Turkish Airlines Review: Seats, Amenities, Customer Service, Baggage Fees, and More

Key Takeaways

• Turkish Airlines offers a vast network of international routes, as well as a strong route network within Türkiye, and the airline has multiple plane types with different configurations.
• Contrary to airline industry trends, Turkish Airlines does not offer premium economy.
• Turkish Airlines is ranked as a 4-star airline (out of 5) by Skytrax and offers the Miles&Smiles program for rewards.

Turkish Airlines is Türkiye’s flag carrier and one of the world’s largest global airlines, connecting Istanbul to a vast network of destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and beyond. It often touts that it flies to more countries or international destinations than many of its competitors, and while the exact “most destinations” claim is debatable, it does maintain a very broad global reach (over 300 destinations).

For a U.S. traveler, that means good connectivity via Istanbul with one-stop access to many parts of the world, often with competitive pricing and strong routing options.

Passengers tend to like Turkish Airlines’ inflight catering (meals and drinks are included even in economy), generally comfortable seat spacing, and wide entertainment selection. Thanks to Turkish Airlines’ vast reach, passengers also like the ability to reach so many destinations worldwide with just a single connection.

On the flip side, U.S. travelers should be aware of potential downsides, such as the complexity of connecting in Istanbul (airport transfers, visa rules, tight connections), occasional customer service or operational hiccups, and the fact that the carrier does charge add-on fees you might not expect with an international legacy carrier.

Basic Information

• Airline: Turkish Airlines
• Alliance: Star Alliance
• Category: International airline
• Frequent flyer program: Miles&Smiles
• Tagline: “Widen your world”
• Number of passengers annually: 84 million
• Fleet: 359
• Main hub: Istanbul Airport (IST)
• Destinations: Over 320 domestic and international destinations, including 131 countries

Frequent Flyer Program

Turkish Airlines’ loyalty program is Miles&Smiles. It allows members to earn miles on Turkish flights, on Star Alliance carriers, and on various partners, which can be redeemed for award flights, upgrades, extra baggage, and lounge access. The program also provides status tiers (Classic Plus, Elite, and Elite Plus) that confer additional perks like extra checked baggage allowance, lounge access, priority check-in, and more.

The program’s strengths include decent sweet spot award redemptions (particularly booking Turkish business class with miles or booking United Airlines flights to Hawaii), the ability to use miles for extra baggage or seat upgrades, and its 1:1 transfer partner status with U.S. programs like Capital One Miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

But there are a few drawbacks. In 2024, Turkish introduced a devaluation in its award chart, which made many previously attractive awards significantly more expensive. It also moved toward more segment-based pricing for connections. Also, changes or cancellations of awards come with a relatively steep fee. The program also restricts mileage validity and, in some cases, limits the usability of certain partner awards. Overall, it’s solid for those who fly Turkish or Star Alliance frequently and can plan award usage carefully, but it’s not as forgiving or flexible as some competitor award programs.

Hot Tip:

If you’re looking to earn miles quickly for your next reward flight, check out our article on the best ways to earn lots of Miles & Smiles miles.

Ticketing Options

Economy Fares

With Turkish Airlines’ domestic flights, here are the available fares and what they include:

On international flights, these are the fare types and inclusions:

*If the new fare is higher, you need to pay the fare difference. This merely addresses whether there’s a fee.

Premium Economy Fares

Contrary to the industry trend, Turkish Airlines doesn’t offer a premium economy product. That said, the airline did receive a handful of Airbus A350 aircraft from Aeroflot that featured premium economy seats in rows 8 to 10. Turkish Airlines sells these as economy and then charges fees for choosing these extra legroom seats (see our discussion of fees below).

Business Class

There’s just 1 fare type available on domestic flights, including the following perks:

On international flights, you have these booking options and their respective inclusions:

Turkish Airlines Baggage and Other Fees and Add-Ons

On domestic flights, you pay between roughly $8 and $10 to add checked baggage to your booking, but the fee to add checked luggage on flights between the U.S. and Türkiye can be expensive. You could pay $165 or more to add luggage to an economy fare without any checked baggage inclusions. Compare that against the cost of a more expensive fare that includes luggage.

Hot Tip:

Learn more in our dedicated guide covering Turkish Airlines baggage policies, including fees and inclusions.

