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- Looking for cheap airfare to Istanbul? 25% of our users found tickets to Istanbul for the following prices or less: From Durban R9 016 round-trip, from Cape Town R9 966 one-way - R9 169 round-trip, from East London R10 771 round-trip
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- High season is considered to be June, July and August. The cheapest month to fly from South Africa is February.
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Top 5 airlines flying to Istanbul
Scores according to KAYAK customer reviews8,2
Qatar AirwaysOverall score based on 12104 reviews
8,2Boarding
8,1Comfort
8,6Crew
8,2Entertainment
7,9Food
Airline reviews
Airlines lost all my bags and is not being helpful at all in tracing them. Value of baggage is over $25,000. I expect a full refund and expect to be compensated for the loss.
Airlines lost all my bags and is not being helpful at all in tracing them. Value of baggage is over $25,000. I expect a full refund and expect to be compensated for the loss.
Service is very good. No complaints.
Horrible experience at JKIA. Basic courtesy was lacking. Only the lady supervisor was pleasant and reasonable but it was too little too late for us.
The seats are congested.
Pros: "Everything about the trip was great excellent customer experience"
Cons: "If I got to sit in first class coz the plane was so empty haha"
Pros: "The cabin crew was very attentive throughout the long flight, offering water and orange juice often. Good selection of movies was available."
Cons: "Can't think of anything, everything was very good."
Pros: "Qatar Airways ground staff and cabin crew were excellent throughout the journey. The cleanliness and comfort of the plane was also fantastic."
Cons: "I can't think of anything that wasn't good."
Cons: "No gate for departure or arrival. No business class longe in Cape Town."
Pros: "Absolutely nothing."
Cons: "Everything. Firstly the flight was delayed, these things happen but nevertheless I end up missing my connecting Qatar flight to Belgrade, put into a horrible little hotel for 24hrs without my bag, no clothes or toiletries. At one point during the flight once everyone had their chairs reclined one hostess told me to not put mine so far back?!?! Then when asked well then person in front of me has to move theirs forward and her response no they don’t. Absolutely shocking. To think I wanted to upgrade to business class. I’m traveling the globe over the next year and thought let me try Qatar but never again with this type of service and how they treat their customers."
Pros: "Everything was great"
Pros: "The plane was new and spotless, the crew did everything possible to make the flight great. Food service, and Wine and Cocktails were always served with a smiling face and it made you think of flying many years ago. Service cleanliness of the restrooms and staff were top notch"
Cons: "Nothing really."
Pros: "The seat was comfortable, and food was very nice."
Cons: "Nothing I could think of"
Pros: "Left on time, arrived on time. Children aboard did not cry !uch."
Pros: "Yes"
Pros: "Amazing crew, new planes"
Cons: "Food can be adjusted to the cuisine of the destination."
Pros: "Not-so-full flight meant we could move about and choose more comfortable seats."
Cons: "TV unit didn’t work, lucky me. They tried two times to restart and reboot but to no avail. The attendant said my choices were to not watch or move to an empty seat. I chose to sit next to my wife."
Pros: "I really like the Qatar flight from Auckland to Manchester. But beware now that the Akl leg leaves 1 hour later the transit in Doha is officially 1.15hr. But since the first leg is always getting in and you have to bus to the terminal, transit time is about 30 mins. Although they are efficient and i made it this time, i wouldn't want to do this with kids."
Cons: "Short transit time"
Pros: "It is so far a cut above the American carriers. There’s no way to compare them, because Qatar Airways is so far superior. The seats are far more comfortable and larger, the amount of legroom is far superior, you have much more personal space, and the craft is cleaner. Flight Attendants are fantastic! They provide excellent personal care, and are there for everything. They are supremely polite and courteous, and bring things in mediately. Very often anticipating your needs. This is what flying used to be like on United and American. But those people have completely forgotten what service is. Qatar is a 5 star airline. United and American, to my view, are 2 star at best."
Pros: "In time ,food"
Cons: "On my flight from PHL to KHI, both legs had perfect head/necks that were adjustable. But on the flight from DOH to PHL, the neck rest was awful - it only adjusted vertically (unlike the other flights), and it was too thick so that my neck was in an extremely uncomfortable position for 14 hours - not fun!"
Pros: "Entertainment"
Cons: "Too crowded in in flight"
Pros: "Everything was good - food, entertainment, on time."
Pros: "Flight services"
Cons: "We were supposed to fly on 04/04/18 but our Flight was cancelled due to technical problem"
Pros: "On business class, so service was extraordinary"
Pros: "Older plane Older entertainment system"
Cons: "Older plane Older entertainment system"
Cons: "The gentleman next to me had broad shoulders, so I spent most of the flight with my body a bit twisted, and eating without being able to move my right arm normally was undesirable. The cabin was kept a bit warm throughout the flight. We had a long wait (30 - 45 minutes after leaving the gate) before takeoff."
Pros: "Courteous and friendly staff, on the plane and at the airports. Gave advice and directions when asked. Asked about time for food serving and said anytime you want something, come to the galley."
Cons: "A chorus of crying infants..."
Pros: "Generally courteous in-flight staff"
Cons: "Checking in, they asked for certain number of miles to upgrade. I offered it. Then at the last minute they came and said their system didn't accept American moles. For a daily if their system, they denied service to passenger. This is the second time with them. Last time when another airline missed connection and this time a ticket that I purchased. Doubt if I would, again."
Pros: "Doha to hyd was good. Crew was courteous."
