PHOTO REVIEW: Turkish Airlines New Business Class Seat

Going through my 2020 pictures, I realized I had a bunch of pictures of my last flight with Turkish Arilines in early March, right before the hard confinement hit us in Spain.

My flight was PTY-IST onboard their 787-9, featuring the new open business class suite they just had started to roll out in late 2019.

The cabin

On the 787-9, Turkish offers an all-aisle access, 30 seats business class cabin on a herringbone configuration.

The seat

Per SeatGuru, these seats have a 109 cm/43″ pitch, 193 cm/76″ bed lenght, and 51 cm/20.1″ width, and I have to say they did feel rather narrow for sleeping (and I’m a small guy!).

In the 787-9 cabin, seats A/K on even rows offer extra privacy as they’re separated from the aisle by a storage cabinet for personal items (as do seats E/F on odd rows). The downside of these seats is that the seat’s side unit partially blocks the window.

Bulkhead seats 1A/K come with some extra space for placing a small bag or other personal items (while at cruising altitude, of course) next to the IFE screen.

for the in-flight entertainment, each seat comes with a 18″ high definition touch screen, a handheld remote control and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. On the side drawer where the headphones are stored you can also find a USB/power outlet.

As per storage space, besides the side drawer (useful for headphones/amenity kit), there is more storage space for a small bag underneath the IFE screen.

Seat and IFE controls are on the armrest and the reading light is on the side board.

And last but not least, individual air vents!

The Service

Remember the pre-covid time when airlines used to have full service in business class? Don’t we miss those days?

Conclusion

In terms on privacy and fuctionality, the seat is great, especially the window seats on even rows. The control panel is simple and very accessible, the in-flight entertainment control both by touchscreen or handheld remote control is intuitive, and even being an open suite concept, yo do get a good privacy feeling on your seat. In terms of comfortability, the individual air vents help regulate your space temperature, helping out in creating a comfortable environment together with Turkish bedding set. I had the impression the seats were a bit narrow though. Has anyone had that feeling too?

In case you missed it!

LOUNGE CHECK: Turkish Airlines Lounge at Istanbul International Airport