When I heard Sennen proclaim, "This is almost as nice as Singapore Airlines!" I knew we were going to be fine. At ages nine and eleven, Sennen and Ailyn are experienced, hardened and savvy travelers. They can fly 19 hours straight between Los Angeles and Singapore with grace and have no trouble navigating almost any airport they find themselves. But they do appreciate airlines with comfortable seating and good food. In the past year, they have also come to appreciate airline lounges.
To-date, Singapore Airlines remains the benchmark of quality in Sennen and Ailyn's world and to be given even a rough favorable comparison should cause an airplane to call their PR department and get a new campaign going.
I haven't flown Turkish Airlines since July 2010 when Emily and I began our one-year honeymoon in Mediterranean Turkey. Our flight from Chicago to Istanbul was good. Not especially memorable – which on bright side means it wasn't the worst. It was a decent international flight going to a place we knew little about.
Sennen and Ailyn have been to Turkey before which led to wondering if any of their favorite Turkish foods might be served – of which one was (Cecik – the Turkish counterpart to Greek tzatziki and Persian Mustokhiar). This only added to Sennen's overall positivity around Turkish.
Somewhere in Istanbul, some marketing executives should be very pleased. Over the past decade, Turkish Airlines as worked hard to expand their fleet, routes, service and image. Turkish would like to be something like a Singapore Airlines for Europe and Central Asia. In the United States, they have added numerous nonstops to Istanbul out a variety of American cities – not just the biggest three anymore. Turkish got Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi to participate in its "Widen Your World" campaign – seeking to elevate people's perception of Turkish as a global carrier.
Smartly, Turkish seems to understand it's not just the messaging that matters, but the actual passenger experience. To the kids' delight, every passenger gets a comfort kit – socks, eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush/paste in a keepsake bag – an item usually reserved for premium cabins. the blankets and pillows were soft and sumptuous. Best yet, the seats were not at the maximum configuration. Turkish – like Singapore – left enough width and legroom to be comfortable. At least on the 787-9 we were on.
"This is some great airline food!" Sennen rated the manicotti dinner – which also featured the cecik appetizer.
The flight to Istanbul also left and landed early.
In short, Turkish hit all the essential marks to win over my kids. And if you can win over my kids, you're running a solid airline. You hear that, Air Canada? Last summer, it was nothing but "What the hell is this?!" looks.
Combine that with killing time before the flight at the LAX Star Alliance lounge and during our layover at the IGA Lounge in Istanbul's new(ish) airport and the kids have enjoyed a little luxury in their world. Even on years with Singapore Airlines, we've had worse airport experiences including more than one time sitting on the floor of LAX and Narita. We are definitely movin' on up.
The new Istanbul Airport replaced Ataturk International as Turkey's largest and Istanbul's primary airport 2019 – making it new to me, despite having traveled to Istanbul twice before. Travel and Leisure magazine has rated it best in the world. I'm not sure I would go quite that far (Singapore), but it is a great facility and a giant (non-Maoist) leap forward. The shopping and facilities are clean, plentiful and attractive – certainly shaming the major American airports.
For a long travel day, we've done quite well.
We have a 6:50 pm flight to Athens, getting in by 8:20 and then we break for the day, staying at the Athens Airport Sofitel for the night. Friday we'll have a leisurely morning and an afternoon domestic flight to Kos, followed by a night ferry to Patmos. When all is said and done, it will be a 46 hour journey - not our best in terms of time efficiency, but probably not our worst in terms of fatigue and stress.
As seasoned and strong as my two travel companions are, the idea of reaching our Patmos home and crashing sounds pretty good to them – although Sennen would have preferred we could have explored Istanbul for the afternoon (just not enough time). They have a lot of Patmos on their minds from cats to tend to beaches to enjoy to soccer to play to favorite foods to eat. They say life is not the destination, but the journey. THEY clearly haven't been to Patmos. My guys have their eyes on the prize.
