Trip Report: Turkish Airlines - Dublin to Athens via Istanbul (July 2017)

Trip Report: Turkish Airlines - Dublin to Athens via Istanbul

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I was flying from Dublin to Athens and decided to fly with Turkish Airlines for 2 reasons: 1) it was an economical price and 2) I was meeting a friend in Istanbul as we were both flying to Athens together.  I have previously flown with Turkish Airlines and my previous experience was alright; it was not great but it was not bad that I wanted to avoid the airline. 

In trying to book the flight, I previous have had issues with the airline’s website.  While the website does provide good deals and options pre-booking and during booking, it is not good post booking or managing your flight.  For these various reasons, I had purchased my ticket through a travel agency and received the airline reservation code.  Using that code, I had to call the reservation system to request seat assignments, special meal requests, and adding of my frequent flyer number (note: if you book too far in advance, the airplane has not been confirmed for your flight so you may not able to book your seat).  I was able to check-in online and receive my boarding pass, which made the airport experience easier as the airline has a separate ‘online check-in’ line. 

My first flight was from Dublin to Athens.  The scheduled flight time is 4h30min and the flight is   The plane was scheduled to depart at 10:50a and arrive Istanbul at 5:10p.  I arrived at the gate around 9:30a but the gate was empty; the flight arrives from Istanbul at 10:10a and the crew have 40 minutes to deplane, clean, and reload passengers for the return flight.  In my experience, Turkish has not been the most efficient airline so I was not expecting an on-time departure (also, according to the boarding pass we were supposed to board the aircraft at 10:10a).  The crew did a good job of turning the aircraft around, but we did board late.  

The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737 with a 3-3 seat layout in economy, and a 2-2 seat layout in business.  The interior looked updated and the color scheme of Turkish with black and red seats are very nice.  Each seat had a pillow as well as a headphones on the seat, and each seat had a PTV with a USB port and headphone jack.  Beneath the PTV was space which held the safety card, the airline magazine, and the sickness bag.  Below that was the tray table, the remote for the PTV, and then another pocket for your personal belongings.  There were a lot of amenities on the seat, but the location of the tray table and the remote was problematic, especially for a tall person like myself, as your knees keep hitting the tray table.  The position of the tray table also cut into the seat pitch, which was already narrow to start with; there was definitely not a lot of leg room.  The seat comfort was average, it wasn’t bad during the beginning of the flight but towards to the end you did start feeling the somewhat lack of cushion.

Once everyone was on board, the doors closed, the safety video was shown, and we took off for   Turkish is a full-service airline, which means that complimentary luggage is provided as well as complimentary meal and drinks.  The meal service start a bit later than normal, and regular meals as well as special request meals were served at the same time.  Along with meals, complimentary drinks were provided.  Turkish has advertised ‘chef on board’ for the business class and has promoted their airline meals, and while the meal wasn’t great it was definitely better and more substantial than I have had on other airlines.  After the meal service, tea and coffee were served before the meal trays were cleared.  For the remaining flight, passengers were able to pass the time with the PTV which had a decent selection of movies and television shows.  In my previous experience, which was on a long-haul flight, the PTV selection was good for short-haul flights but there was not enough content for the long-haul flights; it was the same experience now.  The selection was good and decent for the short-haul, but was a bit limited for the long-haul flight. 

Istanbul.

We started out decent into Istanbul, and after a long time of roaming around the airport and waiting   Each time I have transferred through Istanbul, it has been very crowded and very long – there are long walks between gates and when transferring from one gate to another.  Additionally you have to go through security even when transferring as well as go through a boarding pass check.  Given the immense crowds, seating space is a commodity especially since the gates are only announced about 1.5 hour prior to the flight; the airport capacity has not kept up with the growth of the airline. 

I made my way to the gate for my next flight, and when I got there I saw a very big plane for a short flight.  My next flight was from Athens to Istanbul and the operating aircraft was a Boeing 777-300ER, which is a very big aircraft for a flight time of 1h30min.  We were scheduled to depart at 7:15p and arrive Athens at 8:45p which meant we were scheduled to board at 6:15p.  Boarding started late and, due to the size of the plane and the number of passengers, boarding took a while so we were delayed in our departure.  The boarding doors finally closed, the safety video was shown, and we departed for Athens.

