Trip Report: Turkish Airlines New A350 Experience

a row of seats with monitors on the side

Trip Report: Turkish Airlines New A350 Experience

Sam Chui·September 4, 2022

I flew on Turkish Airlines new A350 from Montreal to Istanbul after arriving on Air Canada B787 from Calgary.

Turkish Airlines premium passengers can use either Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge or Air France Lounge in Montreal. The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge has a great view across the ramp, and some decent snacks. However, it closes at 9:15 pm and Turkish Airlines flight board around 9:45 pm and departs at 10:45 pm.

a room with chairs and tables in front of a large window

a man sitting on a couch in a lounge area

Video

Turkish Airlines A350 Seating

The Turkish Airlines A350 Business Class cabin has an understated luxury silver/grey decor with all-aisle access.

There are 8 rows of Business Class on the new Turkish Airlines A350. They're the same seat as those on the B787 (the same seat is also used by Singapore Airlines regional/medium haul B787-10/A350)

Row 2/4/6/8 are window seat, Row 1/3/5/7 are aisle seat. For the middle couple seat, try row 1/3/5/7.

Turkish Airlines A350 Economy Class has a standard 3-3-3 configuration with the first few rows with extra legroom like Economy Plus. Row 28A and 28K has extra leg room due to no seat in front.

Seatmap of Turkish Airlines A350-900

The mask is no longer mandatory on Turkish Airlines unless the destination requires it.

a man in a chef uniform holding a tray of drinks — Welcome drink is served by the chef onboard. Champagne is available on request only.

Turkish Airlines also provide slipper and a shoe bag, in addition to the amenity kit. The A350 seat has a locker for private storage and mirror.

a hand holding a bag with a picture of shoes

We departed on time out of Montreal and were one of the last in the evening to fly out. You can see the takeoff action on video here.

an airplane wing with a city in the background

Food and Beverage

Economy Class has the option of fish or ricotta pasta.

a group of bottles and cans on a table — Economy Class beverage

For Business Class, it is on-demand dining. I have the Turkish Mezze for the starter.

a bottle of wine next to a glass — Trying out Turkish red wine from Gallipoli

a hand holding a menu — After dinner, cabin crew gives out this movie bar menu.

But I opted to get some sleep. The seat felt excellent in privacy from your own cocoon but it is narrow. My feet are restricted in the smallish footwell which makes it hard to turn.

After a few hours of trying, I could not sleep on this flight. I think the seat was a bit too closed in and the leg space was restricted. I hope this was just a one-off experience as I slept well in the past in similar configuration including on a 17 hour delivery flight from Charleston to Singapore on Singapore B787-10 with the exact same seat.

Turkish Airlines Business Class passengers, elite frequent flyers receive free Wi-Fi. The 1GB bandwidth is generous.

a plate of food with a bowl of food — Breakfast: Cheese Omelette

We landed on-time after 8 hours 20 mins flight. Istanbul Airport was huge, so we took some time to taxi to the gate. As usual, the camera tail view on the A350 is fantastic.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

The food and beverage is the highlight on Turkish Airlines flight. There are some good elements of Turkish culture incorporated into the offering. There are no more cut back in service due to the pandemic.
Wi-Fi up to 1GB size in Business Class.
Mask is not mandatory on flights to Turkey. (Subject to destination rules)

Cons

The Business Class seat while looks elegant and offer good privacy, it is narrow and feel closed in from the console in front. The legspace can be restricted in full recline.