Cons: "Even after online checkin. Just to drop the bags it took 1 hr. The thin old black lady at the baggage drop off counter was very partial in treating people. She allowed a black male take 27.8 kgs but asked us to adjust our bags when we had 23 kgs. Also if the passenger is allowed to carry a laptop bag, according to her training and theory she only knows 1 shape and does not recognize a back pack which has only the laptop. I travelled several times in Qatar, but never had this kind of experience."
Pros: "Excellent service from the crew. Flight on time."
Cons: "Not one of their newest planes."
Pros: "Staff very friendly. Loved the adjustable headrest as I am shorter and this is the first time flying that my neck was so comfortable I didn't need my travel pillow! Food was excellent!"
Cons: "Nothing!"
Pros: "The crew on my side of the cabin was very good."
Cons: "Not having available air for the center seats made our flight a truly awful experience. The older style seats are actually more comfortable for taller and larger people. My wife was virtually ignored by the male crew on her side of the aircraft."
Pros: "Exlent"
Cons: "Flight was delayed materially with little forewarning Service was poor"
Cons: "It was all good"
Pros: "Seating"
Cons: "Food"
Cons: "Plane configuration; seats were a bit cramped, knee space."
Cons: "On the second leg, my first choice option was not available. Instead I was offered what appeared to be a lurid pink yogurt, coupled with fluorescent orange 'juice', together with the Indian vegetarian option. The accompanying 'muffin' appeared to consist of the following ingredients: flour, oil. Suffers from the "African flight's don't matter" syndrome when it comes to level of staff and entertainment. I was expecting better from Qatar - back to Emirates I go!"
Cons: "I checked in a couple of hours after checkin open but unfortunately I could not get my preferred window seat, got a middle instead. But still the leg room would have been ok but the middle seat (second row behind the bilkhead row) had the front passenger's entertainment system arranged across the footwell, not sideways, so it completely blocked the footwell and prevented any stretching of the legs. I am a tall passenger and this caused much discomfort on the flight, I had to keep getting up to walk around. I also found the seat bottom quite uncomfortable (not enough padding I think), butnghis could have been made worse by the footwell issue. Regards Neil"
Pros: "Staff was excellent"
Cons: "More selection or choices like international food not like focus on Indian food"
Pros: "Crew was great; plenty of space to stretch out"
Pros: "Crew"
Pros: "Amicable staff"
Cons: "Baggage was damaged. They seemed to be running low on vegetarian food (despite having selected so online) - I was compensated never the less."
Pros: "I was upgraded to business class for the first time in my life. The food was good, and plentiful, in both classes. The stewards were accessible and friendly, the seats were comfortable. The movie selection was good"
Cons: "I was trapped in the window seat, because my neighbors were sleeping. Not Qatar's fault"
Pros: "Qatar airlines blew me away! The food was top notch and frequent, the flight attendants were incredibly nice and attentive, the planes and entertainment were world class aND they were affordable for our flight from Boston to Bangkok."
Pros: "Crew was friendly. Flight left on time!!!!!! :)"
Cons: "Food was served too late. Unable to get a bottle of water as I was dehydrated."
Cons: "The luggage management system was terrible. We had to wait 2 extra hours for a single carry-on that we had to check in before our 15 hour flight. After a 24 hour journey, it is really inconsiderate to add extra hours to the journey. For luggage, I would give a 1, very poor rating for Qatar Air."
Pros: "The staff was amazing! I started I get a headache- probably because of low blood sugar, and one of the attendant provided me with constant water, ginger ale, and chocolates. It was so sweet- she didn't have to make sure I was okay, but she chose to our the kindness of her heart!"
Cons: "The cramped quarters. I had a very tall person sit practically on my lap the entire flight, as he leaned his chair back the entire time. It left no room for me to use the table for my laptop. I was fortunate that no one sat next to me on my first flight, but for the second one I was not so lucky – so I couldn't work on my schoolwork."
Pros: "Qatar Airways is a nice airline and it's obvious they work on making your flight a pleasant experience with a lot of food, entertainment, etc"
Cons: "My flight was delayed 4 hours upon initially arriving to the airport. While it was important for me to be there when I found out this information because I needed to reschedule my connecting flightso due to the delay, this should not be required. Qatar Airways, knew the flight was going to be delayed at least 10 hours before they announced it. They should have already began the process of rescheduling connecting flights and figuring out problems before passengers arrive to the airport. I probably spent 45 minutes at the ticket counter working things out."
Long line at check in. It should be able to move faster.
Better information about the delay due to screening for US
Food & comfort
The absolute best in service and comfort.
One of my checked luggage was torn when received. I had to go through claim process. They asked for original receipt which I had by chance and reimbursed the cost.
The flight crew was amazing! Kind, helpful!
Pros: "great service"
Cons: "would have loved pj's"
Seating has more space.Connecting flight good. Food is good. They have to stop serving the cold dish which more than 90% of the passengers didn't eat.
Pros: "Inflight entertainment was superb, catering in main cabin was also excellent. The crew was friendly and professional."
Cons: "Main cabin seats were definitely better than other airlines, but still not the most comfortable for 8+ hours."
Pros: "I had better experience with Emirates before...we had to wait ages for our food but maybe because we were the last one on the list. Food was nice and crew friendly."
Pros: "Flight was nice and on time"
Cons: "No toothbrush toothpaste and eyes shades provided"
Pros: "The crew was amazing"
Cons: "Nothing, absolutely loved it"
Cons: "Boarding system did not work temporarily and the boarding was delayed"
Pros: "Everything was good and easy"
Pros: "Pilot does not waste time chatting. Still too much chatter (interrupting movies) but less than on other airlines."
Cons: "Entertainment system is Windows based and designed by a moron, especially CC behavior. Shows ads (LOTS) before each movie. Pops up window chrome every time you dismiss PA announcements. Very few movies/TVs (even those from the US) have CC."
Cons: "more western vegetarian options"
Pros: "Entertainment was exhaustive and entertaining"
Cons: "Service was very poor. They missed servicing drinks when I was watching movie. Didn’t ask me. There was NO air freshener sprayed in this long flight. Overall service was very poor especially on my side of service at 32F."
Pros: "Latam could not issue a boarding pass at Santiago. This led to long waiting at Brazilian immigration checkpoint. Not having a Visa kept me.from entering the immigration and security wont let me in without a boarding pass. security supervisor had to contact Emirates ground staff who escorted me."
Pros: "Interior of plane was very comfortable and entertainment options were excellent."
Cons: "Slow to serve food and drink. We had to wait 2 hours before being offered anything."
Pros: "Lucky to have the seat free next to me otherwise not much else good."
Cons: "Was supposed to be a A380 but they changed the flight to 777. I only flew with Emirates to be in the more spacious A380 otherwise I’d have chosen another carrier at better price. I also paid to choose seat which naturally didn’t apply any longer and was put at very back of plane so that money was wasted. They could have at least advised but the attitude was blaze and not willing to even speak to me."
Pros: "Xcellent"
Pros: "ICE Rock solid, at least from SFO-DXB and vice version and its variation in different movies, songs"
Cons: "Economy response -- Pressing the button takes a lot of time. Collection of shawls/earphones -- Please wait for the plane to finish its flight."
Pros: "Great service and smooth flight!"
Pros: "The boarding and immigration process was smooth and trouble free"
Cons: "Leg space was inadequate for an international flight."
Pros: "Not much"
Cons: "Flight attendants not friendly, some downright rude and looked like they hated their jobs (bumped into seats, rushed service, visibly irritated when people would ask for assistance), my video wasn’t working properly and was told “it’s an old plane, there is nothing we can do, it will be retired soon, we can get you some you some magazines”, food was terrible."
Pros: "I must admit....this is one of the best experiences I have had flying and I fly this route a lot. I was traveling with an Elder who required a wheelchair and every step of the way it was smooth and the crew was attentive."
Pros: "I was upgraded to an exit row when the staff saw how tall ineas"
Cons: "Entertainment system control broken"
Pros: "I like food and spacious seats, make journey comfort"
Cons: "TV movies were outdated,"
Cons: "In cochin to Dubai flight , There was no space to put my carry on baggage, I ask the crew to find the place and put it, but one of the crew said there is a place in the front but she cant take it there, I told her if it is above my seat and close to my seat I don't mind to put , some body taken my space its your responsibility to find the place and put it. then she called her supervisor and the supervisor told me the bag is heavy for her, (the bag was only 7 kg). I have to take the bag all the way to front. The crew is very lazy and too much attitude, wont fly this flight any more."
Pros: "one of the best flights I have had going to zanzibar"
Pros: "entertainment is great."
Cons: "food is the same as last flight."
Cons: "movies selection"
Pros: "Everybody was polity with smile the trip as good and"
Cons: "Space very cramped."
Pros: "Nothing. Will not travel again on Emirates"
Cons: "Food Comfort level Flight delay"
Pros: "Good movie choices"
Cons: "Boarding delayed, no information given to passengers Rush and push Not enough seating at airport Food was okay, so so Crew was okay, no compliments nor complaints"
Pros: "Good food"
Cons: "Technical issues with my in flight entertainment that was never that was never corrected"
Pros: "Overall very good"
Cons: "This seemed far different from emirate flights that I'm used to. Over the years their service has decreased but the 1 meal and sub-par snack I got for an 8.5hr flight was poor, likened to a budget airline. This is the second flight recently I've been on that the drinks come so long after the meal you don't even get to enjoy your cola with the meal. The first food cart should have colas if there won't be another cart to come along until 30+ minutes later. I also expected Emirates to provide an eye patch, an 8 hr+ flight in the night time hours in worthy of an eyepatch. Budget airlines do not provide this, but I expected Emirates to. Lastly, I don't think it's necessary to hand out a menu indicating there is something to look forward to when the food is of quite poor standards for Emirates, standard for all other airlines. Maybe the Durban to Dubai route stocks he flights with less experienced crew, this is the impression I got; a much less refined group of people on the plane."
Pros: "Boarding process followed at LHR #3 was well done and organized, made good use of passenger's time. Desk personnel at LHR #3 was professional, as was crew on aircraft into Dubai."
Cons: "No breakfast (had sticker on seat to wake up if needed) and ended up awake whole flight. Flight for LHR to Dubai did not provide breakfast although 1950 -> 0550 red-eye flight"
Pros: "Loved that they took care of a Skywards Blue member, even upgrading my wife."
Pros: "The crew was great in everything that they did."
Cons: "Nothing"
Cons: "server told person asking to take away her tray that she did not have three hands"
Pros: "New roomy plane! Great customer service! Kind, friendly, attentive staff. Great airline!"
Pros: "OK flight"
Pros: "Great service, comfortable seats, and great entertainment ..the food isnt too bad depending if ur not a picky eater, but overall its the best"
Cons: "N/a"
Pros: "i will be recommending Emirates to ally my friends which will ever be able to use them"
Pros: "On time. As comfortable as coach can be. Crew was friendly and helpful. The bag checkthrough/transfer from flydubai to emirates worked fine."
Cons: "Cabin temperature could have been warmer. The seat backtouch screens are aging a bit. They don't track well on the edges of the screen."
Pros: "Overall the service and food was nice."
Cons: "I was not able to recline my seat, so did my daughter. This happened for the first time with Emirates. It was a 16 hrs flight and gave me back ache since the passenger in front kept his seat reclined all the time. it gave me less leg room as well."
Pros: "Fresh food, customer service"
Pros: "Seat reclining was good. Fleece blankets were warm"
Cons: "Blankets had a really bad smell Food options were very limited - even bread was eggless"
Pros: "Helpful friendly crew, reasonable ticket prices."
Cons: "Luggage was delayed by 24 hours, customer service desk in Johannesburg EXTREMELY helpful, in Kigali they were clueless. Transit area very crowded, humid and stuffy."
Pros: "Well organized on check in. Attentive"
Pros: "New plane, fresh feel. Food is ok."
Cons: "Airline feels basic and no frills."
Pros: "Crew members are extremely polite and friendly. Flight was delayed leaving Kigali captain spoke to each passenger and apologise - great professionalism."
Cons: "Entertainment was limited."
Pros: "Took the newly opened route between Cape Town and Harare. Was a great experience. Thanks to RwandAir it is easier and cheaper to fly directly between these African cities. Lots of potential on the route. RwandAir really opening up business and leisure opportunities much needed in these areas. Nice to avoid Tambo airport."
Cons: "Both flights were slightly delayed (which happens), information about the delay could be better at Harare airport. But no biggy."
Cons: "No vegetarian option Bad boarding procedures, no one gets direction and it was very slow"
Cons: "THERE WAS MEAT INSIDE MY "VEGETARIAN" MEAL!!! This is totally unacceptable!"
Pros: "Food and in-flight services"
Cons: "Entertainment package"
Pros: "The crew members are very polite and professional"
Cons: "The food is not very nice, the drink is don’t taste so great either . The airline seats are too small"
Pros: "Friendly service"
Pros: "I think that I appreciated all the details during the trip. As I get my kayak app in my IPhone, i firstly received a notice that the check in started.... At each step, I could see the time discounted through my phone"
Cons: "As I said, I liked everything. From the departure to the landing"
Cons: "My luggage was broken into and stolen. They sawed off the zip on my suitcase and broke the handle. Stole a number of personal items including a belt, perfume, t-shirts and cash."
Pros: "The planes and shuttles are nice and clean, and the staff are pleasant. I had a long layover in Kigali and the airline gave me accommodation and a food voucher (totally unexpected). Will definitely fly RwandAir again."
Pros: "Food and free WiFi. Ample seating space."
Cons: "Rerouted through Dar-es-Salaam at last minute rather than being a direct flight as scheduled"
Pros: "Fligh was on time, front desk staff were very helpfful, flight staff were friendly"
Pros: "That there were not many people on the second leg and that the plane was clean"
Cons: "The fact that we had an itinerary change with an extra stop (unannounced until 15 minutes before I boarded the flight) that delayed us by 1+ hours, that we were delayed from leaving Kigali by 1.5 hours and none of the crew could explain what was going on, that the rwandair staff was rude. I mean... It's Rwanda so I didn't expect much customer service (they are generally particularly bad by African, European, Asian or American standards) and I definitely wasn't impressed"
Pros: "The food initially given at 2:00am IST was really good and so I didn't even have to wake up again to eat."
Cons: "The breakfast was not as appetizing."
Pros: "The aircraft was nice, clean and seemed new. The staff was very professional, immaculate uniforms and appearance. Great attention to detail. We traveled from US - Nairobi - Kigali - Johannesburg, changing planes four times. These were some of the nicest planes. I felt very safe traveling this airline."
Cons: "Too much bread in the meals. The meals were adequate in quantity but each meal came with two rolls, which was excessive. Just a note - for the boarding area in the airport. Please have restroom facilities in boarding area, past security so you can use the restroom without having to go through security again. Also, if food and beverage is available for sale in the boarding area more passengers would make purchases."
Pros: "Nice blankets. Good service."
Cons: "Food wasn't that great and juices were very sweet (tasted like sugar water)"
Pros: "Nice comfortable new planes."
Cons: "There wasn't much not to like."
Pros: "Friendly staff, decent snacks and entertainment options"
Pros: "The plane was nice and the captain gave good info."
Cons: "Why was dinner served at 2AM? They woke me up three times to serve drinks and food and the cabin lights were never turned off, for an overnight flight! The Kigali airport waiting area is awful, and the holding area made it so that every child had to use the bathroom as soon as we boarded."
Pros: "the snack was terrific!"
Pros: "Landing was very smooth. I got window seat as requested."
Cons: "My bags were mistagged and almost sent to Lagos instead of Nairobi. The agent noticed the error after the second bag was tagged. He went to search for my first bag that already went down the ramp. Although I gave him the exact description of the bag (purple hard case), he retagged the wrong one (red soft case). Good thing he took a photo. Third try was the charm but shouldn't have happened in the first place. Agents need to be more diligent with where they are sending bags and to double- and triple-check before he luggage is sent down the ramps."
Pros: "What did you like? the attendants were very kind"
Pros: "Good"
Pros: "Was good on time"
Pros: "on schedule. staff at counters and flight crew were courteous and professional."
Cons: "Reservation was not honored, and only 3 prople out of 5 get boarding. Airline did not provided any other alternative and our friends had to cancel tour and return home!"
Pros: "Overall comfort and staff friendliness"
Cons: "Landing was a bit turbulent"
Pros: "Flight was delayed over an hour. Otherwise the plane was new, everything felt good, and I have nothing to complain about!"
Pros: "Rwanda air crew"
Cons: "Lagos international airport"
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Time management"
Cons: "No entertnainment"
Pros: "Planes were great and flight crew excellent."
Cons: "On arrival at Kigali airport we were quickly moved through security to the departure area. This area was hot and without any facilities for toilets or water. We sat there for at least 1 hour and was a low light in out trip."
Pros: "Planes were great and flight crew excellent."
Pros: "Clean, comfortable plane and seating. On time service, courteous attendants. A meal served on a flight that was only about an hour in duration - very nice. Very pleased with this airline."
Cons: "Nothing."
Pros: "Everything went well as expected..."
Pros: "The crew is nice"
Cons: "Both flights were terribly delayed and while the crew apologized we sat on a small plane. In Entebbe the reason was they overbooked the flight. So leave those people behind to take the next flight, don't keep us prisoners on a plane for hours... Stupid management decisions."
Cons: "Too cold on the plane - way, way too cold"
Cons: "We were delayed by 1 hour because more cargo was being loaded on to the plane. When we arrived in Kigali, we found that our bags had been left behind to make room for other cargo. We arrived and checked in well before the 1 hour cutoff and we were under the weight limit, so there was no reason for our baggage to be left behind. We were informed that our bags would NOT be delivered to us at our next destination, that the burden was on us to retrieve them AND there was no stipend or any type of refund to compensate us for the inconvenience. Since we were continuing our travel by road to Uganda, we had to pay extra to have a driver return to the airport the next day to retrieve and deliver our bags. This is very, very poor customer service!"
Pros: "The Rwandair plane was modern and clean. Kigali airport has a nice cafe, and check-in was efficient. The plane left a few minutes early."
Cons: "Check-in closes one hour before your flight. Economy class: Food was a clingwrapped sandwich. The attendant gave me two bottles of a good South African wine. Security has gotten quite uptight at Kigali airport. They now stop your cab a couple hundred meters short of the airport, and have a dog check the vehicle. You have to pass through another security checkpoint at the entry to the airport building, and a third security into the boarding area. The final security check even takes away any empty bottles you have. And don't take any fingernail scissors in your handcarry, even if they have blunt points. You may have an hour or more wait in preboarding, and without water or bathroom excess. So takke care of these needs in advance."
Pros: "Clean planes"
Cons: "Ground crew at NBO - Rwanda Air has Kenyan Airways do the work in the terminals. Bad idea!"
Pros: "Orderly, organized, courteous"
Pros: "They were professional, timely and courteous. Except for one flight attendant who was a bit rude, the entire flight was enjoyable"
Cons: "The rude flight attendant who was welcoming people to the plane"
Pros: "Flight attendant are helpful."
Pros: "Friendly staff, comfortable business class seat with lots of room, good breakfast"
Cons: "No priority checkin for business class and no priority boarding for business class. I don't those are even that hard to organize . Airport ground contractors haven't been instructed to provide service to business class?"
Pros: "Free wifibat the airport and the charging stations"
Pros: "It was a short flight and all went well. We even had time for a snack."
The flight was 5 hours late, made us miss our connector to Dallas. No more flights to Dallas until Friday. We were only offered the late flight to Istanbul, hotel overnight in Istanbul. A flight to Houston and we’re are stranded from there. Later, I found a flight to Newark, take a Connector Bus (my costs) to JFK, overnight layover 8 hours, and a flight to Dallas from there. I was refused to change to that flight unless I paid $300, my connector, and any hotel costs if I chose one. Having spent the night before in JFK, I absolutely would need the hotel, it is not safe.
Pros: "Entertainment was great!"
Cons: "The check-in was stressful and congested."
Pros: "Crew was excellent, seats were comfy."
Pros: "Crew was very good and seat in long trip was comfortable"
Cons: "Boarding in first leg needs more organization"
Cons: "Food is not great and the flight was delayed by an hour"
Pros: "Care from the crew and consideration"
Pros: "Service, flight and landing, exceptional!!!"
Cons: "No cons..."
Pros: "Service food timely departure"
Cons: "Nothing to dislike"
Pros: "flight departed Jhb on time and arrived in Istanbul a few mins earlier than scheduled"
Cons: "1.cabin temperature varied from cold to very warm 2.I asked the cabin crew for a blanket but they forgot about it 3.I ordered a whisky with ice - was given half a tot with 2 small blocks of ice 4.only one person was serving drinks and food on my aisle so it was very slow service (other aisle had 2 crew serving)"
Cons: "customer service needs upgrading"
Pros: "No complaints about the plane, staff etc and its probably no worse than any other airline"
Cons: "Long overnight flight in Economy Class, little legroom. As I am larger than average and find it hard to sleep on flights, the cramped conditions were extremely uncomfortable"
Pros: "I'm 6 ft 2. Legspace was adequate, and no silly boxes under the seats like other airlines that obstruct your feet. Great entertainment systems - modern, good selection. Food and staff excellent."
Cons: "Their online checkin systems could operate a bit more smoothly. At one point, I had to go in in person, because the online checkin site had an already past flight from their codeshare partner SAS showing up as the next flight, and I couldn't perform online checkin as a result."