The plane is laid out in a 3-3-3 seat layout.  I have previously flown this aircraft with Turkish on a long-haul flight and during that time, the seat pitch was very tight given the long flight duration.  Given that, for this flight I requested a bulkhead seat which had lots of legroom.  The seat itself was comfortable, especially because it was a very short flight.  Usually the seats contain a pillow and headphones, but those were not available during this flight (again, I am assuming due to the short flight time).  Each seat did have its own PTV which had a variety of TV shows and movies; however, the selection was limited as there weren’t as many options as my previous flight.  Each seat also contained a seat pocket which contained the airlines magazine, duty free magazine, safety card, and an air sickness bag.  As I was in a bulkhead seat, the PTV did not have USB ports but rather underneath the seat, next to the holder for the PTV screens, there were USB ports and a universal plug. 

Once we passed 10,000ft, the inflight service started.  Turkish is a full-airline which means they  I knew this, but given the short flight distance I did not expect much.  The attendants came around and handed out cheese sandwiches and offered a choice of beverage.  The service was quick and rushed, I think the attendants themselves were overwhelmed in providing the service to the large number of passengers in the short flight time.  Once the service was done, and the trash collected, most passengers watched the inflight entertainment until it was time to land.  We landed in Athens a little after the scheduled arrival time, taxied to the gate, and deplaned.

provide complimentary meals and drinks of each flight.

My return flight was also operated by Turkish and the experience was very similar (including the chaotic transfer in Istanbul).  Overall, the experience with Turkish Airlines was decent; I neither had a positive nor negative experience on Turkish.  They provided a decent onboard product, with nice amenities such as USB ports and PTVS as well as complimentary meals and drinks, but nothing was outstanding.  The seat pitch on the Boeing 737 was a bit tight (even for the 4+hr flight time) and the chaotic transfer in Istanbul (on both the outbound and return) was not enjoyable.  Given all this, would I fly Turkish again?  They usually have good promotions going which makes the costs more affordable, so given that I would fly them again but mostly for short-haul; I think other airlines provide a better and more comprehensive long-haul service.

Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express, Dublin Airport (July 2017)

Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express, Dublin Airport
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was going to be in Dublin for a short period between flights, so I was looking for a place near the airport.  IHG was having a sale and the Holiday Inn Express was a good price - and I have never tried the brand internationally - so decided to book this hotel.  Closer to my arrival date, I emailed the hotel and inquired about the hotel shuttle between the airport and the hotel.  I was told that the hotel does provide a shuttle and that it is shared with the Crowne Plaza that is right next door.  

Upon arriving into Dublin, I went to the bus stand to wait for the hotel shuttle.  The hotel shuttle is more like a public bus that goes to the area where the hotels are situated - if you are staying at the hotel then the shuttle is complimentary, but if you want to visit the park or restaurants nearby then you have to pay. Also, there is a long wait for the shuttle.  The shuttle dropped everyone off at the Crowne Plaza hotel, and those who were staying at the Holiday Inn Express walked along with sidewalk to the hotel.

The hotel is somewhat narrow so the lobby of the hotel was not big.  The lobby contains the check-in desks, the bar & restaurant, the 'business center' and the place for the free breakfast in the morning.  Check-in was quick and I received my key and went to my room.  When I opened the door, the room looked more like an Ibis hotel room rather than a Holiday Inn Express - it was a very compact room. 

As you opened the door, straight ahead was the open closes with some hangers and shelves to store your stuff.  Continuing along a narrow hallway, on the right was the bathroom and further ahead on the left was the desk.  The bathroom was extremely small, as when you opened the door to the bathroom you covered the toilet.  The bathroom had a sink, a toilet and a very small shower.  There were no standard amenities, rather two bottles attached to the wall - a hand wash next to the sink and a shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all in one in the shower. 

