“Thinking about flying in economy class with Turkish Airlines with a long halt at Istanbul? It’s Our honest review about Turkish Airlines. And no, they are not paying us to say that?”

Our Flight Details:
Flight Number : TK- 717
Airline PNR: UIU3LI
Date : Oct 17th 2023

The Journey from our hometown was going to be long, Our Flight was From Delhi to Istanbul and then to Cuba. The Flight was at 6:20 Am In the Morning so we have Reached at Delhi one day before to catch the flight. We couldn’t sleep out of excitement and anxiety of first ever longest flight of life.

The most awaited day and time came we were all set to leave hotel and as it was mid night we had to hire a Cab as Metro starts at 5 Am In the morning.
Luggage capacity was 30 kg for check in luggage in which 2 baggage were allowed and 8 kg for cabin luggage 1 baggage was allowed, You can also carry ladies purse as extra, So baggage was not an issue.

We had a 6:50 Hour Flight From Delhi To Istanbul  then a halt of 12 Hour and flight from Istanbul to Cuba for 12:50 Hour. The total time was 30 Hours.

We Boarded the flight The seats were comfortable and food was served inside the flight they serve alcohol and other beverages too that is unlimited. There is USB charging plug near the Entertainment Screen, They had many options like games, Bollywood movies, Hollywood movies and songs. I enjoyed 2 Hollywood movies with some veg meal options.
The flight had some empty seats so I went behind took blanket, pillow, eye mask provided by airlines and slept.

Lets talk about the price and other information part, the cost from Delhi to Istanbul was 32000 Rs which includes :

Items that were included in this fare was:

• 30kg of checked luggage
• 8kg of carry on baggage, plus 1 personal item
• Meals, drinks and snacks
• In-flight entertainment

In Case You Want to reserve your seats you need to pay extra to be able to get desired seats which is almost 40-50$. The economy class seat configuration for our flight from was in a 3-3-3 format

Turkish Airlines Economy Class Amenity Kit

• Lip balm
• Eye mask
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
• Ear plugs
• Socks
• Slippers
• So, thumbs up for having an amenity kit in economy class… and with some useful products.

Turkish Airlines Economy Class Food

You can order special meal before boarding your flight and that’s free of cost. we have chosen veg option and got Rice, palak paneer and mix veg in main platter, one bowl of salad, one bowl vegetables, one sweet dish, bread and butter. You can choose any drink among red wine, white wine, beer, coke, 7up, orange juice or apple juice. After finishing all the main course meal you will get tea or coffee options too.
Overall meal in this flight from Delhi to Istanbul was good.

Turkish Airlines halt at Istanbul Airport

yo!! The time when we actually had to waste and make this time memorable has started. unfortunately we didn’t had US or Schengen visa to get E visa of Istanbul. Long story short if you have us or Schengen visa you can get e visa of Istanbul and if you have that you can travel Istanbul for free. Turkish airlines provide free stay in hotel, free sightseen and meal if you have a halt of more than 6 hours.
We had to spend our time at airport but we were eligible for free meal so we went to care point and collect our meal coupon, if you have e visa they provide cab and other bookings from care point.

We took our meal coupon and went to sleep pods. It is chargeable 45$ for 3 hours. There were 4 restaurants options for meal we choose Burger king for our meal and in veg they had plant based burger, fries and cola for free. we had our meal and slept, there were many shops and outlets for shopping at Istanbul airport.

Turkish Airlines Review Summary

Our experience on the Turkish Airlines Economy Class flight from Delhi to Cuba via Istanbul… was good, and comfortable but not outstanding. The huge let down was the not very spacious seats. And, we had flown this airline first time so the expectations were very high. Yet, there was no discomfort at all. 

In saying that, the food and drinks they served were great!

The seat configuration was in a 3-3-3 format and when the flight is full its not so comfortable as space is not great. it was a surprise to receive an amenity kit ha ha ha!
The food was good quality and fresh the overall service from staff was largely attentive and positive. So, thumbs up there.

Plus, while some of the flights we’ve been on were uncomfortably hot… on this journey the air conditioning was working well. What’s more, each time when going to the toilets they were clean. Thank goodness! And, in general the overall cleanliness was excellent.

Now, the BIG question is… would we fly Turkish Airlines in the future?

YES. And, it would be interesting to experience their business class and avail the free layover facilities.

So, keep checking in and enjoying the journey with us… as we drink, eat and travel around the world. Remember, if you prefer to watch videos of our experiences… head on over to our YouTube Channel Distance between

ENJOY!