Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class (A350)

As our winter vacation through Africa and the Middle East came to an end, we were set to head home on Turkish Airlines following our final stop at The St. Regis Red Sea Resort. We flew with Turkish Airlines for both the outbound and return legs of the trip. Our outbound flight was on a Boeing 777-300ER, which features the airline’s outdated 2-3-2 business class configuration. Fortunately, our return flight was aboard an Airbus A350-900, showcasing Turkish Airlines’ newer and far more modern 1-2-1 business class layout.

While both Turkish Airlines flights featured the airline’s excellent and well-regarded catering service, the added privacy and upgraded fixtures of the A350 cabin make a noticeable difference. Here’s what you can expect on board Turkish Airlines Airbus A350 in business class.

Booking Turkish Airlines Business Class

Our journey home began in Jeddah (JED), with connecting flights through Istanbul (IST) and Seattle (SEA) before arriving at our final destination in Vancouver (YVR). I opted for an overnight layover in Istanbul to break up the trip.

This itinerary was booked through Air Canada Aeroplan and cost a total of 180,000 Aeroplan points plus $312 in taxes and fees, for two people. While Aeroplan awards between North America and the Atlantic zone tend to require more points for a shorter distance than other regions, I still considered this redemption to be an excellent value. This award distance band allows for travel up to 8,000 miles for 90,000 Aeroplan points per person, and with our routing clocking in at 7,700 miles, I was pleased to have nearly maximized the full distance allowance.

If you’re planning to book a flight redemption on Turkish Airlines, it’s worth considering opening a premium Aeroplan credit card like the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card. The welcome bonus from this card alone is often enough to cover the points needed for an itinerary such as this. Along with other benefits like Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge access, this can be a great card for those who travel with Air Canada often.

American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card

Apply Now Learn More Terms & Conditions apply

American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card

The American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve card offers Air Canada benefits including Priority Airport Services, Eligible free first checked bags, and access to Maple Leaf Lounges™* across North America.

Check out our American Express Aeroplan Reserve card review for more details.

OFFER
85,000 Aeroplan points

MINSPEND
$10,000

EST. VALUE
$1,785+

ANNUAL FEE
$599

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

Ground Experience

I’ve visited the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge in Istanbul before and remembered it as one of the best in Europe, and after this latest visit, I’m pleased to report that it still holds up. The lounge offers ample seating and an impressive selection of food.

That said, this lounge has one major drawback. As Istanbul Airport (IST) is one of the world’s busiest global hubs, the enormous amount of business class travelers passing through the airport each day can make the lounge feel extremely crowded at times. Also, despite being a relatively new lounge, USB charging ports and power outlets are surprisingly missing from almost all seating areas.

Despite this, the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge overcomes some of its shortcomings with its distinctive live cooking stations, offering all manner of authentic Turkish cuisine.

The lounge is located on the mezzanine level of the terminal and features an open-air layout, with multiple food and beverage stations spread throughout the space.

A large buffet sits at the center of the lounge, while drink stations are positioned around the perimeter, offering cold beverages, coffee, tea, and alcohol. You’ll also find several live cooking stations serving up soup, Turkish flatbread, pasta, and more.

A handy amenity is the self-serve storage lockers, which are available for lounge guests to use during their visit.

Following this most recent visit, I think the Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge at Istanbul Airport still holds a place as one of the best business class lounges in Europe. Alongside top-notch food and beverage offerings, it features unique amenities like a golf simulator and a museum showcasing the history of Turkish aviation, providing plenty to enjoy during your visit.

That said, the lounge has consistently been very crowded during each of my visits. It’s a shame, as the primary appeal of an airline lounge is to offer a quiet, relaxing space before a flight, which is something this lounge often struggles to deliver.

Cabin Arrangement

Turkish Airlines have configured its Airbus A350 business class cabin in a staggered 1–2–1 layout, with each row alternating between seats positioned closer to or further from the aisle.

The A350 cabin has 32 business class seats, with every seat having direct aisle access.

From the moment you step on board, it’s clear that the design and aesthetics of this newer cabin are a significant upgrade from what’s offered on Turkish Airlines’ older Boeing 777s. However, if privacy is important to you, seat selection becomes especially crucial.

As is typical with staggered seating layouts, the seats positioned closer to the aisle offer minimal separation from foot traffic, which can make the experience feel far less private.

For solo travelers, the window seats in rows 2, 4, 6, and 8 are positioned closer to the window and farther from the aisle, offering enhanced privacy.

For those traveling as a couple, the paired seats in rows 1, 3, 5, and 7 are set closer together, making it easier to converse and enjoy the flight side by side.

Seat

The Turkish Airlines Business Class seats on the Airbus A350 are set within a stylish hard shell, lined with soft, padded fabric that gives the space a cozy, cocoon-like feel.

While the seats aren’t fully enclosed and lack sliding doors found in newer designs, the shell still provides a decent level of privacy. However, the seat’s “wing” feels somewhat awkwardly placed and slightly undermines the otherwise well-designed layout.

The privacy “wing” blocks almost the entirety of one of the windows and it seems to me this privacy partition would be better situated along the aisle side of the seat. 

Turkish Airlines offers a respectable selection of in-flight amenities, including a pillow, blanket, shoe bag, and slippers. All neatly placed on the seat before boarding.

In the side console, you’ll find a storage bin that holds the provided noise-canceling headphones, along with a universal power outlet and a USB-A charging port.

Interestingly, the sliding door on the storage bin features a built-in combination lock, much like what you’d find on a suitcase. It’s the first time I’ve seen this feature on an aircraft. While its practical value may be limited, as you would lose access to the charging ports once the door is closed, it’s a unique and curious touch.

