Flights to Istanbul
 

Just wondering if anyone has preferences about airlines to Istanbul from JFK....at the moment Turkish Airlines has the best flight price..American, and Delta also go directly at higher prices...any opinions on comfort, etc....thanks

In my opinion, if you are flying economy, you'll get inferior service on American. I was appalled at the quality of the plane on my recent flight back from Paris to JFK. I literally had to sit in three seats before I found a TV that was in working order (luckily, the plane was half-empty). That's not to mention the bad food and cramped seats (they now actually charge $4 for the "amenities" kit on AA). But the real advantage of Turkish Airlines is that you'll have a nonstop, which is worth it to me. If Delta offers a nonstop, then it's a consideration, but my recent experiences flying suggest that virtually any country's airlines are doing better now than Delta or American.

I flew Turkish only for the short Athens-Istanbul flight; it was excellent. Friends were pleased with their transatlantic service as well. American is now charging for an AMENITIES KIT??????? That is a new low. I would never fly an American carrier if I could go otherwise.

Any direct American flight that you see listed is actually a codeshare on Turkish metal. AA does not fly into IST. Fodors should know that.

Sorry about your experience, Doug, but look on the bright side. You didn't have to go through Heathrow. Not that CDG is any festival.

We flew Delta from JFK to Istanbul and were very satisfied with our flight. Upon arrival at JFK from Atlanta, my husband immediately got in line at the gate desk(about 2 hours before the flight) and requested aisle seats for his 6'7" frame. They gave us the aisle, and we were as comfortable as we have been on any coach long haul flight.

I meant to say aisle seat on the exit row--big difference!

Actually, in some cases, the "American" flight might be a codeshare with Turkish Airlines, but more often AA puts you on a British Airways flight and then AA from Heathrow to JFK. If the flight is a non-stop, then it's likely a Turkish Airways codeshare. If it's not a nonstop, then it's probably a combo of BA and AA.

I've flown Turkish Airlines a lot in the past year on mid-range routes (Paris-Istanbul) and been satisfied with the experience (much better than Air France on the same route, for example). Some of the flights had a long haul-configured plane and the legroom was good. The food was also better than average airplane food - it had flavours and most of it was recognizable.

Another advantage of flying Turkish Airlines is your return trip. When we flew back on AF, there were only 2 economy check-in desks - and they didn't open until 2 hours before the flight (we'd arrived about 2h20min before the flight). It wasn't even clear where the desks would be until 2 hours before, so we couldn't line up. Result - giant queue as soon as the desks opened - and we were fairly far back (at least we'd checked in online and all we had to do was drop bags).

By contrast, there are rows and rows of Turkish Airlines check-in desks. Their online check-in system has worked well so far.

I think Turkish Airlines has a partnership with American (but not Oneworld), so that you can get AA miles on eligible Turkish Airlines flights. This might change in the near future, because it was just announced that Turkish Airlines will be joining Star Alliance (but that's going to take 12-18 months to achieve).

I just love Turkish Airways. I couldn't believe how many times the FA's walked around during my flight from JFK to Istanbul with juice and snacks. The Turkish people are very hospitable, and it shows on their national airline.

Our group of ten flew round trip from JFK to Istanbul on Turkish airlines. Not one of us voiced any complaints.

I flew Turkish Air from Istanbul to Cairo and it was fine. I much prefer Turkish Air over American.

I've only had one experience with Turkish Airlines (from London to Istanbul) in Business Class, but based on that experience I highly recommend the airline. It was the best BC experience I have had inter-Europe in a long time.

Apparently all/most of their planes are new - mine was and spotlessly clean. Food was excellent and the FAs were young, well-groomed, enthusiastic, kind and helpful.

I would not hesitate to use them again.

Our family flew Turkish Airlines nonstop Chicago-Istanbul a few years back and I felt that for the extremely long flight they should have showed more movies-2 movies for almost 13 hours? Friends have flown Delta both from Atlanta and JFK nonstop to Istanbul and felt that there was more bang for their buck.Nonstops are the way to go in my opinion!

I just got back from Istanbul yesterday and my experience with Turkish Airlines was from Kayseri to Istanbul (a short domestic flight). It was extremely comfortable (much better than Onur air, the other national airline) and the attendants were respectful and kind. They offer more personal space than Onur (and probably AMerican at this point) and I would recommend them to anyone.