The desk was rather big but it also doubled as the TV stand.  There were a lot of electrical outlets along the wall - which was very nice - and there were of different power ports (so Irish, UK, and US ports were available).  This was a nice gesture and one that other international hotels near airports should adopt.  Across from the desk was a sofa which looked like it could double as a sofa bed (although I am not sure there would be enough room to fit it).   Further into the room was the double bed with a nightstand on either side.  The bed itself was comfortable enough but did not have a lot of padding - and again felt more like an Ibis bed.

Free breakfast is included in all Holiday Inn Express hotels so in the morning I tried the breakfast before I got on the shuttle back to the airport.  The breakfast was similar to the ones served in the U.S., with some minor differences.  The hot food included scrambled eggs and sausage and cold food included a variety of cereals along with milk and yogurt.  Fruit was also available along with coffee and juices.  Pastries were available – including a very good chocolate croissant – but overall the selection was a bit limited as compared to the U.S.  If this is something that the hotel is highlighting as a perk, it needs to be improved.

Overall, it was an interesting stay at the Holiday Inn Express hotel.  It felt more like I was staying at an Ibis hotel - I was paying more for the HIExpress or IHG name but getting the same quality as the Ibis hotel. The nice perks included the fast and free wifi along with the electrical ports, but those did not outweigh the high price for the low quality.  It’s a nice overnight hotel, if you can get it on sale.

Trip Report: Aer Lingus, Boston to Dublin (July 2017)

Trip Report: Aer Lingus, Boston to Dublin

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

As part of my European trip, I was going to spend time in Dublin.  When looking to travel between the U.S. and Europe, flying to Dublin has proved to be one of the low cost options.  There are many airlines that fly between US and Dublin, but Aer Lingus was offering some of the best rates – and since I want to try new airlines – I booked with Aer Lingus. 

My original flight path was from New Orleans to Boston on JetBlue, Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus, Dublin to Chicago on Aer Lingus, and then Chicago to New Orleans on United (I later had to change the return due to work so instead of Aer Lingus came back on American Airlines - check out that blog post here).  Everything was booked through Aer Lingus as they have a lot of partnerships and codeshares with various airlines.  It was extremely easy to book and navigate through the Aer Lingus site.  On the site you can see which option best fits you, and if another day has a cheaper option.  After selecting the flights, you can then choose other options for the flight.  Free checked baggage was included in my ticket, along with free seat selection.  Aer Lingus provides complimentary meals, or you can upgrade your emails for a price.  You can also add lounge access, hotels, and car rental at the time of booking.  Overall, it was easy to manage the flights and manage the options.

Aer Lingus also partners with many airlines so within one ticket you are able to seamlessly transfer between airlines.  For my ticket, I had partnered with jetBlue as they were my first carrier I was unable to check-in to my flight.  I was told I had to receive the boarding passes from the Aer Lingus counter in Boston.  In Boston, Aer Lingus has a number of flights to and from both Dublin and Shannon.  My flight was scheduled to depart at 9:20pm and around 8p the staff started making announcements requesting anyone who had connections, or those who had printed their boarding passes at home, to come and verify and collect their boarding passes.  They also made announcements that boarding, which was scheduled to start at 8:30p, was now going to be delayed.  Even though we started to board late, and it was a generally full flight, boarding was efficient and we were able to push back within 5-10 minutes of the departure time.

The aircraft on this route was an Airbus A330-300 which can seat over 287 in economy in a

2-4-2 layout.  The legroom was pretty decent on the plane, as long as the person in front of you did not recline.  If they did not recline, then the legroom was pretty good; however, if they did decline then the legroom cut down dramatically.  I was seated in an aisle on the 2-seat section on the other side of the cabin in the first economy section – there were two economy sections and one business class section.  Once boarding finished, there was an empty 4-seat available behind me so I moved there.  As I said, even though we boarded late, boarding was quick and we pushed back generally on time.  The flight attendants were on hand to greet passengers, and when it was time to screen the safety video they came around to ensure everyone was awake and paying attention to the video (almost like you were back in school). 

The flight time was scheduled at 5hr30min so it is not a long flight.  The seats are generally comfortable, although there is not that much padding so you feel the stiffness by the 5^th hour.  The headrests are adjustable, and as I said before the legroom was decent.  Each seat had a blanket, a pillow, and a headset waiting for the passengers.  In the seatpocket were the safety card, throw-up bag, airline magazine, and another magazine which doubled both as the duty free shop as well as the buy on-board snack shop. Each seat did have individual PTV’s, which were small but seemed updated.  No USB ports were available and I could not find plug outlets beneath the seat.  Even though the screens were touchscreen, they were not very sensitive and it took a while to respond – it was easier to maneuver with remote.  The remote was located in the armrest, as were the headphone jacks.  The remote also contained the buttons for the light and call button.  Selection in the PTVs was definitely limited, especially in the TV section.  While there was a decent selection of movies, and this selectin would be enough to get through the short flight, there were not enough selection of TV programs available to get through the entire flight.  It was also sometimes hard to see the screen.

Our scheduled departure time was 9:20p and we pushed back generally on-time and then had a decent taxi to the runway before taking off about 9:45pm.  There was going to be a beverage service, then meal service, then tea and coffee, and then duty free.  Most other transatlantic flights, especially night flights, tend to start the service very quickly so that it can be quickly finished and passengers can get the most amount of rest.  I am not sure whether it was because of turbulence, or this is how they operate, but the service did not commence until at least an hour after take-off, so around 10:45p/11p.  As the cabin lights were dimmed, and the crew were taking some time, most passengers were asleep.  

Around 11p, the crew turned on the cabin lights to begin their service.  The first service was a full beverage cart in which some drinks were complimentary while others needed to be paid for.  A packet of pretzels were served along with the drink.  Afterwards, the meal service commenced but it was not right after – it took some time after the drink service for the meal service to begin.  I had ordered a special meal so mine was brought out prior to everyone else’s – the choices in the main cabin were either beef pot pie or chicken with veggies.  Along with the entrée, the meal tray contained bread, salad, and water.  My meal tray also contained fruit for dessert, while others had ice cream.  The portion size of the meals was tiny, but to be fair the airline had promoted it as a “half-dinner’.  You could upgrade to a full dinner for a charge before the flight.  Afterwards, tea and coffee were served. 

After the meal trays were cleared, the cabin lights remained on for a long time as the

crew was preparing for the duty free.  Again, as compared to other transatlantic flights, this was the most time I had seen the cabin lights on in a flight.  The lights remained on for almost 2.5hrs – which is long considering it was only a 5hr flight (with strong tailwinds the flight time became shorter).  After duty free, the cabin lights were dimmed but we only had 2 hours left of the flight.  About an hour later, flight attendants came by (in the dark) and handed out boxes which contained a light breakfast.  The box contained a small orange juice and a muffin.  No other drink service was provided along with the breakfast – although water and other drinks were available in the galley.

The cabin lights were switched on when we were starting out decent into Dublin.  The cabin was prepared for landing and we landed into Dublin about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and then had a quick taxi to the gate.  Immigration and customs was quick –it took about 10 minutes- and I was out the airport and on the bus less than an hour after landing.

Overall, it was an interesting flight with Aer Lingus.  The timing of the service was still a bit odd and did not allow for maximum sleep, which is what most passengers want on an overnight transatlantic flight.  Given the short flight time, the airline flights a nice service – decent seats, nice legroom, a PTV, free checked baggage, and a light meal.  Also, the airline is very good at connections both within Ireland and with other airline partners and this is very convenient.  Given all this, would I fly them again?  While they would not be my first choice, if I found a good deal (and they usually have them from the US NE coast) then I would not hesitate to fly them again.

Trip Report: American Airlines - Dublin, Ireland to New Orleans via Charlotte (July 2017)

Trip Report: American Airlines
Dublin to New Orleans via Charlotte

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was originally scheduled to fly from Dublin back to America on Aer Lingus, but due to work constraints I had to come back early so I booked a rewards flight on American Airlines from Dublin to New Orleans via Charlotte.  It had been almost 4 years since I had flown American Airlines domestically, and almost 20 years since I flew them internationally; so I was looking forward to the flight to see what improvements, if any, the airline has made. 

