Turkish Airlines' Economy Was Fine - Until I Got to Istanbul!
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2023
- After a surprise turn of events, I booked a Turkish Airlines ticket with just ten days' noticed and jetted off from Dulles Airport on what would become the greatest trip of my lifetime. But before the parts that made the trip great, I had to deal with Istanbul Airport. Which was a bit of a mess...
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Classy Whale - at-least-weekly misadventures with trains and transit!
🎶 "Why they changed it, I can't say. People just liked it better that way!" 🎶
That...was such a beautiful ending. The music, the genuine shock of finally being there, the hug, all the emotions, I could feel it through the screen. This video is one of your best works because of that ending. Kudos to Turkish Airlines for accessibility when it comes to having a special video for those with disabilities on top of sign language! And kudos to you for doing the menu shot jingle in Turkish, that was a nice touch! Ah yes, Milestafa Kemal Taylor. Turkey may be known for their coffee, but black tea is the way of life for their culture. Turkey has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world with an annual total consumption of over 3 kilograms per person!
Fun fact: The bird was named after the country because of the guineafowl, which looks similar to a turkey but are in different families (though used to be in the same family Phasianidae; guineafowl is now in the family Numididae). Guineafowls are native across Sub-Saharan Africa and was imported to Europe through the Ottoman Empire. Once imported, Europeans came to call the guinea fowl the turkey-hen because the bird came from the Turks.
What a delightful plot twist. Congratulations to the two of you! May you have a bright and happy future together.
The ending reveal is so wholesome, so very happy for you two ❤
WOW, Caleb, this was so wholesome! I figured you two had something going on! Congratulations to you both. Best of luck to you both! ❤❤❤❤
I had a long layover here back in 2019, before the metro link opened. It was a real headache getting to the city, with a few chaotic coach routes not loaded into online planner, so very hard to make the full use of the layover without worrying about being late getting back.
And yeah, the airport is absurdly large not to have any internal transit.
Vid was worth the suspense. Super stoked for Istanbul content, and Ethiopia ofc.
Caleb really hit it out of the park with this series
I flew Turkish Airlines last year and I can honestly say they were the nicest team on our way from Atlanta to Istanbul. The crew to our final destination Tel-Aviv were awesome. We were not long in the terminal, but we did see some handicapped transport vehicles.
So very happy you got to meet the family Caleb!
“Any Carrier of this magnitude needs a magnificent hug to maintain its worldwide operations” we need to buy Caleb a mansion in the Bay Area because he is a UA-camr of magnitude with worldwide operations and needs a magnificent hub
All I know is Kalkidan gave me a magnificent hug when I got to Ethiopia :)
@@ClassyWhale 😂
I totally ship Calidan. Like we couldn't tell you were a couple.
You can fit around 12 KPIE terminals in Istanbul international airport
great video. I've been living in Istanbul for about 1.5 years and often fly from Istanbul airport and, well, when I flew the first time - it was difficult to navigate, but after Incheon airport in Seoul, Istanbul airport seemed very clear
Incheon airport is much easier to navigate. Much nicer airport overall.
Excited to see this series!
I did that new Istanbul airport when I went to Amman, Jordan and it's huge.I never did the old Ataturk Airport but I have also done Sabina Airport on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Beautiful ending. All the best to you two!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who hears the name Istanbul and thinks of that song lol 😂😂😂
Dude finally comes out with the juice. Congrats Caleb!
Cool that you foreshadowed your destination at 1:03!
Great video btw!
great synopsis at the end of vlog....congratulation to both of you 🥂
Good for you! Congratulations 🎉
What airline were you on? Windows that worked, a gift bag after a meal, the ratty blanket, pillow and headphones is part of, but what you experienced was not what I went through. I had the flight from hell with flight attendants and food to match!
Thanks. You didn’t say anything about the seats and the leg room, I think? Are they ok? If you bring a small pet in the cabin, would the carrier fit in front and then will there be enough leg room? It looked too tight 😩
On the screen there is a do not disturb option, next to it, there is an option which sais wake up for food.
I’m just going there for a transfer. Would’ve liked to see some information about that. Not sure what hot minute means when it comes to passport control.
I flew Turkish in April 2023 from Washington. My reaction was like yours. However, I had heard wonderful things about Istanbul airport but was not impressed. What bugged me most was the long layover and that they only have one hour of free Wi-Fi. I would fly them again, if I had too, but not my favorite. For what it's worth, the flight from Washington to Addis ababa on Ethiopian is preferable. A bit longer at 13 hours, but I liked it better.
How did you like the service on Ethiopian Airlines?
