Turkish Airlines wants to go toe-to-toe with its Middle Eastern rivals. See inside its luxurious new business class suites.
Pete Syme,Taylor Rains
- Turkish Airlines revealed its new business class at the Farnborough Airshow.
- It features sliding doors for the first time, plus more space.
Turkish Airlines unveiled a new business-class product called Crystal at the Farnborough Airshow in July.
Its business class already has a good reputation, ranked 10th worldwide by Skytrax.
However, Turkish Airlines faces steep competition. Other Middle Eastern airlines, like Qatar Airways and Emirates, have built strong reputations thanks partly because of their business-class offerings.
For Turkish, which is expanding its operations, an upgrade could help it cut into market share.
Turkish Airlines says Crystal will be gradually installed on its Airbus A350 jets on order, plus retrofitted onto its Boeing 777 aircraft.
For the first time, its business class will feature privacy dividers and sliding doors in every suite. It has a sleek design, and also comes with bigger entertainment screens plus a larger footwell.
Turkish Airlines unveiled its new business class, Crystal, at the Farnborough Airshow.
The new product is the airline's unique design, developed by its subsidiary, TCI Aircraft Interiors.
Its current business class is already quite highly regarded.
Turkish Airlines was recently named the 10th-best airline for business class in the world by Skytrax.
Its lounge in Istanbul Airport is often listed as one of the world's best airline lounges and is one of a few Skytrax has rated five stars.
But an upgraded premium product could help it compete with other Middle Eastern airlines.
Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways are known for their first-rate business-class products.
Qatar, which won Skytrax's best business class and best airline awards, also unveiled its QSuite Next Gen at Farnborough.
Emirates was ranked fourth for its business class offering by Skytrax, while Abu Dhabi's Etihad was 12th.
The new design for Crystal is notably sleeker than its current business-class offering.
However, the abundance of light colors might make it age quicker than the dark tones of its current product.
The suites looked spacious yet also offered privacy.
There's more space in the footwell, and unlike the current product, each suite has sliding doors and a privacy panel.
They can also be transformed into lie-flat beds.
The fabrics and leathers are all sourced from Turkey.
Only two rows in the center section were on display.
It looked like the cabin will be arranged in a classic 1-2-1 formation, so every passenger has direct aisle access.
The console position alternates so passengers can have more or less privacy.
This staggered arrangement is sometimes playfully called the honeymoon-divorce configuration because you're either closer to or further away from your neighbor.
Qatar Airways QSuite and Singapore Airlines' A380 first-class offer a double bed option.
The in-flight entertainment screens are getting an upgrade too.
The new monitors measure at 22 inches instead of 18 inches.
Several small details added to the glossy design.
The handles and seat-position buttons have rose-gold finishes, while the console table is in a marble style.
Wireless charging is another new feature in Crystal.
You can find USB-C outlets as well.
Business-class passengers also get a Lanvin amenity kit.
At the moment, Turkish Airlines' business class passengers will find travel sets from Ferragamo.
The airline says Crystal will be gradually installed on its Airbus A350 jets on order.
Last December, Turkish Airlines ordered 70 A350s.
Crystal will also be retrofitted on its existing Boeing 777 aircraft.
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