I’m looking at flying from DUB-JNB later this year in business and Ethiopian & Turkish are by far the cheapest. Total journey times are very similar, Turkish is about €200 dearer than Ethiopian. ET is 787 & 350 while TK is 737 & 330
Any advice taking in seat, food, ease of connection, lounge etc?
Thanks
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- globetrotter94
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Re: ET or TK to JNB in business
As you can see from my profile photo, I am at risk of giving a biased answer, but will try my best to stay impartial 
. For each of the metrics you describe:
Seat: From what I can see, on the widebodies, the ET and TK business class seat are roughly similar, with same sort of (2-2-2) configuration. However if you get the TK 737 (narrow-body) for DUB-IST and IST-DUB, I do not think you will be getting a lie-flat seat, so that is something to consider.
Food: I would say that TK wins on food, across all classes pretty much, not just business, and not just vis-a-vis ET, but most airlines.
Lounge: Once again, TK clearly wins in terms of lounge. The flagship LoungeIstanbul at IST is one of the best in the world.
Ease of Connection: This one, I am slightly hesitant to comment on. I have heard horror stories about really short connections at ADD due to delayed ET flights, but in the end, they all seemed to turn out okay. It seems ET ground crew will do absolutely everything in their capacity to make sure you make your flight. In terms of TK at IST, if you are travelling on Business, it should be a breeze. I do not think you even have to go through security on the DUB-IST-JNB section, and on the return, you will be waved through the priority queue by virtue of travelling TK business class.
In addition to this, there are some other bells & whistles, such as the fact that TK offers wi-fi for free in business class, so if staying connected is important for you, that may be a useful feature.
In short, if the advantages (and disadvantage) of TK described here seem worth 200 euros to you, then I would strongly recommend TK. If not, ET would probably do the job fine too. They are both high-quality, well-regarded airlines! Best of luck in making your choice!
. For each of the metrics you describe:Seat: From what I can see, on the widebodies, the ET and TK business class seat are roughly similar, with same sort of (2-2-2) configuration. However if you get the TK 737 (narrow-body) for DUB-IST and IST-DUB, I do not think you will be getting a lie-flat seat, so that is something to consider.
Food: I would say that TK wins on food, across all classes pretty much, not just business, and not just vis-a-vis ET, but most airlines.
Lounge: Once again, TK clearly wins in terms of lounge. The flagship LoungeIstanbul at IST is one of the best in the world.
Ease of Connection: This one, I am slightly hesitant to comment on. I have heard horror stories about really short connections at ADD due to delayed ET flights, but in the end, they all seemed to turn out okay. It seems ET ground crew will do absolutely everything in their capacity to make sure you make your flight. In terms of TK at IST, if you are travelling on Business, it should be a breeze. I do not think you even have to go through security on the DUB-IST-JNB section, and on the return, you will be waved through the priority queue by virtue of travelling TK business class.
In addition to this, there are some other bells & whistles, such as the fact that TK offers wi-fi for free in business class, so if staying connected is important for you, that may be a useful feature.
In short, if the advantages (and disadvantage) of TK described here seem worth 200 euros to you, then I would strongly recommend TK. If not, ET would probably do the job fine too. They are both high-quality, well-regarded airlines! Best of luck in making your choice!
Re: ET or TK to JNB in business
Go with TK, I flew ET now several times and I can't recommend the airline...
The customer service is pathetic, never received an email that my flight to KL was no longer operating, no rebooking and it took ages for a refund. The lounge in ADD is overcrowded and very basic, the planes (despite only 2 month old!) very dirty (seat covers and carpets full of stains) and the lavatory broken - not a good impression.
TK on the other hand is offering wonderful catering, a nice (but sometimes) busy lounge and great customer service. BUT on the downside, most B737 have a European C-Class with standard seating and the middle one just blocked...
The customer service is pathetic, never received an email that my flight to KL was no longer operating, no rebooking and it took ages for a refund. The lounge in ADD is overcrowded and very basic, the planes (despite only 2 month old!) very dirty (seat covers and carpets full of stains) and the lavatory broken - not a good impression.
TK on the other hand is offering wonderful catering, a nice (but sometimes) busy lounge and great customer service. BUT on the downside, most B737 have a European C-Class with standard seating and the middle one just blocked...
Re: ET or TK to JNB in business
I was sorely disappointed my one time with ET. TK, on the other hand, has generally been quite positive. While IST can be a zoo at times things like onboad catering, lounges and IFE are far superior with TK.
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- LGAviation
- Posts: 884
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Re: ET or TK to JNB in business
I'm going in here as the only supporter of ET it seems. I just dislike the zoo IST is and connections through ADD should be smooth and easy going and when flying ET J itself you'll get a decent lounge which personally I like better than the overcrowded monstrosity that TK lounge in IST is (the Star Gold lounge in ADD sucks big time though). Also, ADD is usually a smooth approach and you don't get the queues that you might get in IST. Overall though, I wouldn't discourage TK either and both can be pleasant trips.
Re: ET or TK to JNB in business
TK lounge in IST, is very nice, and unique.
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