TotallyOz Posted April 6, 2012 Posted April 6, 2012 Anyone flew Turkish Airways to Bangkok? Anyone know how their Business Class seats and service are? Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted April 7, 2012 Posted April 7, 2012 I haven't, but a good friend has and enjoyed it. Said the business class was really good. But when he took the airline, the business class seats were angled flat. Seatguru is not always up to date, but today it says the A330s and A340s have angled flat, whereas the 777 has fully flat. Best check direct with the arline. But you get the added bonus of spending a few days in Istanbul, undoubtedly one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Is Qatar an option for you? Great airline! Its 777 business class service is better than most first class. Quote
TotallyOz Posted April 7, 2012 Author Posted April 7, 2012 I am open to any airline. But, am looking for a reasonable deal. I use to take Delta to Bangkok all the time but they now charge 4250 for coach upgradeable fare with miles. There are a few airlines that have the roundtrip in Business for less than that and I see no need to give Delta another 50k miles for the upgrade when the cost for another airline is reasonable. Air China, Korea Air, Philippians Air, Turkish Air are just a few I have found. I was thinking of stopping off in the city on the way for a few days and would love to see Manilla or Istanbul. Any advice on those airlines business seats? Quote
Guest travelerjim Posted April 7, 2012 Posted April 7, 2012 Korean Air is great when you can get the plane with the flat seats... flew KE recently from Seoul to SFO in Business...Free ticket using Delta miles. 120,000 delta miles for free roundtrip BKK to USA...lots of availability if you are flexible with dates. Also, as Skyteam member, when you pay for KE flights, you earn DL Skymiles... just make sure the class of ticket you buy is eligible for miles on DL...IF flying in coach. Long payover in Seoul from BKK-ICN to USA connection...but ICN lounge is the BEST! KE flies the new A-380 from Seoul to LAX and to JFK...maybe other cities too. tj Quote
Guest Posted April 7, 2012 Posted April 7, 2012 Istanbul is a nice city, well worth 2 or 3 days. Turkish Air has had 3 fatal events in 20 years, so at least it's better than the likes of Air France or Aeroflot. http://www.planecrashinfo.com/rates.htm Quote
kokopelli Posted April 7, 2012 Posted April 7, 2012 All that glitters is not gold with Delta! But recently purchased 60K miles + 45K bonus miles = 105 K. I put in 15 K miles I had and was able to get a Business Class flight for 120,000 miles from USA to Bangkok. Total cost about $2400 which was not bad for business class. However I had to book 9 months in advance and could only stretch out my trip for about 11 weeks = 77 days rather then the full 90 days for a tourist + extension visa. I don't know if their partner Korean Air would be more flexible? Quote
TotallyOz Posted April 8, 2012 Author Posted April 8, 2012 Korean Air is great when you can get the plane with the flat seats... KE flies the new A-380 from Seoul to LAX and to JFK...maybe other cities too. Great. Thanks for the recommendation. Nice to know about the LAX flight being good. Istanbul is a nice city, well worth 2 or 3 days. Turkish Air has had 3 fatal events in 20 years, so at least it's better than the likes of Air France or Aeroflot. http://www.planecras...o.com/rates.htm I had never seen that site before. Thanks. I'd love to see Istanbul but how safe is it for an American? All that glitters is not gold with Delta! But recently purchased 60K miles + 45K bonus miles = 105 K. I put in 15 K miles I had and was able to get a Business Class flight for 120,000 miles from USA to Bangkok. Total cost about $2400 which was not bad for business class. How did you purchase that many miles? Was it a special going on? Quote
kokopelli Posted April 8, 2012 Posted April 8, 2012 How did you purchase that many miles? Was it a special going on? Yes a special with 70% bonus. Sometimes Delta even offers a 100% bonus. The 70% bonus special ended on 31 March. I suppose they needed some quick cash? Quote
Guest Posted April 8, 2012 Posted April 8, 2012 I'd love to see Istanbul but how safe is it for an American? There are plenty of other american tourists there & Turkey is probably one of the most moderate Islamic countries. Safety certainly isn't a reason to stay away. There are also some gay bars, but these are not a great attraction. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted April 8, 2012 Posted April 8, 2012 Safety certainly isn't a reason to stay away Although not American, I'd certainly agree with z909. If you decide to go, take a crash course in the history of the city right back to the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. It is incredibly fascinating Quote
Guest Posted April 8, 2012 Posted April 8, 2012 If flying via Istanbul, I recommend stopping for a few days. Mainly for the buildings, location & pleasant ambience of the city. Taking breakfast on the hotel roof overlooking the bosphorus towards Asia is very pleasant. The night life did not quite live up to the promise of this site. http://www.ucityguides.com/istanbul/gay.html Deja Vu had a couple of exceptionally cute guys in there, but they seemed only interested in a mature Turkish gentleman. Some of the other places were closed. Quote
Guest lonelywombat Posted April 9, 2012 Posted April 9, 2012 I was in London last year and had to make a trip back to Thailand. I found the Qantas flights overbooked and had to check around for alternatives. The choices came back to Emirates flying A380's and Turkish. The stopover was quicker with Turkish so I took that flight. It seemed to be a new aircraft, good inflight service and I was impressed. The stopover in Instabul was a drag but the bars were open, I had a good meal, a number of drinks and was waiting to get on board when they called. The Bangkok flight was en route to Vietnam , once again almost new and great service. I have travelled in much worse on bigger airlines. I regretted I did not have the time to do Instabul again. It was fun last time. Quote
atri1666 Posted April 13, 2012 Posted April 13, 2012 Anyone flew Turkish Airways to Bangkok? Anyone know how their Business Class seats and service are? Have done it 2 times and it was very good. Now they rised their prices but when i bought ticket from Athenes i paid only 1200 Euro for return in Business. Good food and service and better seats than other airlines. Now they have also very good premium economy. Quote
TotallyOz Posted April 13, 2012 Author Posted April 13, 2012 Checking today, Air China is the cheapest Business Class fare from LAX. It is 3750. Korea Air is next at 4250. Do you think there is a major difference between the two? Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted April 13, 2012 Posted April 13, 2012 I have flown neither airline long haul for many years, but I know Travelerjim highly recommends Korean. I have checked seatguru (not always up to date) for types of business class seat, but each airline has so many types of long range aircraft that it's impossible to know which will be used on your route/date. Air China seems to have only old-type angled flat. Korean has fully flat beds on its A380 service and some of its 777s, but angled flat on others. http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Air_China/information.php http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Korean_Air/information.php Best to call the airlines, find out which aircraft are being used when you plan to fly and what type of seats - and then hope there is not an aircraft change!! Also check connecting times and lounge facilities in Beijing/Shanghai and Seoul. If you are stuck with several hours to kill, this could be important. From what I can see, a lot of Air China's connecting times are very long. Korean probably has better lounge facilities at Incheon than Air China in Beijing (although Beijing's new Terminal 3 should be well equipped). Quote
Guest travelerjim Posted April 13, 2012 Posted April 13, 2012 Checking today, Air China is the cheapest Business Class fare from LAX. It is 3750. Korea Air is next at 4250. Do you think there is a major difference between the two? Korean Air flies the new A-380 double decked plane non-stop from Seoul to LAX. I would love to fly that new plane and will do one day on KE. You earn DL Skymiles on KE too... with bonus credit miles + elite status miles for Business Class. tj Quote