My flight was scheduled to depart Charlotte at 9:55am, arrive into Charlotte at 1:10p and then depart for New Orleans at 2:35p.  The short connection time was fine because all immigration is done at the pre-clearance center in Dublin airport, so I would be connecting through Charlotte as if I was connecting to a domestic flight.  Booking a flight on American Airlines was relatively easy, and I was able to manage my booking including seat selection and meal selection.  On the website, I was also able to sign up for flight notifications as well.  24-hours prior to my flight, I was able to check-in online for my flight and receive my boarding pass. 

Due to the pre-clearance, it is recommended that the passenger arrives at the airport 3-hours prior to departure to ensure enough time to complete all the security and immigration procedures.  I had arrived about 2.5hours prior to departure, and the check-in desks were relatively empty.  American Airlines operates many flights from Dublin, including to New York, Charlotte, and Chicago and many of those flights were operating at the same time.  Despite the concurrent flights, check-in was a breeze and I received my boarding pass as well as checked luggage.  American Airlines provides one free checked baggage as part of their international flights.

Boarding time for the 9:55am departure was listed as 9:05a and boarding started on time by group numbers.  Prior to boarding, American had made an announcement offering to book your hand carry – free of charge – to your final destination to save overhead bin space.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A330 in a 2-4-2 seat configuration.  I was in the first economy section in an aisle seat on the 4-seater.  Each seat contained a blanket and a pillow, and the legroom of the seat was very good (until the person in front of you reclined).  The seat width was also generally spacious and provided enough room for you to comfortably sit.  The seat comfort was not that good, especially for the longer flights and this created an issue towards the later part of the flight.  The back of each seat contained a personal PTV screen but the screens were older looking, not like the ipad-style that many airlines now have.  The screens were touchscreen but were not sensitive at all and sometimes it took a long time for the system to recognize your response.  The entertainment options were decent – not great but not bad either; the movie selection was definitely better than the TV selection.  Headphone jack was located in your armrest, and so was the USB port.  Have the USB port on the side of the armrest was a bit uncomfortable as the phone was placed in the seat-pocket in front of you but the wire was next to your seat – you had to move the phone each time the person next to you wanted to get out of their seat.

After takeoff the crew distributed headphones to passengers and then started their drink service.  First drinks (American offered full cans) and pretzels were served followed by a light meal.  The meal servings on American are smaller than other airlines but it was decent enough for a light meal.  Afterwards, coffee and tea were served along with dessert – which was ice cream.  Later on in the flight, snacks were handed out which was a mini sandwich.  Prior to landing, a small breakfast box was served.  In other airlines, they put out drinks and snacks in the galley for passengers to help themselves in case they get hungry or thirsty in between service.  American only had water out available, and that too in the last galley which was blocked by attendants; so each time you wanted water or something else you had to ask an attendant. 

Service on the plane was…interesting.  All of the attendants were older in age, and most of them acted as if it was a chore to do the job.  Some of the attendants were a bit rude, others seemed that their only job was security, while others barely cracked smile.  It was definitely not service with a smile.  Generally the flight was smooth, but the seatbelt sign was on the entire time so every time you got up to use the lavatory or to walk around, a flight attendant would come and tell you – not in a polite way – to go back to your seat.  How can passengers sit in one spot for 8hrs? 

We landed in Charlotte on time and it was a quick transfer to my next flight, which was an A319 in a 3-3 seat layout.  Again, the legroom was very nice and the width was decent, but the seat comfort was a bit poor.  There were no PTVs on this flight as the seatback in front of you had a holder where you could place your laptop and watch tvs or movies streamed through the American app.  On this, the attendants’ service was better and friendlier. 

Overall, it was an interesting flight with American Airlines.  Some aspects of the experience exceeded my expectations – the legroom on the plane, the availability of USB ports, and the decent entertainment selection – however other aspects did not meet expectations – service of the crew stands out as an area where there needs improvement.  Given all this, would I take American again internationally – most likely not.  I would much rather pay a higher price for a better quality product and usually with a nicer crew.