Video: Turkish Airlines Unveils Luxurious New Crystal Business Class Suites

Turkish Airlines has gone in-house to develop luxurious new suites for long-haul business class travelers, featuring the airline’s first adjustable doors and lavish touches such as real marble side tables and locally sourced leather.

Türkiye’s flag carrier introduced the Crystal Business Class suites last week at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 in Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Photo: Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

Airline chairman Ahmet Bolat says the new interior “brightens up” Turkish Airlines’ premium offerings and makes the airline a worthy competitor for the title of best business class suite in the world.

It’s a crowded field, particularly in the Middle East, where Qatar Airways was the first to launch pod-style, private business class suites in 2017, and Emirates and Etihad also have plush business class cabins.

Turkish Airlines’ current business class offerings are currently nothing to sniff at. This year, it was named the 10th best business class airline in the world by Skytrax and nabbed the top prize for business class in-flight catering, impressing with its “Flying Chef” program and appetizing meze platters.

Photo: Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

That’s despite a business class hard product that some frequent flyers say is mediocre, without the closing doors that passengers have become accustomed to and with seats that, when converted into lie-flat beds, are fairly short. Travelers have also complained that the wings on the existing business class seats, which, while lending some privacy, block the windows.

Crystal Business Class

The new Crystal Suites address these issues with closing doors and privacy panels, an expanded footwell, and unimpeded views from window seats.

The color palette has also been refreshed and now incorporates brighter shades, including a beige leather headrest and a white marble side table.

Unlike other airlines that contract third-party manufacturers like Collins Aerospace and Safran to design airline seats, Turkish Airlines used its subsidiary, TCI Aircraft Interiors. Fabrics in the cabin were also sourced locally.

The seats are configured in a 1-2-1 arrangement, with direct aisle access for each. Each has a 22-inch personal entertainment screen, wireless charging pad, universal and USB-C charging ports, noise canceling audio jack, and adjustable mirror.

Photo: Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

Bolat said: “Our new Crystal Business Class suite will add a new chapter for our long-haul luxury travel and will carry the airline into the future with a new level of comfort and privacy across our extensive global network.

“The specially created design will complement our award-winning in-flight dining options for us to keep providing an unparalleled experience above the clouds for our guests.”

Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s

The new cabins will be installed on Turkish Airlines’ transcontinental fleets, including the 70 Airbus A350s it currently has on order and will begin receiving in 2026.

Turkish Airlines will retrofit its Boeing 777s with new suites, an overdue project that the airline’s frequent flyers will love. Currently, the aircraft is fitted with a 2-3-2 configuration, which forces some premium-paying passengers to fly in a middle seat while paying business class fares. With the new Crystal cabin, the middle seat is gone.

Photo: Business Class, Flying Chef service, Boeing 777. Courtesy of Turkish Airlines

Also, at the Farnborough Airshow, Turkish Airlines revealed that it will introduce “free, unlimited, uninterrupted and fast” Wi-Fi for all passengers by the end of 2025. Again, the carrier is turning to subsidiaries and local suppliers to make these upgrades: it’s signed deals with TCI Aircraft Interiors and satellite provider Turksat.

With these deals, the flag carrier “helps support Turkish companies in establishing a presence in the IFC [In-flight Connectivity] sector,” Turkish Airlines said.

Meanwhile, the business class arms race continues. At Farnborough, business class suites pioneer Qatar Airways has unveiled its QSuite Next Gen, with movable 4K OLED Panasonic Astrova personal screens and multiple configurations, including for couples and groups of four.