Flying in Business Class with Turkish Airlines is a luxurious experience that combines comfort and excellent service. Turkish Airlines operates an extensive network, flying to more destinations worldwide than any other airline. This expansive reach and strategically located Istambul (IST) airport make them a popular choice for business travelers and frequent flyers alike.

In this post, we’ll dive into Turkish Airlines’ business class offering, reviewing what passengers can expect onboard, and then analyzing the Miles&Smiles loyalty program for business class flyers. Whether you’re planning your next premium cabin journey or looking to maximize the value of your miles, this guide will help you make the most of Turkish Airlines.

In This Post

How’s Turkish Airlines’ Business Class Experience?

Seat and Cabin

Turkish Airlines’ business class seats and cabins are known for their comfort and space. The cabin atmosphere is enhanced with mood lighting, designed to reduce jet lag on long journeys. On long-haul routes, they offer lie-flat seats, ideal for overnight flights. Each seat is equipped with:

  • Lie-Flat Beds: Seats transform into 193cm (6.3 ft) beds, a width reaching up to 66cm (26 in) with fully adjustable armrests.
  • Adjustable Headrests and Lumbar Support
  • In-Flight Entertainment System: Selection of movies, TV shows, games, and music.
  • Storage: Each seat has dedicated easy-reach storage for personal items.
Turkish Airlines Busines Class Cabin.

Turkish Airlines also provides high-quality amenity kits featuring products from luxury brands and plush blankets and pillows to maximize in-flight comfort.

Dining and Amenities

Turkish Airlines is renowned for its exceptional in-flight catering and food presentation, as a reflection of their culture. Unlike most airlines, Turkish Airlines serves a 4-course meal. The appetizer and dessert course is served from a designed trolley. This trolley rolls down the aisle with many options to choose from and passengers could choose as much food as they want. Meals are prepared in partnership with Do&Co, a prestigious catering company, and served by “Flying Chefs” on selected routes. The menu reflects authentic Turkish flavors alongside international dishes, ensuring a memorable culinary experience.

Turkish Airlines Dining Experience.

The amenities offered in Business Class in this well known airline include what is usually a standard, but with some adittionals. Socks, eye mask, earplugs, slippers, dental kit, pillow and blanket. But last year Turskish Airlines launched the Ferragamo Collection to Business Class Passengers. Those premium travel kits include some high-end Salvatore Ferragamo products: face spritz, lip balm, moisturizer, and different personalized extras depending if you ask for the womans or mens kit, such as the hair tie in the red kit, designed for womans.

Ferragamos designed travel kits.

Turkish Airlines Lounges

The Turkish Airlines Istanbul Lounge is widely regarded as one of the most impressive airport lounges globally, often praised for its vast space, luxurious design, and extensive amenities. Travelers appreciate its multiple dining areas offering authentic Turkish cuisine alongside international dishes, as well as a wide selection of wines, coffee, and tea.

The lounge is divided into various zones catering to different needs. There are quiet areas for rest, complete with sleeping suites and showers, workspaces with desks and charging stations, and even entertainment areas that include a golf simulator and gaming consoles. Passengers often highlight the cozy, upscale ambiance and the beautiful decor, which reflects Turkish culture through its intricate patterns and art pieces. The Istanbul Lounge has earned a reputation as one of the best airport longes in its own right.

Turkish Airline Lounge in Istambul Airport.

Miles&Smiles Loyalty Program: Redeeming in Business Class

Turkish Airlines’ loyalty program, Miles&Smiles, offers excellent opportunities for frequent travelers, particularly those who fly in Business Class.

Redeeming Miles&Smiles miles for Business Class travel can offer excellent value (even after 2024’s big devaluation). Keep in mind that Turkish Airlines follows a Region Based Award Chart. Here are some of our favorite routes:

Planning and Booking Round-trip Miles&Smiles Awards

Airline search engines often present challenges when comparing options and finding award seat availability. Fortunately, tools like AwardFares simplify this process. It offers features such as real-time searches, alerts for specific routes and dates, and a journey planner to assist in booking reward flights efficiently.