It was a number of years ago, but I remember it being fairly good compared to most other airlines I had travelled at the time.
We love Kalkidan, it is great to see you two together!
So I’m flying to Bangkok with Turkish airlines in acouple weeks , from NYC , and there’s a 1 1/2 Hr layover in Istanbul, does that mean I need a transit visa for Turkey while I’m there ? Sorry it’s first time traveling internationally
If you're a US citizen you don't need a visa to stay in the airport. To leave the facility the visa is $50
@@ClassyWhaleso I heard as a us citizen u no longer need a visa is that true?
No you don't need a transit visa for turkey, because there is no visa requirement for US citizens. On the other hand it's almost impossible for Turkish citizens to go to America, what a nice world we are living in, the masonic regime is helping hostile countries to get everything from us but we don't get anything in return, if this is not slavery.
@@ClassyWhalenonsense
@@brandenjohnson2980no you don't need a visa
1:06 this is the similar rolling stock used on Singapore's Sengkang-Punggol LRT.
I suspected you and Kalkidan were a couple for a few months; things like having a pic of her as your phone's lock screen wallpaper are subtle but say so much lol
Happy for the both of you!
Ooh! መልካም ጉዞ!
Not subscribed yet (ended up here via Kilometres in Cars, I mean...) but if there's any injera in the future of the channel, I might! When I was in Addis in 2013, they had only started to build the tram.
Video on the Addis light rail coming in 3-4 weeks ;)
Did they weight the carry on ?
Damn that ending put a smile on my face at 11pm after a rough day in what is a gloomy world! Wish both of you all the best! p.s. Spent like 2 nights sleeping in the old Istanbul airport as a kid during the 2010 Europe volcano issue during a layover...the staff & turkish people whilst lovley generally don't often met you halfway with the langauge unless they're shopkeepers....basically...they're like the French who refuse to speak English unless essential. Surprising review of the new airport...would love to watch the world renowned architects who built it talk about how it's actually modern & efficient with reasons behind the layout.
Aww glad you enjoyed the show! We love the support
@ClassyWhale I didn't like Turkish Airlines how could I get a refund I went to Egypt back in April 2018
@@ClassyWhaleI was overcharged at a Turkish hotel and I never was explained why that happened
Turkish delight history: According to the Hacı Bekir company, Bekir Efendi, named Hacı Bekir after performing the Hajj, moved to Constantinople from his hometown Kastamonu and opened his confectionery shop in the district of Bahçekapı in 1777. Quickly winning fame, Turkish Delight became a fashionable gift. As the dessert rose to become an object used in the act of courting, Bekir Efendi was appointed chief confectioner to the Ottoman Court. In the 19th century, Lokum made its way to the West via a British traveler who took quite the liking to the confection and brought cases of what he called ‘Turkish Delight’ to Britain.
Turkish Delight is made from a sugar syrup and starch milk mixture that is cooked for five to six hours, at which point the flavor is added. The mixture is then poured into large wooden trays to be set and about five hours later they are rolled, cut and dusted with icing.
I totally started looking for flight times of 4.5-6 hours from Istanbul to areas east and south.
Lol
What did you find?
@@ClassyWhale I ended up with three lessons.
Lesson 1.
India is a bit far on the outer edge of the 5 hour number.
Pakistan possible but nothing there of a lot of interest.
UAE a bit too close, but with decent connections. Oman man was a possibility the the sightseeing, and what kind of Rando.
Anything to the north Is kind of a background check and a short trip to the no fly list waiting to happen so probably not, Iraq, Iran, or Russia. Central Asia’s a bit too for.
Egypt and the near-ish east was too short.
It definitely could not have been Ethiopia because it would be way to obvious, although the time would work. Your SO hints had been pretty on the nose, ie Home Screen photo.
Lesson 2. Watch to the end of the video before commenting.
Lesson 3. I should go re-watch some CK2 and EU4 videos with some Ethiopia challenge.
Lol. Hope you survive, I can barely tolerate my family.
@@FreeJaffa92 wow I need to hire you as a private investigator!
Cathay Pacific has external cameras on their 747s, or at least used too, it's been ages.
I've kinda suspected something ever since I noticed your phone wallpaper was a photo of the two of you, but didn't wanna say/assume anything cause shipping real people (esp those you don't know personally) is uncomfy at best, but now that I can finally say it - you make a cute couple. Congrats and good luck
You are exactly right. Turkish was fine. I got lucky with the cabin crew because they were nice and food was good. I flew with them a few yrs prior, they were opposites. But i can sgree, ist is a nightmare!
