I wanted to write a review of Turkish Airlines in the economy section to let you guys know what I thought of my flight to Budapest. You may or may not remember that I got a great deal to and from Budapest via Turkish Airlines in January ($575 roundtrip, what a steal!).
Why I Chose to Fly Turkish Airlines
It was a great deal because I flew four hours out of my way for each leg of the trip. The transfer was in Istanbul, Turkey both inbound and outbound and when I booked this flight, I didn’t exactly realize that I’d be adding this much time to my itinerary. This is OK if you don’t have any time constraints or really need a cheap flight, but I am 99% sure that I’m never going to do this again.
My Honest Review of Turkish Airlines
Anyway, the actual flight experience was A-OK. The planes were probably 10 years old but still functional (um, duh) and each seat had an entertainment console with a great selection of movies. Headphones, blankets, and pillows were also provided free of charge, and this cute little pouch with a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, etc. in it!
As far as the food goes, I’m pretty easy to please when I’m a captive audience 35,000 feet in the air. There was a snack and a drink provided after takeoff, then a dinner, and a breakfast because we were landing in the morning in Turkey. I had cheese lasagna and it was pretty tasty. Disclaimer: Again, I’m not hard to impress when I’m starving. There was free booze, too! I was a pretty happy camper.
My only complaint was the legroom. I was in economy and it was pretty awful. It was hard to fall asleep so I only got a few hours on each flight. This is because these planes are old and need to be updated, I think because the tiny plane that I transferred to in Istanbul was much, much nicer. I actually slept half of the two-hour flight!
Overall, unless you need to save money, or are actually going to Istanbul, I’d skip Turkish Airlines. I will save my pocket change to afford the pricier airline the next time I travel.
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