, TV programs, music, even live TV, games, information about the flight and much more. Another cool feature is that there are various videos to help you prepare for the procedures at Istanbul Airport. There is also information about the Star Alliance and the airline itself.
Amenities
A pillow, blanket and slippers were already waiting for each guest on boarding and before take-off we were personally handed our amenity kits by our super flight attendant Bürsa. These contained a toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs, socks, a sleep mask and body lotion, as well as Lavin lip balm.
Win
Would you like to win one of our originally packaged amenity kits? Then simply leave a comment below this post and let us know!
All comments received by June 22nd 2025 will be entered into a draw to win an exclusive kit.
Good luck!
Food, Drinks & Snacks
Turkish Airlines is famous for having a chef on board on all long-haul flights who exclusively looks after the Business Class guests in the galleys. We even had two of them with us, as we had two cabins and therefore two kitchens on this type of aircraft. The chef responsible for us personally handed out the menus before take-off and shortly afterwards took our orders for the three available dinner courses.
I could easily decide on one of the options, but unfortunately Fabi didn’t really like any of the three main courses on offer. The chef struggled a little here – he tried to find a solution in rather rudimentary English and then agreed with Fabi that he would simply have the pancakes from breakfast as his main course. In the end, however, he got tomato and mozzarella and the soup, which was so much that Fabi was really full even without the main course.
Immediately after the flight attendants were allowed to get up, our first round of drinks was requested and served – long before the seatbelt sign went out for us. Now that’s great service.
Just 50 minutes after the start, our tables were unfolded, set and the starter served. The main course and dessert followed in quick succession, so that everyone had finished eating just 1:20 after take-off. That’s a great achievement – especially for such a late flight when everyone just wants to get to sleep quickly. Top!
The whole team helped together and looked after all the Business Class guests. We were served equally well by everyone. At the end of the service, a flight attendant came through the cabin again and handed out hot towels to the passengers.
Turkish Airlines generally offers the option of dine on demand. So you can eat at whatever time you like. In our case, however, all passengers ate at the same time and then went to sleep.
About 1:45 after take-off, the cabin lights were dimmed so that everyone could sleep and 10 minutes later all Business Class guests were also handed a menu for the snack bar, which was set up between the two main services in the middle galley and where all premium guests could help themselves freely.
Unfortunately, none of these great carts were served on our flight. I was really looking forward to it, but this may also have to do with the late hour of departure.
2:30 before landing, the lights in the cabin were brightened again and the first guests were served their breakfast. As soon as we were awake, Bürsa was already standing in front of us with the first course !!! of our breakfast. Honestly a little overwhelmed because we weren’t really awake yet, we were served a tray full of food and of course drinks of our choice.
We could also choose between bread rolls, cinnamon buns and croissants as much as we wanted. When everything was eaten, we could choose between an omelette and pancakes for the main course. I passed. Fabi opted for the pancakes, but really struggled with them. The ladies were really generous with the food and almost a little offended that some of the guests refused the main course – typical warm Turkish hospitality! Great!
After breakfast, there was another round of hot towels for all the guests.
Snacks
As already described, a menu was even handed out after the main service with all the snacks that could be ordered during the night or taken from the galley.
Lavatory
In the Boeing 777 – 300 ER in this configuration, Turkish Airways offers guests in Business Class a total of 3 lavatories – one at the front by the cockpit and two in the middle galley between the two Business Class cabins. The two slightly different lavatories in the middle of Business Class are really extremely spacious and offer plenty of room to change. Shortly after take-off, both were also equipped with hand soap, cream and even an eau de toilette.
Service on this Turkish Airlines flight
Our flight attendant Bürsa introduced herself to us right at the beginning of the service and was incredibly present in the cabin throughout the entire flight. Always with a smile on her face and extremely courteous and hospitable.
The same applied to all her colleagues. Throughout the flight, the service was professional, extremely friendly and very fast, without ever appearing to be hectic.
Accordingly, we really felt very comfortable and welcome on this flight!
Arrival at IST
About 30 minutes before landing, the cockpit provided information about the remaining flight time, the weather at the destination and the expected arrival gate. There was also information for passengers with connecting flights and the current gates.
We approached Istanbul Airport from the south and had a fantastic view of the brightly lit metropolis at night from our window. Once we arrived at the airport, it took quite a while to get to the gate because the cab route to the gate is simply endless.
However, we were then able to disembark relatively quickly via the front finger and continue from there. My connecting flight to Vienna had already started boarding due to our delay and so all passengers with the same destination as me were brought together at the end of the boarding bridge by an airport employee via a small decentralized security check to the boarding gate for our flight.
Fabi said goodbye to me here and flew on to Frankfurt on the direct flight. Unfortunately, this option was not possible for me due to reeboking.
IST Airport
Due to its sheer size, Istanbul IST Airport, which is still fairly new, also has very long distances. At the time of our arrival, there was relatively little going on due to the early time of the day – but bear this in mind when planning your onward or departure journey. For us, the airport was only a transit point on this trip and our luggage was checked straight through.
For me it was the quick way because of the short notice, but Fabi had to queue for ages at the transit passport control.
Source: turkishairlines.com
Conclusio
Our Turkish Airlines flight TK 071 from Hong Kong to Istanbul was really great. The aircraft was not particularly new, but was in good condition. The seat configuration urgently needs to be overhauled, especially the 3-seater seats in the middle, but it worked great for us at the window. We slept well and I personally am a fan of this seat, as you can read in the review of our Ethiopian Airlines flight. I like the amount of free space at the seat and the straight forward orientation in the direction of flight.
The service from all the flight attendants, but especially our flight attendant Bürsa, was fantastic. I thought the food was great and the portions were really generous – the only disappointment for us was the fact that Fabi didn’t find dinner.
Points
We can give this Turkish Airlines flight a solid 9 out of 10 possible points.
The high score is well deserved and we only deduct one point for Fabi’s dinner.
Recommendation
We can recommend the flight, especially in this 2 – 3 – 2 seat configuration, above all for couples and families with one child, or larger travel groups that can be split into groups of 2 and 3.
However, single travelers and especially business travelers should be aware that they could end up in the middle seat in case of doubt – personally, I wouldn’t feel like it!
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