I have to say, you really hit the nail on the head with Turkish-- the food is amazing, the amenities are pretty great, the customer/staff interaction is meh, and IST is just awful, not to mention they forgot my bag in Istanbul on a short but guaranteed connection. Fingers crossed my Istanbul trip later this year will be a little smoother on Delta! And of course, best wishes to you and Kalkidan; let me know if you're ever up in the Boston area!
As a myrtle Beach, SC local. Cleveland public transportation is beyond better then what we have. We literally have 5 buses that run each day and it takes an hour for each one to make the loop, and we are limited with 3 places the buses actually go. I prefer RTA Cleveland transportation any day of the week.
how did u make the map at 1:40?
it's an iMovie preset!
To avoid sleeping through meal service wear an eye mask with "Wake me up for meals" printed on it. I got mine from one of the holiday airlines and it has proved very useful. You can even wear it as an armband on the arm that faces the aisle.
Great idea, if your flight attendants can read.
Do u need a visa coming from the usa anymore?
8:50 I just finished 4 sectors with TK, TOTALLY AGREE with you on IST!! Size queens planned it for sure, totally useless and too big to function. Food & IFE were poor as well but that is fine with me. P/S I was denied boarding for IST to HEL, gate staff said I was late. Paid USD 1,300++ to get rebooked for next day and guess what? That flight was delayed 90 min.! 😂😂
$1300 USD ... ouch. Im sorry that happened to you. I dread giant megahubs for this reason, even though Im the type of person who shows up for checkin at the opening time to prevent being late
I love turkish airlines and istanbul airport ❤ 🇹🇷 ✈️
Yeah i had a way different experience. I felt the airport was super easy to get around compared to for example Charles de galle or Frankfurt, mainly cause it's just a big rectangle. I didn't really have any issues with staff either
@@ishaqmo7200 i agree. I found Istanbul airport large but compact. The staff is friendly and there is plenty of food options 😃
So sweet when lovers meet. The excitement before is priceless.
Great call out to RMTransit!
awe she brought him flowers!!
So she COULD buy herself flowers
Which seat is this? Wanna see my options:)
Seat 29?
You only need a visa if you want to leave the airport correct?
Correct!
No you do not!!!!
travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Turkey.html#/:~:text=Alerts%20and%20Messages%20Archive-,Quick%20Facts,None,-CURRENCY%20RESTRICTIONS%20FOR%20EXIT
I loved IST. Easy to transit. Easy to spend even 6 hours at the terminal.
Did you need an e-visa for Turkey!? I have a flight to Saint Petersburg, Russia and a layover in Istanbul. I'm also leaving from Dulles.
Yes, $50 and you need to buy it online a few days in advance
I have heard from several sources now that if you are just transitting to connect to another flight (ie, NEVER leaving the airside of the airport) you don’t need a visa.
As of 2024 there's no longer an e-visa requirement for American citizens visiting Türkiye.
3:21 Was that "menü resmi, menü resmi, menü resmine bakıyorsunuz"?
Yeah! I google translated Miles in Transit's "Menu Shot" into Turkish
@@ClassyWhale Nice! The pause between "resmi" and "ne" threw me off a bit, because "ne" means "at" as a word ending, but "what" when it's on its own. At first I thought you were trying to ask the picture what it was looking at.
Turkish airlines is one of the best airlines this types of problems you can see even in emirates,luftansa or singapore airlines as a person i flew with lots of different airlines and i can say surely if we look all the things Turkish airlines is one of the best airlines.
Did you go to his wedding?
It was a day after I left Ethiopia 😭
Harsh🤔
Oh look
It's Jared the subway guy
Perhaps they thought you were Turkish.
07:20 Is it true that you had 2-3-2 configuration in economy on an A330. If so it is luxurious as usually it is 2-4-2. Your trip reminds me good moments as I was recently in IAD and in ADD and looking at the face of your girlfriend I thougt immediatly she may well come from Ethiopia.
Beautiful
You did show the legroom? Better to have gone nonstop on Ethiopian but probably more expensive.
I took Ethiopian on the return trip. That video will hopefully be up soon!
Blud has never flew in europes low cost airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet
How was the legroom in the 787-9? I find that the domestic Turkish Airlines flights have very little space. Not enough for tall guy like me
The seat confirugation is the reason it has to be profitable for the airlines, so it's bad for tall and overweight people, the only option is premium economy or business to get the space you need
Thanks for the happy tears ❤
Top ten anime twists
My gate was f3 to jeddah a1j to logan
_🎵At least it's not LaGuardia🎵_
Yes you looks like Turkish
2:07 wait you we're on a dreamliner?
