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Taylor Rains
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- Skytrax named Turkish Airlines as Europe's best in business class and catering for 2025.
- I flew 10 hours in premium on a Turkish Boeing 787 to see how the seat and food measured up.
- The seat didn't have a door, but it did have a 'flying chef' that made the experience a lot fancier.
You don't usually expect restaurant-style service at 35,000 feet — but Turkish Airlines still staffs a 'flying chef' in business class on its longest routes.
These rare culinary specialists, who are separate from flight attendants, take food orders, plate meals in the galley, and oversee premium service on long-haul flights.
The role is designed to make dining feel closer to a restaurant than standard airline catering — but chefs don't actually cook from scratch due to flight safety rules. They use ovens to heat and finish pre-prepared meals and then arrange the presentation.
These chefs also take customer feedback from the air to help improve and develop meals in catering kitchens on the ground.
I recently experienced the unique service on a 10-hour flight from Istanbul to New York in January. Considering Turkish won Skytrax's 2025 awards for Europe's best business class and best business class catering, I was eager to see how the seat and food measured up.
I strategically chose the Boeing 787 for its modern business cabin; the Boeing 777 that also flies the route doesn't have the nicer design.
Between the lie-flat seat, the large TV, and the restaurant-style meals, the cabin felt like my living room on a lazy Saturday night.
I slept well and appreciated the wide variety of food, from poached eggs and swordfish to a trolley full of savory appetizers.
Here's what the full experience was like. Business Insider paid a media rate for the business class upgrade to New York.
I slept at the Turkish lounge before my flight.
Turkish's Istanbul business class lounge is unreal, with cooked-to-order meals like omelettes and kebabs, drink stations, and sleep suites that feel like mini hotel rooms.
My layover time qualified me for a suite, but they're first-come, first-served — I was lucky to wait only about 15 minutes.
The bed was so comfortable I slept five hours straight, with a shared bathroom and shower just across the hall.
I picked the last row of the business cabin.
I chose seat 8A, in the last row, for privacy and to be among the first to deplane. Although it's right by the galley and lavatory nearest the boarding door, I didn't notice much noise with headphones on.
Most Turkish business cabins don't have doors. Some A350s do, and the airline is planning a new "Crystal Business Class" with sliding doors, but most planes — including the 787 I flew on — still don't.
It's not a dealbreaker by any means, and the seat wings help cocoon the space a bit, but there is less overall privacy than with a door.
The seat lies fully flat, and I could actually sleep on my stomach.
The business class seats lie fully flat, and mine felt both spacious and cozy. I could comfortably sleep on my stomach, and I particularly liked the mattress pad and the dual-texture blanket, which has a soft plush on one side.
I also appreciated the 1-2-1 cabin that let me freely reach the aisle. Many of Turkish's old planes still have 2-3-2 layouts that force middle and window-seat travelers to crawl over their neighbor to reach the restroom.
There was plenty of storage space.
The seat had multiple storage spots: a cabinet, a footrest cubby, and a slim seatback pocket — plus an overhead bin to myself.
I stashed my purse, Kindle, chargers, boots, backpack, and jacket without feeling cramped.
The amenity kit had the basics.
Turkish handed out gender-specific kits with lotion, dental items, socks, an eye mask, and a hair tie for women. The case can be reused as a travel bag on future trips.
Slippers were also provided.
The TV was big, and I could control it with the remote.
The seat's television was large and fully controllable via a handheld remote. I watched "The Big Bang Theory," "Fast and Furious," and an Agatha Christie-style whodunit called "Murder at the Embassy."
The flying chef handles meals.
Instead of a flight attendant, a dedicated flying chef takes orders, plates meals, and preps appetizer and dessert carts.
Most of the menu — like meats and soups — are fully or nearly fully cooked on the ground in airline kitchens, but finished in the air by the chef and cabin crew using onboard ovens.
The cabin crew still hands out drinks and hot towels, but with meals covered, I imagine they can better focus on other tasks.
All of the food was served on real dishware and with flatware — no cheap plastic.
You can eat when you want.
Turkish offers a "dining-on-demand" strategy that lets passengers choose when they want to eat.
For example, I slept a few hours after breakfast before requesting tea, though the crew member also brought me a small sandwich. It was simple — handcrafted with a roll, lettuce, and cheese — but perfect while I watched a movie.
There were also free snacks available throughout the flight, like popcorn, fruit, mixed nuts, chocolate, cookies, and chips.
Breakfast was two courses.
The breakfast started with appetizers: fresh juice, fruit salad, cheeses, smoked turkey, marinated olives, and bread with butter and jam.
The entrée options included poached eggs with a savory sauce called shakshuka, spinach-and-cheese stuffed pastries and flatbreads (börek and gözleme), and sweet curd crepes with fruit and berry sauce.
I had the poached eggs, which were prepared on the ground but were still fluffy with a perfectly runny yolk on the plane.
Lunch appetizers were a smorgasbord.
The second meal included a huge range of appetizers: octopus salad, salmon tartare, shrimp salad, artichoke salad, fried aubergine, beef patties, chicken salad, cheese, red pepper soup, creamy pea soup, and Köpoğlu (essentially Turkish eggplant caviar).
Everything was arranged on a trolley by the chef and rolled down the galley for passengers to pick and choose; the presentation made the experience feel more fancy, and everything was tasty.
I had swordfish for lunch.
I had never seen swordfish on an airplane menu and couldn't resist trying it. It looked a little dull, but it was well-seasoned and more flavorful than the white fish I've had on other flights or even in some restaurants.
The other lunch options were grilled spring lamb chops and ricotta cappellacci. The Turkish desserts included eclairs, pear strudel, peach ice cream, and assorted cheeses and fruits.
Flying chefs remain a rarity.
Besides Turkish, select Saudia, Austrian Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia flights feature onboard chefs.
Turkish's chefs, staffed through catering partner DO&CO, also spend time at meal-prep facilities, providing feedback and helping maintain quality — a hands-on approach that shows in the in-flight service.
The flight was great overall, and my bag made it.
I rarely check luggage, but I had too many souvenirs this time.
Luckily, my bag survived the transfer from Zagreb, Croatia, and arrived in New York safe and sound.