1. Go to AwardFares

Creating an account is optional, but it’s also free, and it gives you access to more features. Make sure to sign up for one.

2. Select your favorite Frequent Flyer Program

In this case, we’ll choose Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles in the Loyalty Program picker.

3. Choose a Route

We’ll pick flights from Istambul (IST) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). One-way Economy Class awards start at 15k points, and 40k points for Business Class tickets. Many other filters could be applied! Feel free to play with them and narrow the search. We will select the highlighted just as an example.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 1).
Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 2).

4. Select the flight

In the dropdown list of the selected flight, you’ll be able to see departure and arrival times, as well as operating airline, stopovers, the miles price according to the class and more. If you are in search of a one way ticket, it’s all set! Simply tap on the Book button of the chosen class, and AwardFares will redirect you to the airline’s website, which will pre-fill your options.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 3).

5. Add a leg to the Journey Planner

AwardFares will show you the available seats and flights in the list below. Once you’ve identified a good option, tap on the [+] icon to start planning a new Journey.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 4).

You’ll see the new Journey created when tapping the Journey pill above the results. Note that this feature allows for creating and saving multiple journeys simultaneously, and you can switch between them from the dropdown menu.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 5).

6. Search for a return leg

After adding the outbound leg, tap on Add Flight to search for a return flight. AwardFares will automatically populate your origin city.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 6).

Add your destination by typing in the field, and a potential return date. In this case, we are flying back to Istambul (IST), and would like to spend at least a week in London.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 7).

The tool will search for available flights after the one added to your journey. To be extra clear, we display this information in the header of the search results. Once more, tap on the [+] icon to add the return leg to the Journey Planner.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 8).

7. Check your plans and book

After adding all your segments, you can see the entire itinerary in the Journey section and find more helpful options. Our tool displays, among other things, the time gap between flights (in days and hours). You can quickly delete segments or continue adding more before or after.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 9).

If you are ready to make your reservation, simply tap on the Book button, and AwardFares will redirect you to the Turkish Airline’s website with options pre-filled.

Building a round-trip award flight with AwardFares (Step 10).

FAQ

Is it possible to book in other airlines with Miles&Smiles points?

Yes! It is possible to book a wide range of services, such us Star Alliance members and other partners fares, car rentals or hotel bookins.

Which Status Tiers and Business Class Benefits exist in Turkish Airlines?

For business travelers who frequently fly Turkish Airlines, earning elite status with Miles&Smiles enhances the travel experience. There are three primary tiers:

  • Classic Plus: Entry-level status that includes priority check-in and extra baggage.
  • Elite: Provides access to Star Alliance lounges and additional baggage allowances.
  • Elite Plus: Offers the most comprehensive benefits, including guaranteed reservations on full flights and companion tickets on select routes.

Which is the seats layout for Turkish Airlines Business Class Aircraft?

For wide bodies:

  • In Airbus A330-200(type 332), three rows of 2-2-2.
  • In Airbus A330-200 (type 33A), four rows of 2-2-2.
  • In Airbus A330-300 (type 333), five rows 2-2-2.
  • In Airbus A330-300 (type 33S), seven rows 2-2-2.
  • In A350-900, eight rows 1-2-1. Or seven rows in the latest four carriers the Airline bought.
  • In Boeing 777-300ER, four rows 2-3-2.
  • In Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, eight rows 1-2-1.

For narrow bodies:

  • All the narrow bodies offer a 2-2 Business Class configuration, with the amount of rows ranging from three to five.

Maximized Your Miles&Smiles Miles

With AwardFares, finding Miles&Smiles award flights takes just seconds. Try it for free and see how easy it is! For access to even more powerful features like unlimited daily searches, alerts, seat maps, and flight schedules, explore our Gold and Diamond membership tiers.

Our guides have all the information you need to be a pro travel hacker and explore the world on points. Here are some related posts you might enjoy: