At the beginning of the year we made the decision to fly on vacation again before our upcoming wedding. The partly cloudy winter drew our attention to the always warm Emirates. We always wanted to visit Dubai and so we booked a relatively cheap flight with Turkish Airlines from Leipzig via Istanbul to Dubai in mid-January.
Flight Turkish Airlines TK1338 to Istanbul
On March 29th we lugged our bags and drove the few kilometers to Leipzig Airport. After a short visit to the lounge, which is not really worth mentioning in Leipzig>>meckern auf hohem Niveau<<, we went to Gate 22 and then boarded the A320-200 (TC-JPD). The boarding of TK 1338 went very smoothly and the captain was able to request pushback from the gate before the actual departure time. The plane was booked almost to the last seat. Most of the passengers were retired couples who, according to their conversations, were looking forward to the Istanbul city trip.
After a short time of taxing, we started from the north runway in an easterly direction. Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, the menus were handed out. Today we had the choice between ground beef and chicken breast or vegetarian pasta with eggplant. There was also a salad and a chocolate cake. Yummy!The older folks did have some issues with the mainly English only service from the stewardesses though.
There was quite a lot of air traffic on the way. Some planes, including an Emirates Boeing 747, crossed our route. It's always annoying that the camera is in the overhead bin. Already after 2:25 we started with the landing approach. This felt like it lasted longer than the whole flight. Seems to be very busy here in the evenings, because we did a long lap across the Mediterranean Sea.
CIP Lounge (Istanbul)
Arriving at Istanbul Airport, we first got lost on our way to the main area of the terminal. But after a short time we found the famous CIP Lounge. This lounge is said to be one of the best in the world. But after a short time it was clear to us that it is definitely the best and largest lounge we have visited so far.
We locked our hand pastries at the entrance and took a few laps with the camera. Fantastic! The interior design is simply brilliant and especially the newly opened area on the lower floor is very spacious and much less crowded than the upper floor. There are drinks areas and buffets in several places. There are also three kitchens where hot Turkish dishes are served from the grill.
If you need a little variety and exercise after all the food, there is a pool table, golf simulator and a Carrera car race track. In the evening, however, these attractions were very well attended. For this reason, we just rested a little, read the newspaper and drank one or the other long drink.
Flight Turkish Airlines TK762 to Dubai
After exploring the lounge and filling our bellies with goodies and alcohol, we made our way to board flight TK 762 to Dubai at around 00:35. If everyone would simply stick to the printed boarding groups, or if the employees at the gate would also consistently enforce them, it would not have been so chaotic again. The inside of the A330-300 (TC-JNV) looked a bit dated. I didn't know the blue seats in Economy from Turkish Airlines yet. But maybe that had something to do with the fact that TK only took over Airbus from Gulf Air in 2013. In any case, the seats were very uncomfortable and the extremely wide center armrest made you feel very cramped.
Due to turbulence over Ankara, the service was delayed for some time. So much for the breakfast service (at 2 a.m.) in the middle of the four-hour flight. We still got some sleep. We woke up just in time for the landing approach and had a great view of the skyscrapers, above all the Burj Khalifa, which cannot be overlooked.
After our landing and the problem-free immigration, we picked up the booked rental car, a totally old white Chevrolet Spark. The cart already had over 62,000 km on the clock and drove like that. I really have to put the gas pedal down to get up to speed at all. When we give the little one back, he will probably be a little more ready.
Are you still looking for a flight to Dubai?
Dubai International Airport can be reached from many German cities all year round. You can find cheap flights through online travel agencies such as Flugladen.de, Bravofly,ebookers.de,Expedia,lastminute.deorSkyscanner.