Pros: "The food and entertainment was good. The crew was very nice."
Pros: "Airplane crew was amazingly friendly and helpful"
Cons: "The customer service in Istanbul airport (for Turkish Airlines) did not speak or understand English at all. She could not give us any helpful information of our flight"
Pros: "Cabin crew was perfect! Food and everything is best!"
Cons: "small plane, noisy! did not like business class. BUt overall ok"
Pros: "The food is always good"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Friendly staff, great food and entertainment selections, care package/pillow/blanket provided, comfortable flight"
Pros: "Service, timing"
Cons: "Didnt love the food ..."
Cons: "Missed Flight: The flight from Istanbul to Athens was posted as delayed. We were a party of eight and arrived for boarding very close to deadline (minus posted delays) At the boarding gate we were met by six other passengers. The gate was vacant and closed. The real problem happened at the Turkish Airlines desk where we were treated with arrogance, disdain and absolutely no compassion. AS a matter of fact some of the Turkish Airlines staff smiled as they imposed an outrageous fine to purchase tickets to the next flight and continuation of our previous booking. We intend to protest the charges and contact thru many forms of media inform as many fellow travellers of the incident and subsequent treatment by Turkish Airlines. Social media is a powerful tool and although the cards were held in their favor the night of 9-21-17 our protest will not end here. We are fourteen wounded travellers that have agreed to use as many forms of social media as possible to get our message out."
Pros: "Liked the movies and entertainment selections."
Cons: "They didn't have a vegan menu. I had requested vegan and called over the phone a month before my flight and they said they understood. Then on the flight I was told they only do vegetarian which was not good enough. After food was passed out to guests the flight crew dissapeared and never came to collect food trays till about 2 hours after and guests were starting to make a mess leaving food trays on the ground and isles. I had already selected my seat prior to boarding which I paid hundreds of dollars for. Then after boarding the flight crew asked me and the gentleman sitting next to me to move our seats to accomodate for another man that wanted to sit next to his wife. Then I was stuck in a middle seat and I paid for an isle seat. I thought this was rediculous. No one offered me a discount or anything! And the man that wanted to sit next to his wife wouldn't let the plane leave till he was sitting next to his wife. What was I supposed to do? Hold up the plane even longer? This was so crazy!! Outrageous!"
Pros: "Purchase value"
Cons: "Economy seats are a bit tight"
Cons: "My flight was cancelled twice within 24 hours before takeoff. All I got was an email saying it was cancelled and a number where no one could help me. I spent over $40 international calls just to reschedule my flight, only to have to take a $80 cab to the airport to have a human help me. Worst customer service and worst experience. I was trying to get home after a natural disaster struck my hometown and Turkish Airlines actually made that experience even worse. At no point did anyone even apologize for cancelling two of my flights without another option until a full week later. I had to pay to fly myself home from Boston because they were so unhelpful. Would never recommend Turkish Airlines to anyone I know whn traveling internationally."
Pros: "Friendly crew"
Cons: "The issue of excess baggage. Would appreciate to buy on line before my flight so that I know how much to carry and also that I am covered before leaving home. Payment at the airport may be too costly as well as unreasonable. It's like a penalty for having excess luggage. This is the reason I prefer flying with EMIRATES because they afford me to but pay fir excess luggage before my departure. Planning ahead is key"
Pros: "The food"
Cons: "The seats are very tie"
Pros: "Constant service, food, entertainment."
Cons: "Seat area is too small. No room for legs/feet. Garbage was not picked up."
Pros: "The flight was quite comfortable. We lucked out with only a partially filled flight leaving extra space to sleep. Service was friendly and the food was excellent! I was fed twice on my 9hour flight and once on my 4hour flight. Great in flight entertainment."
Cons: "No complaints."
Pros: "Entertainment and food was good."
Cons: "Flying to Tel Aviv (I missed my chance to review), my tray table was broken and the USB wouldn't charge on any of the televisions."
Pros: "Service was exceelent and all crew staff were professional and friendly and courteous."
Pros: "Great airline"
Cons: "More leg room is needed"
Pros: "Food and Crew"
Cons: "The fact that the boarding was by bus and not through a sleeve detracts from the process."
Cons: "the kosher food was poor"
Pros: "Food is excellent, staff great."
Cons: "Not nearly enough leg room for an international flight!!"
Cons: "Less variety of food and entertainment options compared with other airlines I traced to USaa but service was exceptional."
Cons: "to hot, very hot!!! ו suffered too much"
Pros: "Everything"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Good overall service"
Cons: "The staff could've been more patient"
Pros: "Entertainment system is excellent, food is solid and plentiful."
