Imagine being told that your flight back home was cancelled due to a strike just 2 days before departure. What to do? As fate turned out, we ended up flying Turkish Airlines instead.
The replacement (by our own means) flight took us to Istanbul via Oslo, before we headed back to Europe to Vienna, Austria. The 3-sector flight was on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Turkish Airlines, via Economy class on their A320neo and A321, respectively. Here is our incredible story of making it out of Tromsø amidst a nationwide industrial action.
The Prequel – Original Flight on SAS and Austrian Airlines.
Following our 2 week long holiday in Iceland and Tromsø, we planned to visit Vienna for a day. From there, we would fly home on EVA Air. Our tickets were purchased from Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which would see us exit Tromsø on SAS to Oslo. We would then reach Vienna via flight hopping on an Oslo–Copenhagen-Vienna route. On these subsequent sectors, the flights would be operated by Austrian Airlines.
But lo and behold! 2 days before departure, SAS informed us that our flight was cancelled, as Austrian Airlines staff were staging a strike. After almost a day of frantic queries, we finally settled on a replacement flight – at our own expenses – that was similar to our original flight plan. But this time, we would be flying on Turkish Airlines. What a peculiar turn of events!
Plot Twist – Revised Flight Plan via Turkish Airlines and SAS
On the new ticket, we would take an earlier flight via SAS SK4409 (but this time, it was under Turkish Airlines’ flight TK8285 and “operated by SAS”). After a tight transit time of 1h20m, we would fly to Istanbul then Vienna via TK1752 and TK1889, respectively. This renewed flight plan would see us experience Turkish Airlines – the world’s largest airline by fleet size – Economy Class for the first time. It would also be our virgin visit to Istanbul (and Turkey). We could explore Istanbul Airport during the 4-hour transit. Well, we can say there’s still a silver lining amidst the string of unfortunate events that happened.
Interestingly, we could still reach Vienna as originally planned. We would just spend a longer time on the flights. But of course, the new flight tickets cost us 3x the original one.
Although our journey would see us travel via 2 airlines, I had earlier shared my experience on SK4409, which was part of my trip report on SAS’ Economy class. Therefore, I would focus on the Turkish Airlines experience in this post.
Trip Overview
Tromsø, Norway – Oslo, Norway (TOS – OSL)
Flight Number: TK8285 (SK4409) (Bought on Turkish Airlines, operated by Scandinavian Airlines)
Aircraft Type / Registration: A320neo / SE-ROX
Class: Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 0845hrs (CET) / 0854hrs (CET)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 1045hrs (CET) / 1035hrs (CET)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 2h 0m / 1h 45m
Seat: 11D
Meal Service: Coffee and tea service
Oslo, Norway to Istanbul, Turkey (OSL – IST)
Flight Number: TK1752
Aircraft Type / Registration: A321 / TJ-JSO
Class: Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 1150hrs (CET) / 1152hrs (CET)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 1755hrs (GMT+3) / 1727hrs (GMT+3)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 4h 5m / 3h 35m
Seat: 24B
Meal Service: Lunch
Istanbul, Turkey to Vienna, Austria (IST – VIE)
Flight Number: TK1889
Aircraft Type / Registration: A321 / TJ-JSY
Class: Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 2130hrs (GMT+3) / 2144hrs (GMT+3)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 2150hrs (CET) / 2144hrs (CET)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 2h 20m / 2h 00m
Seat: 20C
Meal Service: Dinner
Turkish Airlines Economy Class Experience – Pre-Flight
We caught the morning flight out of Tromsø on TK8285, on an A320neo operated by SAS as SK4409. The short flight across Norway saw us arrive at Oslo slightly before noon.
Pre-flight – Transit at Oslo Airport
Upon disembarking SAS’ SK4409, we had 1h20m to catch our next flight. Turkey being outside of the Schengen region, we had to cross over to the non-Schengen part of the terminal. This meant having to go through additional security and passport checks.
The additional procedures turned out to be rather smooth. The spacious terminal design alleviated the stress of having to go through official checks. That being said, it did make finding our way more challenging than smaller airports like Tromsø’s.
Pre-flight – Check in at Istanbul Airport
Given that we had 4 hours of transit in Istanbul, we opted to retrieve our bags after landing and re-check in at Istanbul. Oh yes, we do have that unfounded worry that our bags would be lost in the vast Istanbul Airport. It was after all an enormous hub playing host to numerous transcontinental flights.
The departure hall of Istanbul Airport was very modern, and self-service check in was available.
Except that we somehow didn’t have any success using it.
We had to look for a manual check in counter instead. It was there when we encountered the only unpleasant part of our Turkish Airlines experience – a disinterested and unfriendly staff. Fortunately that was it, and we breezed through the security check as it was well manned.
Pre-flight – Boarding
Our flight out of Oslo was from the non-Schengen part of the airport. Although we were at the same airport, the experience was slightly different from when we took SK4434 from Oslo to Tromsø.