Other Fees and Add-Ons

Change and Cancellation Fees (Cash Tickets)

Turkish Airlines offers numerous fare types, and the fees vary by what fare type you have and how far in advance you wish to modify your reservation. Generally speaking, you can’t change or modify your flight within 12 hours of departure for domestic itineraries if you’re flying in economy, and several fare classes aren’t refundable.

On international fares, the ability to change or cancel your flight varies by the fare type you purchased. Those that allow changes often charge around $70 per passenger to change or $210 to cancel, though the PrimeFly economy fare and BusinessPrime business fare allow full refunds without a fee.

Hot Tip:

If you’ve booked an award flight, you can find out more pricing details in our article on airline cancellation and change fees for award flight bookings.

Reservation Service Fees

Turkish Airlines charges extra when you book via ticket offices or call centers compared with booking independently online or using the mobile app — though this doesn’t apply to international flights departing from countries outside Türkiye. If you book through a sales center for a flight within or departing from Türkiye, you could pay a fee between $2 and $7.

Extra Legroom Seats

You pay to choose seats on domestic flights in economy if you don’t have elite status. That fee is ₺160 to 380 ($4 to $9) for standard seats, ₺330 to 500 ($8 to $12) for preferred seats, and ₺500 to 700 for extra legroom seats. The fee is ₺350 to 550 ($12 to $17) for exit row seats.

On international flights, choosing an economy seat costs $15 to $60, $20 to $100 for preferred seats, $24 to $249 for extra legroom seats, and $24 to $200 for seats in the emergency exit row. Those ranges are significant.

Onboard Wi-Fi

Passengers flying in business class get up to 1GB of complimentary Wi-Fi during their flight, while Miles&Smiles members in other cabins can get free use of messaging services. Beyond this, expect to pay between $8 and $35 for internet packages on long-haul flights, depending on how long you want to use the service and how much data you want included.

Hot Tip:

Turkish Airlines says it plans to offer complimentary Wi-Fi across its fleet, but there’s no launch date or any firm details surrounding this project.

Onboard Food and Drinks

Turkish Airlines offers sandwiches on domestic flights, which is much more than you find with most U.S. airlines on their domestic flights. Additional sale items, including snacks and duty-free items, may be available on some flights. For many passengers, the purchase won’t be necessary, since there’s at least something free to eat on nearly every flight.

Hold the Price

If you’re not ready to book your flight yet, you can pay for the Hold the Price option. You can usually lock in the fare for up to 3 days, up to 7 days, or up to 15 days.

You can pay with cash or miles, and the fee for putting your fare on hold varies depending on how far in advance you book, how long you hold the price, the ticket class, flight distance, and various other factors.

If you eventually confirm and pay for the ticket, the hold fee is refunded.

Those with Class Plus status or above can hold the flight for no charge. The length of this complimentary hold varies depending on how far in advance you book.

Unaccompanied Minor

The price you pay for an unaccompanied child depends on where you’re flying from and to. For flights within Türkiye, you pay:

• Direct flight: ₺500 ($12)
• With a connection: ₺1,000 ($24)
• To the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: ₺1,500 ($36)

On international flights, you pay the following fees:

Zone 1 is essentially European countries, while Zone 2 includes Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia. Zone 3 includes the Americas and eastern Asia.

Pet Transportation

Turkish Airlines offers a pet transportation fee calculator, letting you provide an estimated travel date and details about your pet’s size and weight. The airline allows for the transportation of dogs, cats, and birds, subject to certain breed restrictions.

Fees vary by where you’re flying from and to, but the calculator said a flight from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Istanbul (IST) with a small dog would incur a fee of $185 for transportation in the cabin or $370 in the luggage hold.

How To Avoid Paying Excess Fees and Expenses

One effective way to avoid some of these fees is to hold the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature^® Credit Card and pay for your flights with it.

This card offers benefits such as mileage accrual on everyday spend, priority check-in, lounge access, and the ability to earn toward elite status through spending. Oddly, though, this card doesn’t provide a complimentary checked bag on Turkish Airlines flights.

