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UPDATE 24 September 2019: The new Turkish Airlines A350 will now operate to/from Los Angeles from 10 June 2020 (earlier than originally reported).
Turkish Airlines has been on a bit of a fleet regeneration spree of late with new 787-9 Dreamliners joining the airline from earlier this year and with new Airbus A350-900 aircraft set to join in 1Q 2020.
Up until now Los Angeles hadn’t been set to get service from either of the airline’s new aircraft but a recent schedule update appears to have changed all that….and that’s great news.
As well as lowering the average of the Turkish Airlines fleet the new aircraft are also bringing with them a new Business Class cabin which will allow the airline to offer a modern all-aisle-access premium cabin in line with what airlines like Etihad, Qatar Airways, American Airlines, and Delta already offer.
This is a significant step for Turkish Airlines as it means that that airline, which is already highly regarded for its onboard dining and service, will now be able to offer the full trifecta of a great Business Class cabin, great food, and great crews.
Turkish Airlines has already taken delivery of three 787-9 Dreamliners this year and so far we’ve seen the new aircraft operating routes to London and Bali with the airline saying that, as more aircraft are delivered, we can also expect it to operate to cities like New York, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Amsterdam (amongst others).
Interestingly, up until now, there has been no mention of an upgrade to the service offered between Istanbul and Los Angeles and, at over 6,850 miles, this is one of the longest flights in the airline’s schedules.
This has just changed and it looks as if Turkish Airlines was saving the best for LA 🙂
In a recent update, Turkish Airlines has scheduled a new Airbus A350-900 (and not a Dreamliner) to operate between Istanbul and Los Angeles from next year and, as if that news wasn’t good enough, the schedule also shows that the flights the A350 will be operating will be in addition to the existing 777-300ER service. [HT: RoutesOnline]
Los Angeles is getting the new Business Class cabin and more service from Turkish Airlines.
The new Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-900 is scheduled to appear on the Istanbul – Los Angeles route from 20 June 2020 3x/week increasing to 4x/week from 14 July.
As things stand, this is what the final schedule looks like:
TK179 IST 08:35 – 12:20 LAX (Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun)*
TK009 IST 13:05 – 16:50 LAX (Daily)
TK180 LAX 14:00 – 13:05+1 day IST (Tue, Wed, Fri & Sun)*
TK010 LAX 18:30 – 17:35+1 day IST (Daily)
*Airbus A350-900 service
The airline is expected to take delivery of a total of five A350-900 aircraft next year with the first delivery tentatively scheduled for March 2020.
We already know that London (13 April) and Dubai (14 April) will be the first two destinations to get A350 service from Turkish Airlines so LA will almost certainly be the first US city to get A350 service from Turkish Airlines.
Bottom Line
I’m no AvGeek but I love the Airbus A350 aircraft so, as someone who flys between LA and Europe more than most, I’m delighted to see Turkish Airlines bringing its new aircraft (complete with shiny new Business Class cabin) to the West Coast.
Please note that airline deliveries can be (and often are) delayed so the introduction of the A350 on to the Istanbul – Los Angeles route on 14 July 2020 is a tentative date for now. Just as it’s possible that the A350 will operate on this date as planned, it is just as likely that its entry into service will be pushed back so don’t make any bookings assuming that anything is guaranteed.
LAX and SFO are two of TK’s longest routes…
Is SFO getting new aircraft as well? The 777-300ER’s are nice…but…