The gate hold room was an enclosed space and there were ticket checks at the entrance. They had 1 queue for passengers on transit and another for passengers who checked in at Oslo. However, the signs were placed wrongly, resulting in many people ending up at the wrong queue. The ground staff, seeing that we were Asians, reprimanded us (and not the other passengers) for not “following the rules”. However, I showed her the photo that I took of the sign by my queue to put her back in place. Yes, I empathised with her stressful work, but taking it out in a racist way was so passe.
The boarding itself was also very unorganised, with no control of the boarding groups. It was interesting how the experience differed so vastly from my previous departure from Oslo.
Comparatively, the boarding at Istanbul was more pleasant. The boarding area was an open plan concept, since the airport adopted a central security screening process. Right before boarding, everyone queued up in front of the wide arch leading to the aerobridge. There was a lack of queue control, though, and I wondered how the staff managed the stress of manually checking the boarding pass.
Aircraft of the Day – A321-200 (A321-231)
The Airbus A321-200 (A321ceo) fleet of Turkish Airlines consisted of several seat layouts, depending on what generation of the seats were installed and how many Business Class seats Turkish Airlines packed in. Both our flights on Oslo-Istanbul and Istanbul-Vienna were on their 32R (A321-231) variation. With the aircraft being similar to the ones I took on SAS during this trip, I would be making frequent comparisons between Turkish Airlines’ A321ceo and SAS’ A320neo.
Seating on Turkish Airlines Economy Class
Unlike SAS’ A320neo plying regional routes, Turkish Airlines’ A321 cabin was well demarcated. The Business Class seats were designed to be different from the Economy Class seats, and had their own partitioned cabin. Arranged in 2-2 configuration, each seat had 19.5 inches of width and 43 inches of legroom, which was a leg up from SAS..
Except that we were taking the Economy class that day.
The Economy seats were arranged in a 3-3 configuration. For our aircraft type, the EMEX rows were at rows 7, 8, 20 and 21, with rows 7 and 20 having a 2-2 configuration instead. Rows 8 and 21, though, had more legroom and could not place personal items under the seat in front. That being said, the EMEX seats were identical to the rest of the Economy class seats.
Having sat at 20C for the Istanbul to Vienna leg of my journey, I would say that the only perk of sitting in this row was that everyone gets direct aisle access, doing away with the need to climb over other passengers whenever one needs to leave his seat. And unlike in the EMEX rows of 8 and 20, we still had our seat back TV, so we could continue to watch the inflight entertainment during take off and landing.
Seat and Space on Turkish Airlines Economy Class
Despite being a full flight, there was still more than enough space in the overhead cabin, thereby freeing up our personal space at the seat. Their leather clad seats exuded some level of classiness. But as we all know, leather furniture retains heat very well, so it becomes uncomfortable after prolonged seating.
Legroom wise, it was also below expectations. For a short legged Asian to find the legroom wanting is a serious red flag! Ironically, this legroom space was reportedly 31 inches, compared with SAS’ 30 inches. There had to be some design flaw somewhere! The saving grace was that the seat cushion was thick and comfortable.
On the seat back were all the amenities we were familiar with: the Inflight Entertainment System (IFE) and a bi-fold tray table. There were also 2 seat pockets – one below the IFE screen and a small knitted one at the knee level. There was a coat hook by the tray table, and a USB port found under the TV screen.
Inflight Entertainment on Turkish Airlines A321ceo
The Inflight Entertainment System (IFE) IFE was rather up to date in terms of hardware. It had a responsive touch screen, which could also be controlled by a wired remote that was a throwback to the early 2000s. The IFE contained an extensive collection of movies and games.
Sadly, the user interface was frustrating. Everytime I returned to a higher level in the menu, the system would bring me back to the top of the list, so I had to scroll all the way back down the list to continue browsing from where I last stopped at.
Lavatory on A320neo of SAS
Like all narrowbody aircraft, the toilets were at both ends of the aircraft, with 3 at the back and 1 at the front. The lavatory at the front was exclusive to the Business Class passengers, while the remaining 164 of us shared the 3 at the back. That made for a ratio of 54:1, which was slightly better than SAS’ 56:1.
Inflight Meal & Staff Service
Lunch was served on the first flight. I chose the curry chicken, which thankfully was not spicy. For the Istanbul to Vienna sector, we were served dinner. The meal options were either beef with rice or vegetarian pasta (in tomato sauce). Unfortunately, some parts of the dish were cold.
However, this was much better than the experience on SAS. Both SAS and Turkish Airlines were full service airlines. Yet, the latter could serve proper hot meals, while SAS only provided free coffee and tea for Economy Class.
But come to think of it again, we did pay 3 times SAS’ tickets for flying on Turkish Airlines…
On both flights, the Turkish Airlines cabin crew were fairly pleasant. Obviously, they didn’t leave a deep impression on me either. That being said, their presence on board was to ensure our safety first and foremost.
