Mavi Boncuk |Few European airlines snag spots on lists of the best airlines in the world, but Turkish Airlines comes in at the top of European carriers. For 2012, the airline snagged the top spot in the SkyTrax World Airline Awards for “Best Airline in Europe.” Other accolades garnered by the airline included status as a 4-star airline with SkyTrax as well as Best Economy Catering and Southern Europe’s Best Airline.
In addition, the airline also received positive reviews on consumer websites like Route Happy for its relaxing “Comfort Class” seats, which were designed with extra seat pitch and a wider seat for passengers. According to the airline, flyers are even able to bring their own USB devices and plug them into the airline’s entertainment system to watch whatever they want on the personal entertainment system during the flight.
Turkish Airlines approaches their Comfort Class as “Premium Economy,” which has been a popular selling point for travelers seeking a comfortable journey during a transatlantic flight.
Founded in 1933, according to the airline’s official history page, the airline’s long history has often attracted major celebrities for advertising gigs, with Kevin Costner and Kobe Bryant recently filming commercials for the airline. For his shoot, Kobe Bryant was filmed all over the world in places like The Great Wall of China and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
To further boost its worldwide reputation, the airline recently made an announcement about the expansion of its frequent flyer program, according to details published by Travel Daily News.
Set to debut in June 2014, the new “Miles & Smiles” program will remove many of the restrictions on seating and schedules associated with reward travel. The airline also recently announced plans to greatly expand its fleet and cover many more routes around the world.
Numbers from the airline’s chief executive suggest the fleet will grow to an impressive size of 450 aircraft by the year 2023, according to reporting by The National, which is a dramatic increase from its current fleet size of 267 jets.