Alongside the storage bin is a retractable vanity mirror.

The seats recline and lighting controls are located above the handheld entertainment controller. However, the placement of the controller isn’t particularly intuitive as I found that my forearm often brushed against its touchscreen, which can lead to unintended inputs.

Just below the control panel is an adjustable armrest that can be raised or lowered. When lowered, it creates a few extra inches of shoulder width while the seat is in lie-flat mode.

Positioned directly in front of the seat is an 18-inch high-definition touchscreen display. The tray table stows flush underneath the display and slides out when released.

Beneath the entertainment screen is a generously sized footwell that offers a comfortable place to rest your feet when the seat is reclined. There’s also a bit of space under the footrest, suitable for storing items like your shoes or a small bag.

The tray table slides out from underneath the display and can be folded open once fully extended.

Amenities provided for some additional comfort were a soft blanket, a shoe bag, and a pair of standard-issue airline slippers.

Turkish Airlines’ business class on the Airbus A350 is a vastly superior product compared to the outdated Boeing 777 cabin. While it lacks some modern touches like sliding doors and wireless connectivity, the A350 offers significantly more privacy and updated features, resulting in a far more comfortable and refined experience.

Bed

Although our flight was a westbound daytime flight and sleep wasn’t really a priority, following the first meal, the cabin crew came through the cabin to offer turndown service for those who wanted it. The crew laid out a mattress pad on each fully flat seat and provided a cozy duvet as part of the bedding setup.

I’d rank Turkish Airlines’ bedding among the best I’ve experienced on any airline. Combined with the cocoon-like privacy of the seat and a reasonably spacious footwell, it makes for an ideal arrangement to give yourself a decent chance at getting some quality rest during a flight.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit was provided by the French luxury brand Lanvin. While it wasn’t the most generously stocked international business class kit I’ve received, it included all the standard essentials typically needed for a long-haul flight.

The contents of the amenity kit included a dental kit, an eyeshade, a pair of socks, earplugs, hand cream, and lip balm.

Bathroom

The business class lavatories were spacious, as is typical on the A350, and featured a sleek black faux marble countertop that added a touch of elegance. And big thumbs up for the convenient foot pedal to open the waste bin.

Each bathroom was also stocked with Molton Brown products.

Dining

Turkish Airlines is well known for its in-flight catering complete with an on-board chef and appetizer trolley offering a range of canapes.

During the boarding process, the chef handed out the menus and took orders for the meal service. During this time one of the crew members came around with a pre-departure beverage service.

The dining and beverage menus for our flight were as follows:

Dinner

The dinner service began with another round of drinks and a small dish of mixed nuts. 

This was quickly followed by an amuse-bouche course that consisted of a beef skewer, grilled zucchini stuffed with cheese, and a deep-fried Turkish pastry filled with a savory stuffing.

The crew then came around with the appetizer trolley, allowing passengers to choose anything they liked. I opted for a bit of everything and while each item was tasty, it ended up being a lot of food considering the main course was still to come.

I ordered the braised lamb shank for my main course, and it had to be one of the most uniquely presented dishes I’ve seen served on an airline. 

Flavor-wise, everything worked well together, and the lamb was seasoned with just the right amount of sauce without the dish being drenched in it.

For dessert, I opted for some fresh fruit and a black tea. It was the ideal way to end the meal, light, refreshing, and just right after such an extensive meal service.

Following the meal service, the cabin was dimmed and a snack menu was handed out.

Business class passengers were welcome to help themselves to any of the items from the snack baskets, which were available in both the forward and mid galleys.

Before Landing Meal

Approximately 90 minutes before landing, a lighter second meal was served.

The first course featured a generous serving of buffalo mozzarella accompanied by grilled vegetables.

The meal turned out to be quite cheese-heavy, with the second course featuring a large helping of goat cheese alongside some grilled chicken.

The second meal continued the trend of Turkish Airlines’ reputation for excellent food and service. I found all of the food consistently outstanding, complemented by friendly and efficient service throughout.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

The in-flight entertainment system features a modern high-resolution display and offers all the usual options you’d expect, including movies, TV shows, live television, games, music, and more.

The movie catalog featured nearly 800 titles, spanning from recent Hollywood releases to classic films from the US and international cinema.

One of the many reasons I’ve always considered the Airbus A350 the best long-haul aircraft is its fantastic tail cameras, which I always enjoy checking in on during a flight.

Business class passengers were provided with a pair of Denon noise-cancelling headphones. Although I didn’t use them since I always travel with my own pair, they seemed to be among the better headphones offered by an airline.

Wi-Fi

In-flight Wi-Fi was available throughout the entire flight. Business class passengers were allocated a complimentary 1 GB of data plus unlimited messaging. 

Logging in to the Wi-Fi was simple and could be completed using your name and seat number, or by signing in with your Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account details.

Plans for purchase start at US$8 for 100 MB of data and go up to US$35 for unlimited data. 

The Wi-Fi was adequate for basic browsing and messaging, but anything beyond that, like streaming a YouTube video, was a lost cause. While some form of complimentary Wi-Fi is now something I expect in international business class, and credit to Turkish Airlines for including it, I wouldn’t recommend buying an upgraded package unless it’s essential to you.

Conclusion

No matter which of Turkish Airlines’ aircraft I fly on, the airline has always left me with a favorable impression. While the Airbus A350 offers a significantly more modern cabin compared to the aging Boeing 777, where the airline excels is in its consistently excellent service and on-board dining.

I wouldn’t hesitate to fly Turkish Airlines again, especially with Istanbul so ideally located as a gateway between east and west and would especially seek out routes operated by the Airbus A350. To top it off, the Turkish Airlines lounge in Istanbul is one of my favorites and is a great place to begin or break up any journey.