Transit through Istanbul Airport (4 hrs)
Another thing that we looked forward to on this unexpected trip was the chance to step foot in Turkey for the first time, albeit in its Istanbul Airport. We had 4 hours to spare. So we retrieved our bags and re-checked them in to ensure that our suitcases followed us to Vienna. With that, we still had time to spare to explore the sprawling airport.
Arriving at Istanbul Airport
Sprawling indeed. We walked for over 10 minutes to reach passport control from the gate where we alighted! However, it was also because the foreigners’ counters were situated at the other end of the terminal. Basically, the passport control counters spanned the entire length of the main section of the terminal. They were further split into (iirc) 3 sections. Somehow, only the one furthest from us was open. And yup, you can have the most elaborate hardware, but if your human resource and software can’t catch up, most of it would be white elephant.
The architectural design of the terminal hinted at the country’s ambition to be seen as strong and capable. With its super high ceilings and long distances between any 2 neighbouring facilities, the terminal was screaming grandiose at every turn.
That being said, check in and bag drop was smooth. The design language of the airport was consistent with its international contemporaries, though we still struggled to wayfind. There was a combination of self-service and manual check-in counters and the security checks were well-manned, so we were back in the transit area in no time.
Experiencing The Departure Transit
The common areas were decked out in Islamic holiday decorations, giving the austere design some personal touches. One thing though, the high, glass ceilings were not fitted with lights. That gave the feeling of outdoor shopping when traversing the terminal.
Thanks to the spacious design, we didn’t feel claustrophobic even though there were a lot of people in transit. We tried their remote assistance, as we could not find our way around. While it was cool and modern to be tele-communicating with the customer service officer, it made me understand the pros of having an actual person to speak to, especially when one is lost.
After plying the length of the terminal at least 3 times (after disembarking, proceeding to check in, and looking for the transit counter to change our seats to the EMEX row), we decided to take a rest. We opted for comfort food since we weren’t craving anything Turkish. So McDonald’s it was. A simple meal of Filet-o-Fish cost almost 3x that of Singapore’s. It was also a long wait for the queue, even though the restaurant wasn’t even half filled.
Arriving at Vienna International Airport
Finally, after an arduous journey that saw us on the road (or in the air?) for 13 hours, across continents and on 3 flights, we arrived at Vienna, Austria! Despite being a popular tourist attraction, the airport was surprisingly peaceful at 10pm. Vienna Airport was also a mid-size airport comprising of 2 connected terminals – one for international and the other for domestic travels.
We of course arrived at the non-schengen part of the terminal as we had come from Turkey. However, the passport control checks were quick. With barely any crowd, we were out and about in no time.
Our hotel at Vienna was right outside the airport, which was super convenient. But as this post is getting long (and would be longer with my compulsion to rant at Austrian Airlines’ unprofessionalism), the hotel review would have to be in another post.
Rant about SAS and Austrian Airlines’ underwhelming customer service
As mentioned earlier, our original flight plan was Tromsø-Oslo-Vienna on SAS, with the last 2 legs operated by Austrian Airlines. Unfortunately, the Austrian Airlines employees staged a strike on our travel day and our flights got cancelled. It took them one full day to inform us about the alternate arrangements after announcing the flight cancellation. That meant one full day of sitting on needles wondering if we could make it back home on time.
The replacement flight on Finnair, though via the same routing, would take place 2 days after our original schedule, which would see us miss our onward flight home.
The customer service was equally unhelpful; we saw there were empty slots on the replacement flights on our original departure date and had requested to be put on those earlier flights. But the staff simply refused to do it. We reckoned they just wanted to put us on the cheapest, instead of the most customer oriented, flight. Ultimately, we bit the bullet and booked another flight plan, via Turkish Airlines. At NOK7,352 (USD 670), that was the cheapest ticket we could find.
And due to Austrian Airlines’ incompetence, we had to make claims via our insurance. Unfortunately, my travel insurance didn’t cover industrial action. Oh well.. Just remind me never to take Austrian Airlines again.
Parting Words
Towards the ending phase of our aurora tours, we took Turkish Airlines to Vienna, Austria, where we would take our homebound flight. The journey saw us city hop from Tromsø to Oslo in Norway, then to Istanbul, Turkey, before backtracking to Vienna on their A321 Economy class.
Although we ended up on the flight due to last minute flight cancellation by Austrian Airlines, we were still excited to take our first flight with Turkish Airlines. Despite its expansive fleet, the cabin products were rather well maintained for their age. The food has room for improvement, both in terms of taste and the preparation by its cabin crew. But hey, we’re not in east Asia. It was by far one of the better experience I had flying on a narrow body aircraft like the A321.
With the conclusion of our Asian detour, we finally landed in Vienna. We spent a day of sightseeing at the historic city centre, before embarking on our flight home.
If you enjoyed my trip report, do check out the rest of my aurora chasing travelogue. After flying into Iceland via Copenhagen, we embarked on a week long tour to see the best of Iceland’s natural wonders. Following that, we returned to continental Europe (Tromsø, Norway) to our second phase of the northern lights chase.
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.