Nice seats, great food – Turkish Airlines short-haul business class is some of the best in Europe!

Similar to most European and American airlines, Turkish Airlines offers a very different Business Class product on short-haul flights compared to their long-haul flights. You don’t get a flatbed seat or a chef on board, but you still get good service and good food! Find out what to expect in my detailed review of Turkish Airlines short-haul business class!

Predeparture: Turkish Airlines (TK) has one of the most confusing baggage allowances of any airline I’ve flown – it’s not only depending on your class of service and  departure airport, but the departure runway! For my flight between Asia and Europe, the allowance is 30kg plus an additional 20kg as StarAlliance Gold. You can also bring two pieces of hand luggage up to 8kg! While that was more than enough for me, the total baggage allowance is less than many other StarAlliance carriers!
My flight departed from Istanbul, after spending time at the fantastic lounge and connecting from a long-haul business class flight. We were bused to plane and there was no priority for business class passengers.

Service Onboard: The service on this 3h flight was good. The flight attendants were friendly and attentive, a step up from most inner-European service.
After the very good food service on the long-haul flight, I was looking forward to breakfast on this morning flight. We received a menu to select our choice of breakfast and drinks and the food was served restaurant style.
It started with coffee, juice, yogurt and a croissant with butter and jam, as well as some turkey breast, cheese and a cottage cheese salad. I’d prefer fresh fruit over a salad in the morning, but the croissant was fresh and flakey.
The turkey breast and cheese very equally good. After a below-average egg dish on the earlier flight, I picked the baked cheese pastry and it was very good. All of the food was presented well and the meal sure beats most short-haul business class flights in Europe or first class flights in the US!
The entertainment selection was the same as on the long-haul flight, offering a variety of movies from around the world, though with a limited selection of English language, Western movies and TV shows.

Hard Product: Airbus A321 TK has different business class configurations on their short-haul flights and I was lucky to get the more comfortable one: Our A321 had a 2-2 configuration with recliners, similar to a US First Class. The seats are leather, have a footrest and individual reading lights, as well as tray tables and video screens stored in the arm rest. Each seat also has a power outlet and USB port to keep your devices charged and ready. The monitors were small and a little hard to operate, but new, bright and clear!
This is much better than the Euro-style Business Class on other planes that has a 3-3 layout of economy class seats, with the middle seat kept empty! So, make sure to check out what plane you are likely to have before booking!
Want to find out what to expect on Turkish Airlines long-haul business class – read my detailed review with lots of photos!

Bottomline: Flying Business Class within Europe is not much of a premium experience these days, with most airlines offering Economy Class seats with an empty middle seat and limited service. It was refreshing to have a wider seat, full entertainment options and great food on this Turkish Airlines flight. This was one of the best short-haul business flights I’ve had in Europe in a while and I recommend it. Just make sure to check your plane before booking or your experience might be a lot less impressive!


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