For another option, many cards let you redeem rewards to offset travel purchases after the fact. Capital One, for example, allows you to cover recent travel charges by redeeming miles at 1 cent apiece within 90 days of a purchase. Thus, if you used a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to pay for fees with Turkish Airlines, you could redeem miles to reverse that outlay.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

Purchases: 19.99% - 28.99% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.99% - 28.99% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

In this way, many of the à la carte charges become fungible — meaning you still pay them initially but can recoup the cost using your rewards. This only works if the charge is made by Turkish Airlines (or any merchant identified as in the travel category), though, which may not include things like onboard internet or third-party add-ons.

Turkish Airlines Lounges

Turkish Airlines operates the following lounges in Türkiye:

Turkish also operates lounges in other countries, including the following locations:

• Bangkok (BKK)
• Miami (MIA)
• Moscow Vnukovo (VKO)
• Nairobi (NBO)
• New York City (JFK)
• Tokyo Narita (NRT)
• Washington Dulles (IAD)

Inflight Inclusions, Amenities, and Seat Specs

Economy

Amenities include:

• Complimentary meals and nonalcoholic beverages on international flights
• Personal entertainment screen at every seat (on most aircraft)
• Power or USB charging ports at seats (on many aircraft)
• Seat pitch typically in the 31-to-33-inch range on long-haul economy
• 1 piece of checked baggage (varies by route and fare) included on many long-haul fares
• Inclusion of a personal item and a carry-on bag in the overhead bin (size and weight limits apply)

Business Class

Passengers have these amenities, the best of which are included on long-haul flights such as Turkish Airlines flights to the U.S.:

• Fully lie-flat or very-deep-recline seats (often in 1-2-1 layout on newer long-haul aircraft)
• Gourmet multicourse meals with service on porcelain or real tableware, Turkish cuisine elements, and a choice of dishes
• Priority check-in, priority boarding, fast-track security, and premium lounge access included
• More generous baggage allowance (2 items with a higher weight limit on each)
• Amenity kits and slippers on long-haul flights
• Elevated service
• Power outlets and reading lights at each seat
• On some long flights, a “flying chef” concept (select dishes made to order)

Seat Specs

Turkish Airlines operates multiple plane types, and seating varies:

Turkish Airlines Customer Satisfaction

Most Common Complaints

Common criticisms of Turkish Airlines in customer reviews include issues with customer service responsiveness, delays or schedule changes, luggage mishandling, and the implementation of seat selection and extra-legroom policies. Some passengers in reviews on Trustpilot and Tripadvisor also note frustration when seat assignments or extra-legroom seats bought ahead of time have been changed at the last minute without compensation.

Consumer Rankings and Ratings

• Skytrax ranking: 4-Star Airline (out of 5)
• Tripadvisor airline review rating: 3.5 out of 5 (average from 38,805 reviews)
• Kayak customer rating: 7.3 out of 10 (average from 3,983 verified reviews)
• AirHelp.com overall rating: 6.32 out of 10 (quality of amenities, on-time arrivals, and how well an airline resolves flight delay compensation claims)

Safety and Performance

Turkish Airlines has a relatively strong safety record with no major recent fatal accidents, and it’s regulated by both Turkish civil aviation authorities and international standards. Some past incidents (like mechanical issues and runway excursions) have been reported over its long operational history, but it is not considered a high-risk carrier. The airline has also invested in modernizing its fleet with Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft and upgrading operations to improve reliability and passenger experience.

Recent Awards

Turkish has received numerous awards in its history. In 2024, the airline was among the few to be named among the World Class airlines by APEX, with awards for the best food and beverages and best inflight entertainment in Europe.

Skytrax World Airline Awards 2025

In the 2024 Skytrax awards, Turkish Airlines was recognized as the Best Airline in Southern Europe and for Best Business Class Catering Service worldwide.

Final Thoughts

Turkish Airlines offers a compelling option for U.S.-based travelers who want to reach a broad array of global destinations via a well-connected hub in Istanbul, often at competitive fares, with meal service and decent onboard amenities, even in economy. Its strong route network and ability to access many markets make Turkish especially valuable for multiple-leg journeys and destinations less served by U.S. carriers.

That said, travelers should go in with realistic expectations. Connections can become complex, service consistency can vary, and many extras — including seat selection — come at a cost. If you fly often, making smart use of the Miles&Smiles program and leveraging credit card strategies to recoup add-on fees can make Turkish a more frictionless and cost-effective option.