October 9, 2016

Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Male

Introduction
Introduction Part Two
Planning & Booking
Sheraton JFK Airport
Lufthansa Business Class Lounge JFK
Turkish Airlines Business Class 777-300ER New York (JFK) to Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Istanbul Arrivals Lounge
St. Regis Istanbul
Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Business Class A330-300 Istanbul to Male
Transfer from Male to Conrad Maldives
Conrad Maldives
Transfer from Conrad Maldives to Male
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-200 Male to Singapore
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge to Singapore
Singapore Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Singapore to Tokyo (HND)
Andaz Tokyo
ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo (NRT)
ANA First Class 777-300ER Tokyo (NRT) to San Francisco

Turkish Airlines TK730 
Istanbul (IST) to Male (MLE)
August 20, 2016
Aircraft:  A330-300
Seats:  1E/1F

We headed to the gate where we'd have yet another bus gate.  The gate area was pretty chaotic and there was already a lengthly line for the bus.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a a business class line or bus so we headed to the back of line and waited our turn.  We boarded the bus and headed out to our waiting A330-300.





Once we arrived at the plane, we waited for maybe 5 minutes until the bus doors open.  Presumably for the crew onboard to finish final preparations.

We exited the bus and headed to door 1L.  We walked up the stairs and made a left into the business class cabin.  We were seated in row 1 in the center of the 2-2-2 layout (as opposed to 2-3-2 on the 777).  The business class seats on the A330 are nearly identical to the 777-300ER except a little smaller.  The amenity kit, seat control, and IFE control were the same as the flight the previous day.  The television and storage cubby/ottoman are smaller but still of decent size.

Turkish Airlines A330 Business Class
At this point, it was nearly 2AM and we were ready to sleep.  We notified the crew that we planned to go to sleep after takeoff and they promised to bring the bedding setup out to us once we reached 10,000 feet.

We changed into our pajamas and relaxed for a bit until takeoff.  Once up in the air, the crew came over to make our bed and provide bottles of water.

Turkish Airlines A330 Seat 1E
Both Emily and I slept for nearly the entire flight.  I woke up about an hour outside of Male and ate a light breakfast (sorry no pics) before landing.

I watched the belly cam as we lined up to land in Male.

On approach to Male
After a smooth touchdown, we taxied to the ramp where we'd have yet another set of stairs and a bus ride to immigration.

Maldives Airport Fast Track
Thanks to fast track, we were through to baggage claim within a couple of minutes.  Our bags were already waiting and we headed through the customs door to the waiting group of Conrad employees who would escort us through the rest of the transfer process.

Final Thoughts:

While not as luxurious as our last flight into Male, Turkish Airlines business class was a perfectly comfortable way to get to the Maldives.  The lie-flight bed and bedding made for a great night's sleep.   We arrived rested and ready to head to the Conrad.   For 80,000 United miles and the stopover included in Istanbul, I'd highly recommend flying Turkish Airlines business class to Male.

2 comments:

  1. Photo shows 2 seats by the window, how is that 1-2-1 layout?

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Unknown - you're right. 2-2-2 on the A330-300. Fixed!

    ReplyDelete