Turkish Business Class, Up To 4 Seats (Fall 2023)
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 on the outbound. I don't see much space on the return, but you still have time to figure out a return option.
Now, let's get into the award space!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: EWR/IAH/ORD-IST
Operating airline: Turkish Airlines
Class of service: Business class
Dates: October - November 2023
Seats available: 4
Cabin layout: 1-2-1 (B789), 2-2-2 (A330), 2-3-2 (B777)
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Air Canada Aeroplan:
- EWR/ORD: 70,000 points
- IAH: 90,000 points
- 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 (per person):
- One-way: $5.60
- Surcharges: ~$210
- Partner booking fee: Air Canada, LifeMiles
Bank transfer partners:
- Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Chase, Capital One, Marriott
- Asiana: Marriott
- LifeMiles: 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.
On the Boeing 787-9, Turkish offers 1-2-1 seating with lie-flat seats. Overall, it's a nice seat. If you're like me and have wide shoulders, it might feel a little snug up top but it's still a comfy seat.
The Boeing 777 has 2-3-2 seating while the A330 has 2-2-2 seating. While not all seats have direct aisle access, you will have a lie-flat seat. It's not the most private business class layout but it's a solid option when flying with someone. Besides, if you need four seats, it's just nice to have an option!
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Available Dates
ORD-IST (Boeing 777)
October: 1, 2, 4, 9, 11, 14-18, 21-25, 28, 29, 31
November: 1-12, 14, 21
IAH-IST (Boeing 777 & Boeing 787-9)
October: 2, 3, 9, 15-18, 21, 23, 25, 27
EWR-IST (Airbus A330)
October: 18, 24, 29
November: 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15
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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 ~$215. 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 Chicago or Newark
Aeroplan is a solid option from Chicago (ORD) at 70,000 points if you have Amex points. If you'd prefer to save some cash on the taxes/fees, you can also transfer Bilt, Capital One, and Chase 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.
United: No Surcharges, Solid Rate From Houston
Since the Aeroplan rate jumps to 90,000 points from Houston (IAH), 77,000 United miles is a better option if you have Bilt or Chase points and want to avoid ~$210 in surcharges 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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