You said "YUNS"! Does that mean that you are from the most wonderful city in the USA and my FAVORITE city in that country, PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania?
yes
most people from most countries learn a little bit of whatever language they need for a country they'll be in. expecting people to talk to you in english is uniquely an american/english problem. there's not an enormous amount to learn and marking the airline down for it feels a bit extreme. also, having flown turkish airlines multiple times, they're not usually rude, just maybe not as nice as america expects people to be. overall the complaints you had about the airline felt like you gave them too much weight
Yeah but it's just for a connecting flight he's not actually visiting Turkey
Whats in the head of the people who thinks you have learn the language of every country you visit, when there’s a universal language for travel and business and this is no an specific American Canadian problem I travel every year to at least 10 countries I’m not going to be studying for those 10 and next year for another 10 hahahaha, you’re crazy
It's not an American/English problem. I'm Russian and I speak English, French and Serbo-Croatian (and more or less understand some other Slavic languages) but I do expect every service person on international airport to speak English. For an international hub employee it should be a bonus if a customer knows their language, not a demand. I'm not planning to live in Turkey nor visiting it. Everything what I come across as an independent tourist are constant greed (up to the fact they don't want to board me on the plane to visa-free country for Russians unless I buy return ticket so I don't escape Russian military though it's none of their business), inadequately strict system (credit card removed because of 1 PIN mistake) and unwillingness to help (this doesn't apply to ordinary Turks, but to officials). So I don't understand why I should know any more Turkish than merhaba, teşekkür and çıkış and would like all airport employees to speak English at least so I don't have problems on the transit at the international transfer hub. Just imagine an Emirates/Qatar employee trying to explain things to passengers in Arabic
In most places around the world people use English as a common language. In the past it may have been French and/or German but no more. It has nothing to do with Americans lack of foreign language knowledge. For the times I have been on Turkish. Airlines and transited thru Istanbul it seems that there is a lack of basic English knowledge among airline and ground personnel. This is a negative in terms of competition and just basic hospitality.in a perfect world everyone arriving and transiting would come with knowledge of conversational Turkish ( a very hard language to master by the way) but that is just not the case.
caleb youre the man that last bit was so cute--im sure her fam loved ya
If you have a problem with the name you’ll have to take it up with the Turks.
I flew Turkish from Chicago to Istanbul, catching an aeroflot to Moscow from there. I had my then 4 and 2yo with me, and was 18 weeks pregnant with my 3rd. We had a 7 hour layover going there, and 10 hour coming back. I totally agree with the airport being way too big and really difficult to navigate, and almost noone spoke English. We also had to pass not one but 2 security check points, and we were transit, not exiting, and both my toddlers got patted down. Going forward, I am avoiding Istanbul airport because of all that.
Wow, I have flown something like 70 airlines and I've never seen Economy Class get an amenity kit. That's shocking that Turkish does that!
Amenity kit is provided in long haul flights. I got one from Etihad when i was traveling from Bangalore to Abudhabi. And Abudhabi to Toronto as well. It had some creams,brush and toothpaste etc.
@@SujithKSunil Hardly any airlines fine a kit to coach passengers, usually only Business Class
@@lewnwdc Not true at all. Maybe in short haul flights but international long haul flights by major players in the airline industry provides amenity kits. Do not compare with domestic or low cost airlines. I'm not talking about those airlines.
@@SujithKSunil No major airline I've ever flown (more than 70) has given coach passengers on long international flights an amenity kit. I never referred to domestic or LCCs.
@@lewnwdcits common in Asia
Yes, you look turkish❤ and sorry for the turkish staff🎉
Yeah, Turkish people I met in Istanbul city were much nicer than in the airport!
Omg I’m a big fan of you you actually replied❤
As a Turk I can say that the new airport is dogshit, Ataturk Airport was one of the best in the world and now it’s been replaced with this garbage
I mean, I didn't know you were a couple; but, I certainly expected you were
This is most people
Regarding the amenities pouch and the socks - It's been a while since I flew Turkish Airlines, last time I did was 2017 (so before the new Istanbul airport) and I don't remember them giving us those pouches back then. As far as your changing socks comment, I've read so many articles about "ten things passengers and flight attendants dont want other passenges to do on a plane" and one of their things on the article was "being barefoot". Maybe Turkish is giving them socks because they don't want barefoot passengers on international flights🤣
Oh, also back in 2017, I'm not sure why, but Turkish had restrictions on sizes of electronic devices you could have in your carry-on if you were flying them. IIRC They didn't want people to have laptop or iPad access AFAIK for w/e reason. For context this was a Istanbul-Houston flight. It's no longer a rule as of a few years after 2017 (not sure when exactly), but it upset me because we were grounded for an hour because of this rule. Turkish Delight? More like Turkish Displeasure. It sort of put me off from trying to fly with them ever again. But I want to now to sort of give Turkish its own "redemption arc" with me.
