Disrupter on flights to Europe offers value business class, great service

• The flight Singapore-Istanbul, TK55
• Frequency 18 flights a week between Singapore-Istanbul (increasing to 22 a week during the northern winter).
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300 with 49 business and 300 economy seats.
• Class Business, seat 5G (aisle)
• Flight time 10 hours, 55 minutes. On time

Checking in

My flight into Singapore arrives into Changi on time at 9.15pm. TK55’s 11.05pm departure to Istanbul leaves just enough time to stretch my legs, browse duty free and spritz a few perfumes before heading to the gate. At this point, check-in goes from efficient to sublime when I score a last-minute upgrade. There’s no premium economy on Turkish Airlines’ 777-300ER, so it’s straight from economy to business class. Even the ground crew are excited for me.

Loyalty scheme

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Turkish is a Star Alliance member. Its Miles&Smiles program can be used to purchase award tickets, in-flight service, cabin upgrades and extra baggage allowance on partner airlines, but you might have to hunt for seats.

Baggage

Business class is up to 40 kilograms across two bags (no single bag can weigh more than 32kg). Business class passengers can bring two carry on bags and a personal item, while economy passengers are entitled to one carry on item.

The seat

The 777-300ER business class seat is 21 inches (53 cm) wide, with a fully flat bed length of 78 inches (198 cm). It’s perfectly comfortable – but this is an older-style business class product, including the 2-3-2 cabin layout, which means no direct aisle access for those in the window or middle seats. Lanvin toiletries and slippers are a nice touch. The airline is now flying newer Airbus A350-900s on the route and plans to start flying A350-1000s between Istanbul and Sydney/Melbourne non-stop some time in 2027.

Entertainment + tech

Great headphones, solid movie selection with more than 600 films via the Planet In-Flight entertainment system with a dedicated Turkish Cinema section to brush up your knowledge of Yeşilçam – Turkey’s equivalent of Hollywood or Bollywood.

Service

The personality of the crew and the quality of the food is where this airline really shines. Since the Turkish national flag carrier began flying from Istanbul to both Melbourne and Sydney via Asia from late 2024, Australians have been talking about the competitive pricing (see below). The wit and vitality of the crew is a true people pleaser, along with the food.

Food

The cute tag on the breadbasket sets the tone: “The world’s oldest bread”. The fine print explains the bread recipe dates back 12,000 years and uses ancient grain varieties. There’s also an extensive coffee menu, including Turkish coffee and iced Americano alongside the usual options. For dinner, I enjoy ginger carrot soup followed by chicken tikka masala, then the “potpourri of traditional Turkish desserts” – all outstanding for freshness and flavour. Staff and chefs wearing the traditional white floppy hats provide a fun sense of theatre. The wine list includes French, Turkish, Portuguese and Argentine drops; Champagne is a Taittinger Brut Reserve.

Sustainability

Turkish Airlines has sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in its fuel mix and has a broad target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Passengers can also nominate to offset their carbon consumption.*

One more thing

Passengers travelling internationally via Istanbul Airport with a stopover of at least 20 hours may be eligible for complimentary accommodation of up to two nights at a 4-star hotel for economy passengers and three nights at a 5-star hotel for business class passengers under Turkish Airlines’ Stopover in Istanbul service. To qualify, all flights on both the outbound and return journeys must be operated by Turkish Airlines – passengers travelling on codeshare flights are not eligible. I did two nights at Mövenpick Bosphorus, which is well-located with a great breakfast included and a rooftop Italian restaurant. Read the fine print carefully before booking (turkishairlines.com/en-tr/flights/stopover/).

The price

From about $6800 return in business class, Sydney to Istanbul return.**

The verdict

Turkish operates one of the largest fleets in the world; it’s a big airline with a big personality and bold plans – and it’s exciting that we’re firmly on their radar. The more price competition to Europe on full-service carriers the better for Australian travellers.

Our score out of five

★★★★½

The writer flew courtesy of Celebrity Cruises.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.