Flying Turkish Airlines to Indonesia – a review

My most recent flight was with Turkish Airlines, whom I know and trust, and well – what a relief to fly without running like crazy for my connection, being put on standby or being treated in the most rude way I can remember… Turkish Airline for me means reliable, no worries flying – let’s see if I can repeat this experience on my most recent flight, flying Turkish Airlines to Indonesia – from Berlin-Brandenburg to Jakarta.

Also, they have a reputation for being a pet-friendly airline and even have a pet lounge at Istanbul Airport. I am not travelling with kitty this time, but I love a pet-friendly airline.

I apologize in advance for the absence of in-flight photographs – I felt pretty sick on the way in and super tired returning, so no place photos from my cramped middle seats here.

A few facts about Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is another traditional airline that has been around for over 90 years, having been founded in 1933. So, a fair bit younger than KLM ,the world’s oldest airline still in operation, but not that much.

 They rose to prominence as a major air carrier in the mid-1990’s and they’ve gone from strength to strength since then, establishing Istanbul as a major hub for European and intercontinental travel, firs tby expanding the old Atatürk Airport, utilising the city’s eternal “second” Airport Sabiha Gökcen and finally construction a huge new airport, which runs like clockwork and has established Turkish Airways as a major player in international air travel.

Turkish Airlines also gets a full Safety rating on Airline Ratings and also places Tenth behind Etihad but well before Finnair on the 2025 “Worlds Safest Airlines” list – with KLM not even turning up on that list. Anyway, they’ve had no major incidents in recent years and pretty much every plane I have flown on them in recent years has been an Airbus (I love Airbus), and overall I thnk they are a good airline, so I booked and flew to Jakarta

Booking Process, Web Site and Mobile App

I normally check flight prices on Skyscanner and then proceed to book directly with the airline most of the time. I also signed up with their “Miles and Smiles” Loyalty Programme which appears to offer quite generous rewards – I am definitely not into travel hacking much, but a few flights have already gotten me a free flight to Istanbul.

The Turkish Airlines website is very easy to use and has a pleasing design. Flights are clearly priced, with several options on flexibility even in Economy Class – which I normally fly – and free stopover programmes like Istanbul city tours and free hotel stays in Istanbul. IN this case I just wanted to go to JAkarta from Berlin on the shortest route, so opted for the cheapest Economy Flight, and even that one came with a cancellation option (100 Euro penalty) and a free 30kg checked luggage allowance.

Also, I hasten to add, I once had to cancel flights for some of my party and their customer service in Germany wa actually easily contactable by phone and tickets got cancelled and refunds issued very swiftly – this is one thing I really always appreciated about Turkish Airlines.

Departure, Arrival and Transfer in Istanbul

All in all, this trip was very uneventful. Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) was at its quietest I have ever seen, and apart from still battling a cold, I had a good flight.

We arrived in Istanbul in the late evening, and right at the arrival gate, all transferring passengers were directed right into the transit area – this meant, no security control, no passport control. However,  non-EU and non-Schengen arrivals are different!

My Turkish Airline App displayed my departure gate well before the screens in the airport, so I went on the long walk to the gate – something I do not love IST for. There are some slow-moving travelators – so if one has a lot of time, like I did, it’s not a problem. I refilled my water bottle on one of the free water refills stations and surfed the internet a bit. thankfully, WiFi at IST Airport is now unlimited free access – you had to scan your passport and boarding pass before for limited access.

When I returned from Jakarta, I had to pass both through Security and passport control. Again, the long walks between gates aside, the security and passport control are well organised, with a separate sections for International Transfers, Domestic Transfers and Arrivals. There was a queue, but we waited less than five minutes for Security Control. All in all, with all the transfers I have done at IST I have done ( about five in the last three years). I feel the airport works very well and efficient as far as transfers are concerned.

However… it’s not an airport made for lingering. I find it quite cold, it is noisy, and although there is ample seating, none of it is terribly comfortable for resting. For work, it’s not bad. Lots of tables with power points, and now the WiFi is so much better, once you control the noise issue, one should be able to work there easily for a few hours in the departure lounge.

Flying Turkish Airlines to Indonesia: Routing

Nothing unusual to report here, other than that our flight was really, really bumpy. I am a nervous flyer, and I slightly panicked when the flight attendants hurried to sit down and put their seatbelts on – a few more reassuring words from the crew would have really helped here – not generally a big fan of them, but I do prefer the caring attitude of most Finnair and KLM cabin crew.

We took the then-standard route via Iran, Southern Indian coast and along the coast of Sumatra. Right now, this slight has been routed via the airspace of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India . Myanmar and Malaysia due to recent event events.

Aircraft

The aircraft in operation on the four flights! On the Berlin to Istanbul flight we flew in a Boeing 777 as Berlin-Istanbul is a high-volume route with several flights a day. The 777 was a long-haul plane with a slightly older cabin design and relatively comfortable seating and small screens, but since it’s a short flight it did not matter.

The long Istanbul-Jakarta leg was operated on an new-ish (about 5years old) Airbus A350-900. The IFE was top notch, one of the best I have seen in recent years, but the seats were a bit tight, especially when reclined.

Last not least, the Istanbul Berlin leg was on an older Airbus 330 with an older cabin design. It had the 2-4 configuration and the comfiest Economy seats ever – I remember flying back from Dhaka on this type of aircraft two years ago and it was such a comfortable cabin.

