Turkish Airlines didn’t have a stellar beginning in its business life, although that has been set to change in recent years. Just last year, in 2010, annual gross revenue topped 4 billion dollars, US. Yet throughout the 70s and 80s the company was plagued with multiple issues that affected their reputation negatively, which included constant flight delays and bad customer service.
The airline also battled some several negative press after seven accidents from 1974 to 1983, along with several other serious events reported. The fate of this airline turned on its tail only after government intervention throughout the late 80s, which saw a rise in fortunes. Since the beginning of the new century, Turkish Airlines has seen a consistent rise in profits and popularity, which indicates a positive future is really on the horizon. There seems to be an increase in passenger flow especially among expatriates. Once they pick good reliable moving company to relocate, then their next move is to estimate relocation costs, and select Turkish Airlines as their carrier of choice.
Valencia, Spain is the new addition to Turkish Airlines’ list of destination planned for the end of March of this year, with four flights scheduled per week. Istanbul to Malaga (Spain) is the next route that will receive Turkish Airlines’ flights regularly, starting in April. This route will be serviced by three weekly flights. Turkish Airlines already flies to Madrid and Barcelona and these are simply additions. But that is merely the start of what will be a busy year for the Turkish flag carrier. The rest of 2011 will see additional new routes in quite a few other countries. For example, a few months later there will be inaugural flights to France for Toulouse, Lyon, Paris and Nice. Thus, the company will be flying to 175 international destinations and the year is still at the beginning. In late 2010, Turkish Airlines inked a most interesting marketing deal with the world’s number one ranked women’s tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki.
This is a bold marketing move to brand the airline internationally for increased recognition. Miss Wozniacki is specifically set to represent the airlines Business Class Service. The targeted audience for this representation is intended to be European tennis fans who will immediately recognize and relate to the women’s number one ranked tennis player. She will be appearing in various commercials and public relations events for the airline throughout her three year contract.
Comfort Class is a revolutionary travel concept developed by Turkish Airlines. This service is only offered by the airline on their new fleet of Boeing 777 airplanes. With seats that are just under 46 inches, this makes it a completely new approach to flying in style. Passengers basically have four feet of seat available to them for themselves and anything else they have with them on the flight. Keep in mind the Boeing 777 is a “heavy” class airliner designed for long-haul flights. Current Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles card carriers may use their accrued miles to reserve seating with Comfort Class. US passengers can fly with Turkish Airlines from both coasts. This expands travel options and makes reaching new destinations easy. The company operates flights to and from the two major international hubs in the US, namely Los Angeles and Washington DC.