Turkish Airlines Dining
Turkish Airlines Dining

Review: Turkish Airlines B787 New Business Class

Turkish Airlines have ordered 25 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and have been operating 6 in their fleet since July 2019. During the first week of September the Turkish B787 Dreamliner is deployed between Istanbul and Dubai; this made it easy for a flight review, since I am Dubai based.

Turkish Airlines have configured their Boeing 787-9's in a two-class layout, seating 300 passengers - 30 in Business Class and 270 in Economy. The new Turkish Airlines B787 features an all new Business Class product.

an airplane on a runway
Turkish Airlines B787-9 Dreamliner

Business Class

The new Turkish Airlines B787 Business Class seat layout is in a 1-2-1 configuration, featuring direct aisle access. It is a move away from the wide open Business Class layout on their A330/B777. The seat manufacturer is Stelias, the same seat can be found on Singapore Airlines B787-10.

the inside of an airplane
Turkish Airlines B787 New Business Class
a seat in a plane
Turkish Airlines B787 New Business Class
a row of seats with monitors on the side
Turkish Airlines B787 New Business Class

New Uniform

Along with the new Business Class hard product, the crew also have a new uniform on-board which is predominantly red. What do you think of the new Turkish Airlines uniforms?

a group of women wearing red uniforms and holding luggage
Turkish Airlines New Uniform
a group of people in red uniforms
Turkish Airlines New Uniform
a group of people posing for a photo
Turkish Airlines New Uniform

TK763 Dubai to Istanbul

The flight wasn't full, there were 7-8 free seats in the rear of Business Class. The chef (who didn't receive a change in uniform) came around offering the welcome drinks. I love the fresh juice Turkish Airlines offer (Orange, Raspberry or Lemon/Mint)

a man in a uniform holding a tray of drinks
Turkish Airlines Chef With The Welcome Drinks Service

The crew also offered a packaged Turkish hazelnut before takeoff.

a basket of black packets with text

We took off on-time from runway 12R, initially climbing towards the West before a big 180 turn towards the NE. We flew over the Palm Jumeriah and Burj Al Arab hotel.

an airplane wing with a few airplanes on the ground
an aerial view of a city
an airplane wing and a city in the distance

The seat provides excellent privacy, an improvement over the previous wide open lay out; it has a luxurious and modern feel. At the same time it did feel a bit claustrophobic, with all the shells and covers. There is also plenty of storage space. On this short 4 hours flight, I was given a Molton Brown branded leather amenity kit!

a hand holding a brown pouch
Turkish Airlines Amenity Kit

Turkish Breakfast

Turkish Airlines serve a breakfast on this flight, starting with the usual cold plate of cheeses and vegetables. The main course was a choice between a cheese omelette or a Turkish pastry. I particularly enjoyed the bread basket on offer from Turkish Airlines as it has many more choices than other airlines. I had a Turkish Simit and a butterfly danish.

a plate of food on a tray
Turkish Airlines Business Class Breakfast
a plate of food on a table
Turkish Airlines Business Class Breakfast
a basket of bread and rolls
a man in a chef's uniform serving food in an airplane
Turkish Airlines Business Class Breakfast
a cup of tea and a slice of butter
Honey With Butter and Turkish Tea With Lemon

After the meal service the flight attendants came around offering a digestive service, I opted for more Turkish tea.

a man and woman standing in an airplane
Turkish Airlines Business Class Digestive Service
a table with a silver teapot and a bottle of liquor
a person holding a tray of tea and coffee

IFE and Wi-Fi

The IFE is fantastic on the Turkish Airlines B787. You can pair your phone to the screen and play your choice of entertainment from the pre-downloaded Turkish Airlines App. There is free Wi-Fi internet available for all Business Class passengers; it was also lightning fast, with a 30+Mbps download speed.

a screen shot of a mosaic
Turkish Airlines Inflight Entertainment
a screen shot of a television
Turkish Airlines Inflight Entertainment

The Business Class lavatory was also impressive, with Molton Brown products and nice greenery.

Final Verdict

We arrived at New Istanbul Airport 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The flight was incredibly smooth and quiet with the usual great Turkish hospitality. The New Business Class on Turkish Airlines B787 is a move away from the old open Business class layout.

Pros:

  • It has great privacy and direct aisle access. There is no more hopping over someone to go out now. There is also no middle seat to be stuck in.
  • It has stylish furnishings and good storage space.
  • It is long enough for myself (6"0 or 185cm) to stretch out.

Cons:

  • The new Business Class seat is narrower and may feel more claustrophobic.
  • The footwell space is limited.
a large jet engine on a runway
Turkish Airlines B787-9 Arriving at Istanbul

Video

After the flight, I visited the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge at Istanbul, which has lot to discover including an Art Gallery inside!