Cons: "I've flown Turkish a few times before, and they're generally pretty good for the price. This trip was different. Despite Turkish Airlines policies outlined in their "Customer Rights," I received no notification that the flight was delayed 3 hours, and there was no notification at the JoBurg airport until you go to the counter to check in. JoBurg staff - which are Menzies third-party contractors, not Turkish staff - were disorganized, uncommunicative, and unhelpful. Only one person at the check in desk seemed to have authorization to make any changes, so all other agents were running back and forth to speak with him, and not communicating with passengers. It took over an hour to get clarity on the situation and rebook my connecting flight to Washington for a different flight 8 hours later. The only compensation offered was one meal voucher worth R100 (roughly $7). They would not even look at other Star Alliance flights for early arrival in Washington, and said they were not authorized to consider upgrading my ticket. When I called the Turkish customer service, they essentially said "What do you want us to do about it? You have to submit a formal complaint." Boarding was totally disorganized. In theory there are boarding groups, but after business class and all the high-ranking loyalty members, it's pretty much a mad rush. This seems to be the common practice for Turkish now. In general, Turkish has a great entertainment system on all their long-haul flights, with tons of movies - including very new releases - music, games, etc. They also provide complimentary kits with socks, slippers, eye mask, earplugs and dental kit, even for economy passengers. The meals are fairly good for airlines. However, legroom in economy isn't great. I'm 6'1", and had difficulty getting comfortable with my knees jammed into the back of the seat in front of me. On this particular flight, I was in row 18. The cabin crew were frantic, disorganized, and shouting to each other across passengers. One half of our row was served the meal, and the other half had to wait over 30 minutes to be served for some reason. By that time the vegetarian option was no longer available. Crew also had to run back and forth between service carts because they were frequently out of very common beverages (like sparkling water. And ice.), and on two occasions crew left a drawer from a cart full of trash sitting in the aisle. There were several times that crew ran carts into passengers - including once into my knee that was not in the aisle - and didn't even acknowledge doing so. They also stopped the carts in front of occupied lavatories, temporarily trapping passengers. So not terribly professional. While not specifically on this flight, the experience in Istanbul airport with Turkish Airlines' staff was awful. Zero interest in helping, rude and dismissive, and overall terrible."
Pros: "Food, boarding"
Cons: "Leg room was limited"
Cons: "Antisematic"
Pros: "great company."
Pros: "I liked the entertainment options during the flight."
Cons: "1) Since we had a long layover at Istanbul, the airline provides the option to take you to a free hotel to spend the night. I knew this information based on online reviews, but the airline itself never did anything to offer this, I had to walk around on the airport, for like 2 hours I could not find decent help and some instructions in broken English. I had to pay 25 Euros to get mi visa stamped and walk out of the airport. The Turkish Airlines attendant that set up the free hotel for us, walked us to a shuttle that would drive us to the hotel, but the shuttle driver got lost? or something happened that caused for him to drive around town for more than an hour, speaking on the phone loudly in Turkish and completely ignoring us when we asked questions, This got a little scary since we had no idea what was going on, at some point we were in the middle of a dark residential area, and listening to the driver yell on the phone (god knows what). Luckily a driver came over and guided us to the hotel, but seriously, they should be careful about who they hire for these kind of tasks. (I posted a video on instagram with footage of the guy driving us around in case my family needed to find me)."
Pros: "I left my iPad in the seat back of my previous flight to Istanbul and by the next morning they had my iPad to me and Hungary! Very professional!"
Pros: "On time and the crew very friendly"
Cons: "Boarding was not very well managed. They did not stick to the proper sequence."
Pros: "Food was excellent. Service was awesome."
Cons: "Nothing."
Cons: "The flight from DXB was delayed, causing us to miss the connection to LIS in IST. 2 hours after standing at the transfer desk they put us on a flight to LIS via CDG. Luggage was kept in IST. Now we are in LIS with no luggage and no confirmation on its whereabouts. Lost and found staff at LIS (Portway) showed total confusion in claiming luggage was in CDG. Today two planes arrived in LIS from IST, none of them with our luggage. Screen shows my name with mention "Not loaded" regarding the luggage. This incompetence is unacceptable from "Europe's best airline". This title is misleading advertising and should not be allowed."
Pros: "Crew is amazing, as always"
Cons: "Allergic needs were not met"
Pros: "From the first person I met (the man who printed my boarding pass at the counter) to the crew on board each flight, I was very impressed with the people at Turkish Airlines :) Everyone was very pleasant and helpful, and made my trip enjoyable."
Pros: "On time departure and arrival. Seat back entertainment systems were quite good."
Cons: "Seats were a bit cramped. Meal was OK, not great."
Pros: "Overall, it was a pleasant flight with good food and entertainment."
Cons: "The crew was inefficient: delivering coffee one cup at a time and not even offering it to everyone. I had asked a flight attendant for a glass of water and was never brought water until I asked someone else. The check-in personnel and flight attendants seemed to have no knowledge of toddlers traveling with a carseat, so I had to explain to them that he travels with his carseat or he manages to get out of his seatbelt. They made some calls to see if it was fine to bring the carseat onboard and finally gave us the ok, which we were very grateful for. When it was time to board and also to exit the aircraft it was a very slow process...much slower than usual. Most airlines have you boarding 30 minutes prior to your flight, but we were still standing around waiting."
The actual flight was ok. But was a mess before departing AMS. My previous flight was late, so missed my connection in AMS. Then I spent over two hours getting things settled to get another flight. I was unable to complete my request online, and no one at KLM in AMS wanted to help. They kept giving me the run-around until I finally convinced them K was stuck without their personal help. It added a lot of stress (and about 5 more hours of transit time) to my overall journey.
The flight was delayed at least one hour. The bathroom inside the aircraft was really dirty. On the other hand the cabin crew was really nice.
Facilities for short connections.
Delay and change of terminal last minute
I love KLM, its very spacious and clean and the landing is always very soft. Great Airline!
Pros: "This Transavia Airlines is not good at all."
Cons: "Many things cheaper does mean better."
Cons: "Bigger seats the new ones are way to narrow"
Cons: "Klm is the best, even on a 40min they served small breakfast."
Pros: "Klm's consistantly high standards in everything they do."
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Flight arrived on time"
Cons: "No food provided "due to a strike the previous day". Not sure why this would impact on providing a sandwich or snack particularly when champagne was still available for first class passengers."
