Turkish Business Class, Up To 4 Seats (Fall/Winter)
If you're looking for a flight to Istanbul, other parts of Europe, or the Middle East next fall, Turkish has space for up to four people. You can find round-trip award space on several routes plus one-way space to Istanbul on a few others.
I noticed connecting space to destinations such as Athens, Bodrum, and Cairo. I'm sure there are plenty of other options as well.
Additionally, you might be able to find a connection within the US or Canada on United or Air Canada, respectively. However, it might be in economy.
Now, let's get into the award space!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes:
- Round-trip: IAD/JFK/ORD/SEA/SFO/YUL-IST
- One-way: ATL/BOS/DFW-IST
Operating airline: Turkish Airlines
Class of service: Business class
Dates: October 2023 - February 2024
Seats available: 2-4
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (B789/A350), 2-2-2 (A330), 2-3-2 (B777)
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Air Canada Aeroplan:
- ATL/BOS/IAD/JFK//ORD/YUL: 70,000 points
- DFW/SEA/SFO: 90,000 points
- ANA Mileage Club: 88,000 miles (round-trip)
- Asiana Club: 40,000 miles
- *Avianca LifeMiles: 63,000 miles
- EVA Infinity MileageLands: 65,000 miles
- Miles & More: 56,000 miles
- Singapore KrisFlyer: 88,000 miles
- Turkish Miles&Smiles: 45,000 miles
- *United MileagePlus: 77,000 miles
*No Surcharges
Taxes/fees without surcharges (per person, one-way):
- US to Istanbul: $5.60
- Istanbul to US: ~$42
- YUL to Istanbul: ~$49
- Istanbul to YUL: ~$25
- Surcharges:
- To.From US: ~$270
- To/From YUL: ~$260
The surcharges programs attach to awards on Turkish varies a bit.
- Partner booking fee: Air Canada, LifeMiles
Bank transfer partners:
- Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Chase, Capital One, Marriott
- Asiana: Marriott
- ANA: Amex, Marriott
- Avianca: Amex, Capital One, Citi, Marriott
- EVA Air: Citi, Capital One
- Singapore: Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Marriott
- Turkish: Bilt, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
- United: Bilt, Chase, Marriott
Drop me an email if you book!
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Flight Experience
The star of the show is the inflight catering and the lounge in Istanbul. While inflight food can be tough to get right, Turkish is known for doing just that.
Cabin Layout
Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350
Business class is arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout which means each seat has direct aisle access. Seats are lie-flat.
Boeing 777
The cabin is arranged in a 2-3-2 layout. Only some seats have direct aisle access and people will have to climb over/around you to get to the aisle. Each seat is lie-flat.
Airbus A330
Seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 layout. If you want direct aisle access and don't want your seat mate to climb around/over you, the middle section is ideal. Each seat is lie-flat.
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Available Dates
YUL-IST (A350)
October: 15, 29
November: 1, 12, 26, 29
December: 31
January: 3, 5, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31
February: 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16
IST-YUL
November: 3, 8, 15, 19 22, 29
December: 1, 3, 6, 8, 13, 20, 22
January: 24, 26, 28, 31
February: 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16
SEA-IST (787)
October: 25, 26
November: 4-6, 8, 12, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28-330
December: 2-6, 9 27, 30, 31
January: 1-4, 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-31
February: 1, 3-8, 10-15
IST-SEA
November: 9, 17, 21-23, 30
December: 2, 7, 11, 13-16, 18-21, 23, 25, 26
January: 15-20, 22-27, 29-31
February: 1-3, 5-10, 12-16
ORD-IST (A350 and 777)
October: 9, 11, 12, 14-18, 20-24, 27, 28, 31
November: 1, 4, 6-12, 14, 24, 26, 28
January 2024: 12-16, 19-23, 26-30
February: 2-4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16
IST-ORD
November: 21, 28
December: 4, 5, 8, 11, 12
January: 23, 30
February: 2, 6, 9, 13, 16
JFK-IST (777)
January: 11-31
February: 1-4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16
IST-JFK
November: 10, 24
December: 3-8, 10-15, 17-19
January: 21-26, 28, 29-31
February: 1-4, 6-9, 11, 14, 16
IAD-IST (A350)
January: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31
February: 1, 3
IST-IAD
December: 7, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
January: 15, 22, 24, 25, 29, 31
February: 1
SFO-IST (777)
November: 8, 13, 23, 25, 29
December: 3-7
January: 15-31
February: 1-4
IST-SFO
December: 1, 4, 5, 7
January: 15, 16, 23, 25, 27-30
February: 1-4, 6, 8-10, 13, 15
DFW-IST (787-9)
October: 23, 31
November: 5, 12, 13, 15, 23, 26-28
December: 3, 4, 7
January: 15, 16, 22, 23, 27, 29, 30
February: 3, 6, 13
ATL-IST (A350)
November: 14, 25
December: 2, 3, 30, 31
January: 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 23, 27, 28, 30
February: 3, 4, 6, 10, 11 13
BOS-IST (A330)
October: 2, 16, 29
November: 5, 6, 12
January: 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 28, 29, 31
February: 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14
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Best Ways To Book
Turkish: Best One-Way Rate, Surcharges Are Manageable
If you have Bilt, Capital One, or Citi points, Turkish is an excellent option at 45,000 miles one-way with reasonable taxes/fees at ~$235. Just remember that you can call Turkish to hold space while you transfer points.
LifeMiles: Great Rate, No Surcharges
At 63,000 miles one-way + no surcharges, LifeMiles provides a great way to book if you have Amex, Capital One, or Citi points whether you need a non-stop, connection within the US, or a connection to somewhere else in Europe.
Aeroplan: No Surcharges, Solid Rate From East Coast/Midwest
Aeroplan is a solid option the east coast and Chicago (ORD) at 70,000 points if you have Bilt or Chase points and you want to avoid surcharges. If LifeMiles has issues with connections, Aeroplan is a good option if you have Amex or Capital One points.
Keep in mind that connections could increase the award rate. Use use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's zone-based chart. Stopovers can be included for 5,000 miles on a one-way.
ANA Mileage Club: Great Round-Trip Rate, Rough Surcharges
You can transfer Amex points to ANA Mileage Club and book with 88,000 miles round-trip. However, the total taxes/fees are about $710 on the round-trip. Plus, transfers from Amex can take a few days to process.
United: No Surcharges, Solid Rate From West Coast/Houston
Since the Aeroplan rate jumps to 90,000 points from the west coast and Houston, 77,000 United miles is a better option if you have Bilt or Chase points and want to avoid the surcharges.
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How To Book
If you don't know the exact dates you want to fly, keep things simple and use United's calendar search option.
- From United's homepage, select Advanced search
- Choose to show price in miles
- Enter the origin & destination
- Select Nonstop only
- Select your dates or choose Flexible dates and choose a month
- Select the number of passengers
- Select Business
- Show flights from All Star Alliance airlines
- Select Find flights
Once you know the exact dates you want, you can run the search with the program you'll be using to book. As always, I recommend confirming the program you're using sees the award space before you transfer points.
You can call Turkish Airlines at 800-874-8875 to hold award space while you transfer points.
Bottom Line
I absolutely loved Istanbul and highly recommend a visit, especially if you're a history nerd. There's also plenty of great food to try, great views to take in from a rooftop bar, and make sure you enjoy a full Turkish breakfast.
Happy booking!
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