Side-note reply: I don't really have a system. Sometimes I sleep and sometimes I don't. And when I don't, I deliberately watch movies that pass the time very quickly. 10 hour flight? Okay, two 4 hour movies (if they're on the IFE, if not, 3 3-hour movies and maybe 2 episodes of a TV show) and maybe 2 tv show episodes coming up.
(also, totally called that you would make a TMBG reference and show you were listening to the song)
(also also, super happy for you and Kalkidan! Hope the family meeting [meeting the family? I word awkwardly sometimes] goes well).
I also flew Turkish in 2017, via Ataturk. The laptop restrictions were really annoying as I had a short notice proposal deadline on my way back and needed to work on it, which I did… on my phone!
@@samuell.foxton4177 Yikes!
Do you remember why there were restrictions? I forget. They never really gave us an explicit reason either.
@@dimanimatedtakes something something terrorism is all I remember - but then it wasn’t actually enforced and several people were using laptops at the gate and on the plane, which of course made me feel worse thinking I could have just ignored the notices…
@@samuell.foxton4177 That's crazy. Apparently the ban was revoked like 3-4 months after I flew them too, so it's like it "never even existed". Either way.... maybe its time to fly them again. IDK. I'm still uncertain.
7:35 was that a? NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO
WHY IS THERE AN ETHERNET PLUG IN AN AIRPLANE 😂😂😂
Next time you should fly direct from Dulles or New York to Ethiopia. I heard Ethiopian airlines is surprisingly good.
Also you do sort of look Turkish if you tan.
6:10 ok They Might Be Giants 😏
"Turkish Airlines' Economy" is wrong English. Right: "Turkish Airlines's Economy." Here, the word AIRLINES is not plural. It is the name of a company.
visa waived now
I experienced the nightmare of Istanbul airport last year 2023 and I would never book any flight from there again,the staff are rude and 90% don’t speak English, airport itself is huge and they keep changing your gates, so there is a big chance to miss your flight. Good luck to those who are going there 😅
sounds like you didnt get freebee from turkish airlines you are negative about everything
what do you mean?
wait, you don’t like Istanbul?
..I live there..
I don't like the airport. Do you live in the airport?
that airport is the stupid airport rippppppp you got the bad one :( the other one is like the best airport ever
@@ClassyWhaleI do live in the airport
600$ is great deal
indeed, and 10 days out too!
@@ClassyWhale what website? Is it directly through Turkish airlines or different app
@@Superchargedtio I used Google flights!
0:45 no, they fly small narrow body aircraft mostly to many destinations, that’s why it’s 126. No big deal 😮😮
I think that Turkey is going through a phase of hybris. Picking fights with Greece, NATO and the EU. This leads to the citizens following the examples of their leaders and their behaviour
I only fly business class, but I was not aware that anybody offered amenity kits in economy.
Is a smoking area?
No
Darn, here I was thinking/wishing Caleb were gay. 😕
But hey glad you found love. Does your girlfriend live in Ethiopia? How did you meet. Ethiopia is high on my list of new countries to visit.
We met in the US, she's an international student :)
@@ClassyWhale Will she be settling in the USA permanently or are you moving to Ethiopia?
5:22
MENURESME!!!!!
My first flight was NOT a good experience w Turkish airlines. They lost my luggage, no snacks on 10hr flight, no ordering extra snacks on flight, no menu, seats not that comfortable, also plane was delayed 1 1/2 hrs. Food was just ok.
This is peak entitled American
Only that person would complain that nobody in a foreign country speaks their language and then whine about having to walk literally anywhere.
You're missing the point. I went out in Istanbul and had a great time and didn't mind at all that nobody spoke my language. It's simply at the airport, which claims to be the greatest global hub, that I wish I was given that courtesy as a guest. Most travelers, whether they be American or not, will know English. Relatively few will know Turkish. And the walking distance piece is a pretty common refrain from travelers around the world who go through that airport...it's not particularly designed with people in mind, and it could be difficult with someone with limited stamina (I handled it just fine)
6:20 they might be giants
Did you know that every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople? So if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul. But in your case, she'll be waiting in Addis Ababa. Congrats.