From Istanbul, head for Porto, Portugal again on a flight with Turkish Airlines!
Because it is a European domestic flight, the aircraft is a small B 737. Many airlines use the same seat as economy class even though it’s business class, so this seat is specially designed for business class! It was a very comfortable flight!
※This article was written before the virus scandal. This will be updated.
Index
leaving Istanbul for Porto,
This flight is TK 1449 bound for Porto. Depart from Turkey’s new airport in Istanbul in April 2019 (Refer to the article about the inside of the airport two days before → Connection lines and lounge seen in Istanbul New Airport MAP.).
It takes 4 hours and 55 minutes to Porto, and although it’s within Europe, Portugal is still far.
The departure gate is D2. Despite being a huge airport, this D2 gate is located in front of the wing, so it takes only 4 minutes from the lounge!
There was a priority lane for business class and Star Alliance Gold in the boarding lane, but there was no priority boarding probably because there was no line, and all the economy class started boarding at once.
B373-900 Business Class Seat!
The flight’s equipment is B737-900. Because it is small equipment for short distance, there are often 3-3 arrangement seats including business class in European domestic flights, but this equipment of Turkish Airlines has a seat exclusively for business class!
Business class seats are arranged in 2-2 rows, with a total of 16 seats arranged in the first 4 rows. The black leather seat and the thick and firm back make this a business class seat!
The seat pitch in front and back is wide, so even if you sit down and stretch your legs, you won’t be able to get to the front seat! There aren’t many places in Europe where you can use this luxurious space.
However, the more I look at this seat, the more I like JAL class J! The seat thickness is totally different, but the back part with a coat hook is just like the class J seat of a generation ago!
The seat width is not so wide as Class J, and the armrest is about 50 cm measured by weight. It’s a bit small for a business class seat like this, but it’s a good place to put your arm on the armrest in a natural way.
equipment around the seat
Regarding the equipment around the seat, there are USB power and earphone terminals under the armrest, and there is a universal type outlet under the armrest on the opposite side. Maybe it’s because the power is weak, but it’s hard to charge even with iphone …
The armrest is a pull-out cocktail table. The problem is that it is shared with the next seat even though the area is small. … It needs to be closed during takeoff and landing.
The main table is a bi-fold type that is pulled out from the armrest. The rest of the arm on the other side provides support, so it’s fairly stable.
It comes with a monitor, but you can pull it out from the armrest on the opposite side of the table, not from the back of the front seat. It’s quite old, but it’s touch-sensitive and can switch to Japanese.
Other than that, there is an entertainment controller in the armrest and the reading light is only above the head.
foot rest and reclining function
You can recline the seat with the button on the armrest. It is not electric, but you can operate the backrest, leg rest and footrest individually.
Leg rest with foot rest. I like it because it allows me to sit and relax like a cradle.
In case of JAL class J, there is no foot rest and only leg rest, so the calf is compressed.
I turned it down as much as I could, but the reclining angle is not bad. The back part of the seat doesn’t sink as much as I thought, so my body slips forward when I sit down, but there’s no problem if I put my feet on the footrest!
It’s an old seat, but it’s perfect for a short distance.
No amenities
In addition, there are no amenity goods that can be received on this flight, only the cushion that was placed on the seat from the beginning and the headphones that will be distributed later.
Even though it’s in Europe, I was hoping that this flight would be a little more fulfilling since it’s a nearly five-hour flight, but unfortunately the equipment is completely short-range.
The headphones are made by Philips. It has no noise cancelling function, and the sound insulation is low, so it’s completely cheap.
CA can handle the vacant flights easily.
Now, there are only six passengers in business class on this flight, including me. Two CAs were in charge of us, and they were very polite and entertained us with smiles all the time!
It’s totally different from the flight I took from Singapore the other day! (Reference → Disappointed! Turkish Airlines B 777 Business Class Boarding Report SIN ~ IST) It’s good that the CA has plenty of time on the vacant flights.
There are 4 types of welcome drinks served just before departure. The red juice was a sweet and sour cherry drink.
So I will leave on time! The in-flight meal report will continue next time. Turkish Airlines Business Class In-flight Food Report! IST ~ OPO (Porto)
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