Pros: "Service and crew amazing friendly and went out of the way to Make u feel special even the pilots gave updates thru out the flight"
Cons: "Not being to help on the ground in Copenhagen with delta issues"
Cons: "Crew members in Amsterdam were very rude and disrespectful"
Pros: "The crew was amazing, flight on schedule and good entertainment."
Cons: "Space is just reasonable on a long flight, even if there's seats more spacious that you could choose if you pay more."
Pros: "Just as I expected. And I made my last connection easily."
Cons: "Travelled business class and was ace experience"
Pros: "Seat was comfy and spacious for economy class"
Cons: "Vegetarian meal was okay but could be more enjoyable if served with bread at start of meal."
Pros: "No delay and nice staff"
Pros: "The crew was great! The food was also much better than other airlines. And passing out whole bottles of water was much appreciated."
Pros: "well mannered and attentive crew - good supply of complimentary food/drink - good over all comfort"
Cons: "boarding was running very far behind - considering this is mainly a hub operations carrier - resulted in several passengers missing their connecting flights -"
Cons: "I bought tickets thrue you for me two months ago Iit went well but on the last few days I also bought ticked for my brother and his wife and it was a disaster night mare for them bound for Montpellier too to attend a wedding the damn suitcase didn’t get to final destination it was at Orlando but got"
Pros: "Crew was awesome"
Cons: "."
Pros: "Great service"
Cons: "Services was pretty weird .. Perse or crew Leader was ok But the assistent Young one was Really bad.. aptitud and not friendly at all."
Pros: "Easy flight; loved the crew and their friendly customer service. Great food, kept everyone hydrated and fed."
Cons: "The movie options, as well as music and TV options were limited. There were no electrical outlets."
Pros: "Comfort was better than on the previous Dash-8. Food was OK."
Cons: "Despised the cold temperature and cold draft in world business even with all vents shut off...gave me a head cold. Boarding was disorganized. There was no sense of direction; ergo, everyone was jumping in."
Pros: "The crew was fantastic! Our needs were constantly being met and just about the time you thought you might want a snack or a meal, the attendants were already heading down the aisle. Because of an allergic reaction, I asked for ice a number of times and the attendants were more than happy to meet my needs."
Cons: "The seats were very close together. The trip from New York to Amsterdam seemed a lot more comfortable than the return flight. The food from NYC JFK was better than the food from Amsterdam. The movie selection on both flights was a little disappointing."
Pros: "Professional crew. Good boarding."
Cons: "No entertainment on board in business. Stale buns - staff unapologetic. Older 737 with uncomfortable seats."
Pros: "Food and staff behaviour"
Cons: "Entertainment"
Pros: "Food was excellent, frequent and filling"
Cons: "The seat was not comfortable compared to my prior leg of the journey. Unfortunately the bathrooms were not clean, I understand that it's not the sole responsibility of the crew and passengers need to be mindful too."
Pros: "Sound was broken on my TV set!"
Cons: "Called stewardess twice to assist. No response!"
Cons: "Our total flight time was about 17 hours - MAD- AMS-LAX. My husband and I both have an internationally approved carry on luggages with us. When we checked in - they asked us to both check in our carry on luggage. The reason why is because they said they don’t think they have enough space for our carry ons. I told the crew member checking us in that other people that was checking in with the same hand carry size luggage with us had no problems taking it with them. For being about to be on a 17 HOUR FLIGHT we should be ALLOWED to have our carry ons with us! We take carry ons for that reason! I had to argue and prove my case to the crew member to atleast keep 1 carry on with us. I thought that was an UNACCEPTABLE reason for us to check in a carry on luggage when we had a 17 hour travel time ahead of us. Not a happy costumer here."
Pros: "Very friendly crew going out of way to assist in making trip comfortable"
Cons: "Had travelled KLM to Amsterdam on my first flight 27 years ago and the aircrafts are stuck in that age! Lousy seats, poor quality bathrooms, lousy screens, prefer not to fly them"
Pros: "Friendly attendants. Decent food, and frequent snacks and beverages."
Cons: "No charging ports for electronic devices."
Cons: "The streaming service didn’t work"
Pros: "Lovely staff, good food, great movies."
Pros: "Decent seat size. Sorta slept the whole flight."
Cons: "Boarding was a free for all. The travelers did not pay attention to the priorities."
Pros: "Everything. A truly faultless experience!"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Good multi media access and content"
Pros: "Crew was very helpful.food"
Cons: "Food was not upto the mark."
Pros: "Comfort economy well worth the extra."
Cons: "suitcase didn't turn up, although connection was quite tight"
Pros: "Priority boarding was appreciated and the flights were on time. Service was fine. Schipol was good."
Pros: "Everything - Checkin, crew, food, entertainment"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "Nice, turbulent-free flight. Food was good, service with a smile. Leg space was OK because Boeing 777s are usually better at this."
Cons: "Flight left over an hour late because of a sensor glitch. It is concerning when a technical glitch happens. But, the flight was smooth."
Pros: "Staff, service"
Cons: "Nothing"
Pros: "We love the flight all the way"
Pros: "10 hour flight - I was well looked after, regular drinks, the food and snacks were good enough and tasty. The in flight entertainment was good - latest movies and worked a great variety of tv, books and movies. The airplane was modern and comfortable"
Pros: "In general, it was ok"
Cons: "Flight was delayed and because of this I missed my connection flight to Amsterdam"
Pros: "Flight was delayed by over three hours."
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