Turkish Airlines A350-900 Review – Istanbul to Frankfurt – A Plane Swap From A330-300 to A350-900? You Bet!

Byinvisibletiger

Last time we took the A350-900 we had really mixed feelings about the seat. This time, we thought we were going to be on an A330-300 but as we rolled up to the plane to board, we could see that it was a newer aircraft and as we sat down, the safety pamphlet showed it was a A350-900. Well, that’s nice! We get to try Turkish Airline’s newer product again and get to judge it on a shorter 3h20m flight and see how quick their service was this time.

Turkish Airlines A350-900 – The Seat

Last time we were on this product, we felt it was a little tight. Not sure what changed, but we found that this one seemed to have a bit more room, or did we just lose weight? Not likely…

In any case, the seats were the same stylish pods as last time, however, these seemed to be a bit more beat up over time. Scratches around the cabin were more prevalent and just little things around here and there were showing that wear and tear occurs after hundreds of flights per year.

We settled in and maybe because we thought we were going to be on a much older A330-300, we were all smiles and this flight got off on a great start.

The design and colours make this plane still look very current and classy. These middle seats are away from each other.
A pillow, blanket and headphones await your arrival. These middle seats are closer together.
Coat hook on the left side but the scratches on the hardware are starting to show.
Inside this safety cubby hole are the headphones and the universal power outlet. Just to the left is a pullout vanity mirror and to the right is the headphone hook.
The seat and area were nice and clean.
The sound deadening materials around the seat are helpful.
The reading lights are not adjustable but you can turn on the one that suits you best.
Headphone jack, controls and the IFE controller. The armrest can be lowered for more shoulder room when in lay-flat mode.
The window seats are also staggered so one will be closer to the aisle while the other is closer to the window.
The footwell is not the roomiest, there is a small storage under the footwell for your shoes.
A closer look at the footwell, if you have big feet, you may not be able to sleep sideways.
The coat hook, does anybody really use these?
The literature pocket for the safety card and sickness bag.
The screen was a good size with good brightness and clarity.
The entertainment was very good with lot’s of selection of movies, TV programs and other stuff.
The divider between the seats can be lowered or raised.
Plenty of above head storage space, in fact, if they removed the middle section, it would make the cabin feel so much bigger.

Turkish Airlines A350-900 – Lavatory

The front lavatory on the A350-900 isn’t particularly spacious. So far, the largest lavatories we have seen probably have to be on the Singapore Airlines behemoth, the A380-800. As it is a newer aircraft, the design does have a newer look and appeal to it. The faucet has a sensor so you do not have to touch anything and the trash bin has a foot pedal to open it so again, no need to touch anything after you have washed your hands.

The lavatory was clean and nicely stocked with Molton Brown soap, hand lotion and a diffuser. There was also a Paina mist, not sure if was a facial mist or just a mist to spray in the air.

Modern and sleek with nice Molton Brown amenities.
The toilet with strong air suction, a great design!
The little details matter, a foot pedal for the trash bin is a must these days.

Turkish Airlines A350-900 – Food

Last time we took the A350-900, the dinner service was very slow, overall, it was 2.5 hours for it to be completed. Granted, this wasn’t dinner so the service was quick and efficient this time around for our breakfast. Both of our main dishes of smoked turkey cheese wrap and the poached eggs benedict were good as well as the starter plate of yoghurt, fruit and granola.

Here is the full menu for breakfast.
The backside featuring the drink selection.
A very nice start to breakfast with a fresh coffee.
My smoked turkey and cheese wrap.
Poached eggs benedict for my better half.

Conclusion

Our minds have changed since that last flight where we couldn’t enjoy the seats. Was it the plane itself? Was it the seats? Perhaps it was the staff? All-in-all, we couldn’t say for certain what was the difference but maybe expectations were out the window and we could just sit back and enjoy it more than scrutinizing each detail. Overall, we have to say that we did enjoy this flight and wish it would have been longer.

Thanks

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