On the Flight

One thing about Turkish Airlines that really impresses me is their attention to passengers comfort. On the fairly full Berlin Istanbul flights, which are short haul (2,5 hours), Economy passengers get a pillow and are served a full meal – with drinks.

The long flight from Istanbul to Jakarta was full both flights. Boarding at Istanbul was super efficient and by rows. The cabin was new on that A350, with smart clean black reclining seats and huge screens and a cracking IFE – lots of films and TV, nice earphones in Economy. The seats were not that comfortable and it was almost impossible to eat or watch the IFE screen when the person in front’s seat was fully reclined. Again, this was not an issue on some of the older cabin seats.

The bathrooms were kept immaculately clean. The hand lotion and cologne were a really nice touch. Now, if you have travelled in Turkey, you know no one in Turkey can live without Cologne, but the hand lotion is nice for hands that get invariably very dry in the dry airplane cabin eair. Both were by Eyüp Sabri Tuncer, an old and well-l´known Turkish Company. I love how the airlines incorporates a string cultural flavour into their product – the IFE was strong on Turkish films and TV; and there were some pretty good short films in Islam, too. Think of it what you want, it was all very well done and not in your face.

The flight left on time both ways and arrived  on time. 

Food and Drink

In the past this was where Turkish Airlines always excelled – serving nice sandwiches on 45-minute domestic flights, full hot meals on short-haul flights… and this time, I was a tiny bit disappointed but maybe by ordering the “Asian Vegetarian Meal” I just keep getting served the same international chickpea curry and rice wherever I go and whichever airline I fly on.

I needn’t have bothered as one of the two meal choices on Turkish Airlines is usually a vegetarian option. But the food was edible, and there was enough of it. Also, very nice choice of drinks, including Turkish Beer (efes, which is very nice), and plenty of drinks available.

 Arriving at and Departing from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport

I will only handle this briefly as I will probably write a separate review. Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport is a massive multi-terminal airport about 20km from central Jakarta and a perfectly fine place to start your Indonesia trip.

It’s efficient, mostly queue-free, and arriving here was a breeze. I applied for my visa on arrival at the desk, opting not to buy it online before, and it was fast and fain-free. Customs was paperless – either by filling in a form online or on the computer at the customs counter. As soon as you’d walk through Customs, there were multiple AT; and desks for purchasing a SIM card. I bought a Telekomsel SIM and was on the free inter-terminal train and on a train into the city within 45 minutes of landing, having bought visa, gone through immigration, customs, got cash and bought a SIM card.

When I departed to Istanbul, it was similarly glitch-free, and the do try to make the airport friendly and visually appealing. It’s definitely a good airport. I would fly here again.

Turkish Airlines Economy to Indonesia: Yay or Nay?

For me, these flights were uncomfortable due to being completely full, and experiencing a lot of turbulence on the outbound leg. None of this is Turkish Airlines fault and for me, flying Turkish Airlines is a big resounding “Yes”. There has been talk between my family and friends that I would be supporting the not-so-democratic government of Turkey since the Republic of Türkiye owns nearly 50% of the airline whereas the remaining near 50% are traded on the Stock Exchange. I am aware of this and while I would prefer a separation of “state” and a flag-carrying airline, I appreciate that in many countries, an immense source of pride is taken in their national airline, and Turkish Airlines has a very good product. So, taken all these things into consideration, I have reservations, but not enough for stopping flying on Turkish Airlines.

Where to stay in Jakarta before and after your flight

Just a short add-on, since flights to Jakarta are usually very reasonably priced, but Jakarta is not exactly a tourist magnet for some… very loud, polluted, and well famous for its traffic jams – so, if you have a stopover or a late arrival or early departure at Jakarta, is there a good place to stay?

Both my arrivals in Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) were in the evening, so I looked a value for money pace to stay with easy access to the airport. After arriving from Istanbul, I stayed at Konko Hostel in Central Jakarta. Easy ride on the airport train (no jam) with one change, then an easy straightforward walk. I stayed in a “Deluxe Single” which was minuscule but only cost me about 12 Euro, had a good night’s sleep, then walked to Gambir, one of the long-distance train stations, early the next morning for my onward journey. It is simple but friendly, and I highly recommend it.

On my return, I arrived at CGK late at night and booked the Ibis Styles Jakarta Airport – still a couple kilometres from the airport, you will have to rely on their shuttle or taxi – and I waited over an hour for the shuttle, and taxi prices were ridiculously high … I paid half for the 20km ride into central Jakarta the next morning. The hotel felt cold, unwelcoming and my room was really worn, so I would not recommend it. The only good thing – a decent selection of warung next door. So I would recommend that you either take the airport train, or a taxi into the Jakarta Kota area, from where it is a relatively short drive to the toll highway, which usually does not get clogged so badly, and it is relatively easy to find a taxi to take you to the airport. If I were to travel to Jakarta again, I would stay somewhere like Bobopod (Budget) or splurge on the outlandish House of Tugu. Both are in a great location pretty much on Fatahillah Square and less than 5 minutes walk from some very useful Jakarta bus routes and Jakarta Kota train station, where it is easy to catch both local and intercity trains.

The Small Print

 I visited Indonesia in May 2025, flying from Berlin to Jakarta via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. I paid for that trip myself, and I use the “Miles and Smiles” reward programme from Turkish Airlines. You can trust me on an honest and unbiased review. This post contains some affiliate links to Booking.com, which means I will get a small commission if you book using the link. Any question ont travelling on Turkish Airlines, or travelling solo on Java, feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment!