I missed this when it was announced late last month (hat tip to @airlinetrends for tweeting it earlier this week), but Turkish Airlines now has its very own scent. According to their press release:

(On May 30), Turkish Airlines introduced the fragrance “TK 1933” that will be yet another tool used to take the airline’s brand to another level while helping the company achieve its targets for 2023. The fragrance is intended to provide a sensory recognition of the global branding of Turkish Airlines and to bring a sense of relaxation and happiness.

Turkish Airlines' New 'TK 1933' Fragrance

“TK 1933”, a fragrance created by the international perfume company, MG Gülçiçek, has been introduced as the designated branded fragrance that will be used in Turkish Airlines’ VIP/CIP Lounges, ticket sales offices, inside the aircraft, and for other corporate purposes. The name “TK 1933” was chosen as a tribute to the year that Turkish Airlines was founded.

I couldn’t find it for sale anywhere online, likely since it’s used for “corporate” purposes as noted above and not intended for a retail environment – it might get some balks alongside the Chanels and Diors of the world. But I’d certainly love to add this to my airline collectibles.

And I think Turkish should consider adding an appropriately sized sampler to its award winning business class amenity kit to further promote the brand.

British Airways had planned to launch a signature scent aboard its planes a couple of years ago (I’m not sure if they followed through), and Singapore Airlines created a standard company scent for both hot towels and the perfume worn by its flight attendants.

Interesting? Unique? Crazy? What do you think? I like the idea so long as it’s light and not overpowering.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Related posts:

Turkish Airlines Business Class Tablet Case Amenity Kit Review

Turkish Airlines Comfort Class Amenity Kit Review

The Cost and Allure of Airline Amenity Kits

SATA Internacional is an airline operating out of the Azores, and originated from the acquisition of Oceanair by its subsidiary, SATA Air Açores, in 1994. It’s one that I knew little about until a generous reader who does a bit of marketing work for them reached out and offered up their Plus class amenity kit, critiqued below for this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introductory post.

STAT Plus Class Amenity Kit

SATA operates Airbus A310s and A320s on its long-haul routes, which include Boston and Toronto here in North America. SATA Plus class is a hybrid premium economy product (also known as Executive Class) and has a seating configuration of 2-2-2 on the A310 and 2-3 on the A320. For more information on the airline, click here.

SATA Plus Class Amenity Bag

Bag/Container: The deep navy blue, felt-lined nylon zipper bag sporting the SATA logo on the lower right also contains metallic, off-white vinyl accents along the top and sides. It opens to reveal one main compartment with a “SATA –The Atlantic and You” logo tag on one side, and an elastic-lined pouch on the other side. It’s pretty darn impressive for an airline with limited long-haul routes, and this case could easily compete with many business class offerings. For that reason, I’ve scored it a half-point higher from where I’d rank it if it were a business class kit. Score: 5 out of 7

Interior of SATA's Plus Class Amenity Bag

Skin Care: The brand-less skin care items included in this kit are hand cream, lip balm and facial mist. All are quality items, even if they are generic, and I’m impressed with the fresh smelling facial mist. I couldn’t detect a scent on the slightly greasy hand cream, even though the ingredients list “fragrance(parfum).” And the lip balm is smooth and effective without any fragrance. Score: 5 out of 7

Oral Care: A hard-bristled plastic toothbrush that includes a case doubling as a snap-in handle, along with generic and flavorless toothpaste, are the sole oral care items in the kit. Both are perfectly adequate and get the job done. Score: 4 out of 7

Comfort Items: The same style of single use airline socks as found in many of my reviews are included with this kit. But the one-size-fits-all elastic eyeshades are a slight step up from the norm with a soft cotton inner lining (and a logo tag). Also included are very soft 3M foam earplugs. Nicely done, SATA, for a premium economy kit. Score: 5 out of 7

Intangibles: This amenity kit beats a lot of business class kits that I’ve reviewed, and it’s definitely a unique and elite offering to provide premium economy passengers, particularly for a small airline with limited long-haul flying. Score: 7 out of 7

Total score & comments:

The SATA Plus amenity kit impresses and I was surprised at how substantial it is. Final score: 4.95 out of 7.00.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

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Amenity Kit Reviews

Amenity Kit Review Introduction

You don’t hear as many jokes these days about airplane food as you did years ago when airlines served a hot meal – to all passengers – on just about every flight lasting more than 1.5 hours.

But airline food remains a popular topic and I’ve been assigned the task to come up with a “top 10” list of the world’s best airline meals for my CNBC blog, and I’m looking for your help.

I certainly have my own favorites, as shown below, but my palate isn’t quite as refined as many foodies out there (I avoid seafood and anything with mushrooms).

Have you been amazed by an airline meal? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Either leave a comment below or email me at darren@frequentlyflying.com. And if you have pictures, I’d love to see them, too. Which airlines excel at in-flight cuisine?

Here are the top 5 airline meals I’ve enjoyed to date:

• Pan-fried chicken in green peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley from Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” menu on my JFK-Frankfurt flight:

Singapore Airlines Pan-Fried Chicken

• Pan-fried fillet of beef in three peppercorn sauce with russet potatoes and veggies from Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” menu on my Frankfurt-JFK flight:

Singapore Airlines Pan-Fried Fillet of Beef

• Korean bibimbab (steamed rice, veggies and minced beef mixed with hot pepper paste and sesame oil) and soup on my Asiana Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Seoul:

Korean Bibimbab on Asiana Airlines

• Braised beef with pumpkin puree, snow peas, baby turnips and soy beans on my Virgin Australia flight from Perth to Sydney (and it wasn’t as purple as it appears below… the cabin lighting didn’t afford a decent pic):

Luke Mangan Inspired Braised Beef on Virgin Australia

• Tomato and saffron chicken with green olives, peas and cous cous on my Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Perth:

Tomato and Saffron Chicken on Virgin Australia

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Related posts:

Flight Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class JFK-Frankfurt

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Here are a couple of quick airline updates from press releases issued by American and United today.

United Offers Flat-Bed Seats on “All” Long-Haul International Flights

United Airlines now features 180-degree flat-bed seats and personal on-demand entertainment in the premium cabins on all scheduled, long-haul international flights from the airline’s eight North American hubs and between Seattle and Tokyo Narita. United is the only U.S. carrier to exclusively provide flat-bed comfort to premium cabin travelers on such scheduled, long-haul flights from the continental United States.

The release goes on to state 183 of United’s international aircraft now feature lie-flat seats. Where can you still find the old “Barcalounger” seats in business class? They’re on United’s 777s operating between Honolulu and Tokyo, as Chris McGinnis reported yesterday after receiving an update from a United rep.

Today's Honolulu-Tokyo Seat Map on a United 777

According to the United Airlines Fleet Website, there are three 777s still sporting the configuration shown above: N768UA, N772UA and N779UA.

American Launches JFK-Dublin Route With Bonus Mile Offer

American Airlines today launches daily nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Dublin Airport (DUB), adding a new destination to American’s extensive network and giving customers traveling from Dublin nonstop connections out of JFK to cities throughout North, Central and South America . The new flight is in addition to American’s existing nonstop service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin and complements its 12 other daily nonstop flights from JFK to Europe.

The new JFK-DUB flight is operated with a Boeing 757-200 sporting 16 angled-flat business class seats and 166 in economy.

Here are the bonus mile offer details for the new route:

To celebrate the new service, American is offering AAdvantage^® members up to 20,000 bonus miles every time they fly a round trip on the route, including travel on American-operated flights marketed by British Airways or Iberia. Customers flying on Business Class and select Economy Class fares (booked in Y, B or H) will receive 20,000 AAdvantage bonus miles for every round trip, and those flying on all other Economy Class fares will receive 10,000 AAdvantage bonus miles for every round trip, from June 12 through Sept. 15, 2013. To participate, members simply need to register prior to travel at aa.com/offers using the promotion code AADUB.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

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I tend to only review business class and first class kits, but Turkish Airlines provides its premium economy “Comfort Class” passengers a substantial offering worthy of a detailed inspection, and I offer my critique below in this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. Also, a special thanks goes out to Inflight Feed for sending this kit my way. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introductory post.

Turkish Airlines' Comfort Class Amenity Kit

Bag/Container: Formia manufactured this brown/beige zipper bag that features a single interior compartment, along with a separate zippered side pouch exteriorly lined with a suede-like treatment. A dual-sided Turkish Airlines logo tag compliments the case. Reusability in my mind is just average given its overall smallish size, but for a premium economy amenity it certainly impresses. For that reason alone, I’ve scored it a half-point higher from where I’d rank it if it were a business class kit. Score: 5.5 out of 7

Turkish Airlines' Comfort Class Amenity Bag Designed by Formia

Skin Care: Turkish partnered with Bogner to provide the lip balm and body lotion for this kit. The lip balm is effective and nearly “tasteless,” though I do detect a hint of almond. And the slightly masculine-smelling body lotion is gel-like, but absorbs fairly rapidly and is less greasy than the Crabtree & Evelyn Jojoba Oil hand cream found in Turkish’s business class kit. Score: 4 out of 7

Oral Care: The same medium-bristled plastic toothbrush with case as in the business class kit appears again here, though the Colgate toothpaste (regular flavor) got a downgrade in size for premium economy passengers – it’s a teeny tiny tube. In any event, they’re basic airline-issue oral care items for an amenity kit and get the job done. Score: 4 out of 7

Comfort Items: Identical to the business class kit are standard one-size-fits-all elastic eyeshades and socks with rubber grippers on the base (which I like as they reduce slippage on cabin carpeting). I found “Do not disturb” and “wake me for meal” stickers inside the side pouch after taking the pictures above. Other items include a folding comb/brush, shoehorn and deformed earplugs (they never regained a normal shape after “breathing” for a while) with an accompanying plastic case. As this is a premium economy kit, Turkish absolutely excels here even though these are the same items found in their business class offering. Score: 6 out of 7

Intangibles: This amenity kit beats a lot of business class kits that I’ve reviewed, and it’s definitely a unique and elite offering to provide premium economy passengers. It truly sets Turkish apart from other airlines. Score: 7 out of 7

Total score & comments:

From the impressive case to the significant amount of comfort items, Turkish Airlines sets the bar for premium economy amenities with its Comfort Class kit. Final score: 5.03 out of 7.00.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Read more:

Amenity Kit Review: Turkish Airlines Business Class – Tablet Case

TravelPlus Amenity Bag Award Winners

Amenity Kit Reviews

Amenity Kit Review Introduction

One of the most popular posts here on Frequently Flying is my Airfare Pricing Buckets & Airline Fare Basis Codes Revealed! entry from a couple of years ago. It’s still very much valid in decoding domestic United Airlines fare basis codes, as revenue management post-merger with Continental kept the same logic.

What has changed – just a bit – is the alphabet soup of fare classes used. And with the fairly recent addition of the super-discounted N-class on United, as well as all Star Alliance carriers now using the same letters for award redemptions, every letter of the alphabet is now in use at United.

Here’s a current alphabetical list and description of what each letter translates into (bold letters are award/upgrade classes only):

• A – First class
• B – Economy – Full fare (even though Y-class is the highest level in coach, it’s still considered a full fare)
• C – Business class
• D – Business class
• E – Economy
• F – First class – Full fare (“FN” is for MileagePlus Standard Awards)
• G – Economy – Discounted
• H – Economy (“HN” is for MileagePlus Standard Awards)
• I – First (2-cabin)/Business (3-cabin) – MileagePlus Saver Award class (“IN” is expanded award availability for GS/1K/Plat elites)
• J – Business class – Full fare (“JN” is expanded MileagePlus Standard Award for elites and Chase credit card holders, as well as an upgrade class from Y-fares for elites)
• K – Economy – Discounted
• L – Economy – Discounted
• M – Economy
• N – Economy – Discounted
• O – First Class (3-cabin) – MileagePlus Saver Award (“ON” is upgrade class on 3-cabin aircraft)
• P – First/Business class – Discounted (“PN” is upgrade from B/M-fares for elites; only GS/1K can upgrade from M)
• Q – Economy
• R – First (2-cabin)/Business (3-cabin) – Upgrade bucket (“RN” is expanded availability for elites)
• S – Economy – Discounted
• T – Economy – Discounted
• U – Economy
• V – Economy
• W – Economy
• X – Economy – MileagePlus Saver Award (“XN” is expanded availability for elites)
• Y – Economy – Full fare (“YN” is an expanded MileagePlus Standard Award for elites and Chase credit card holders)
• Z – Business class – Discounted (“ZN” is for MileagePlus Standard Awards)

As far as the revenue fare classes above, here’s the order from highest to lowest in terms of where each class falls on the spectrum of overall contribution to United:

F, A, J, C, D, Z, P, Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G, N

One important thing to note is that the leading letter of your fare basis code, not necessarily which letter it books into, is what determines your flight mileage accrual. They can be different, which is often the case for “Y-UP” fares where you purchase a coach ticket that books directly into first class.

Another example is what I encountered earlier this year on my mileage run to Tokyo. United had an unadvertised promotional first class sale which booked into “A” class, but my fare basis code began with a “P,” so I only earned redeemable and Premier Qualifying Miles based on the “P.”

I think this causes a lot of confusion for some travelers as the “A,” in my example, was the only thing that appeared online or on a ticket receipt. To see the fare basis code, you have to click the “View Rules and Restrictions” link during the booking process, which yields something like this:

Questions? Comments?

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

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Turkish Airlines won the “Best Business Class-Unisex” amenity bag honor at the recent TravelPlus Awards and I offer my critique below in this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. Also, a special thanks goes out to Thrifty Tourist for sending this kit my way – I love having it in my collection. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introductory post.

Turkish Airlines Business Class Tablet Case Amenity Kit

Bag/Container: The ribbed leather tablet case is a unique shade of blue (iron, midnight or Prussian?) and is one of three colors Turkish Airlines offers, the others being gray and red. It opens to reveal a brown nylon-lined interior with the airline’s branding on the interior flap and a tag further down denoting its designer, Formia. The Turkish logo itself is also embossed on the exterior loop closure. Sturdily manufactured, its reusability is very high and it definitely offers more protection for your electronic gadget than American’s tablet case kit. I’m deducting a half-point as I find the Crabtree and Evelyn exterior tag a little annoying – Turkish’s branding is a bit more refined and appropriate. Score: 6.5 out of 7

Turkish Airlines Business Class Amenity Tablet Case

Skin Care: As mentioned above, Turkish partnered with Crabtree and Evelyn for its selection of skin care items in this kit, which consist simply of Jojoba Oil hand cream and lip balm. The hand lotion is delicious smelling, though greasy (not surprising given it’s oil-based), and the lip balm is effective and smooth. The enclosed product information card describes the fragrance as an, “invigorating blend of lavender and green herbs with a hint of citrus,” which I find to be true. Now I just need to go wash my hands before I get my keyboard too oily. Score: 4 out of 7

Turkish Airlines Business Class Amenity Bag

Oral Care: Also rather average, but adequate, are the enclosed Colgate toothpaste (regular flavor) and medium-bristled plastic toothbrush with case. I wonder if Turkish Airlines offers mouthwash in the lavs? In any event, they’re basic airline-issue oral care items for an amenity kit and get the job done. Score: 4 out of 7

Comfort Items: Enclosed in their own nylon pouch are standard one-size-fits-all elastic eyeshades and socks with rubber grippers on the base (which I like as they reduce slippage on cabin carpeting). “Do not disturb” and “wake me for meal” stickers are also inside the pouch. Other items include a folding comb/brush, shoehorn and very soft earplugs with an accompanying plastic case. There’s nothing overly fancy about any of them, but I think Turkish did well here for a business class kit as compared to some of their competitors. Score: 5.5 out of 7

Intangibles: This kit definitely impresses on presentation and I also quite like the additional pouches inside the kit (the pictured zipper pouch contained the skin care, oral care and some comfort items). This allows you to take only what you need to the lavatory and protects the luxe exterior case from a potential lav-whoops (sitting it in water, having it fall on the floor, etc). Score: 7 out of 7

Total score & comments:

The case itself is certainly why Turkish won the TravelPlus award, while the skin care and oral care categories are pretty average. Still, it’s a solid business class offering and definitely a step above what many European carriers provide. Final score: 5.05.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Read more:

TravelPlus Amenity Bag Award Winners

American Airlines First Class Amenity Kit Review – Eames Tablet Case

Amenity Kit Reviews

Amenity Kit Review Introduction

In this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews, I take a critical look at the business class offering of Star Alliance member Air China. A very special thanks goes out to Very Good Points for sending it my way. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introductory post.

Air China Amenity Kit

Bag/Container: The off-white, rectangular nylon zipper bag has a touch of pleather to it, particularly along the height of the case. It sports the L’Occitane logo on top, with the only identifiable Air China logo on the zippers themselves. Opening the case reveals a single compartment with four differently sized plastic pouches on the flap. Reusability is medium-to-high in my opinion, and while not overly luxurious, it is slightly higher quality than some other business class kits. Score: 5 out of 7

Interior of Air China's Amenity Kit

Skin Care: Air China partnered with L’Occitane to supply skin care items for this kit, which consist of Citrus Verbena Body Lotion and a Shea Butter Lip Balm Stick. The lip balm is your standard fare and sufficient, but the lotion in this kit is a step up from the L’Occitane ones found in the Asiana and Virgin Australia kits, for example. A nearly scentless disinfectant wet tissue rounds out the skin care items. Score: 5 out of 7

Oral Care: A tube of standard flavored Colgate toothpaste and a soft bristled toothbrush are the sole oral care items in the kit. I always appreciate it when airlines decide on a toothbrush that snaps back onto its casing to form a nearly full size apparatus. Plus, the casing helps keep the brush head clean for reuse. Score: 4 out of 7

Comfort Items: Here’s where Air China scores big. Inside the case are found your typical comfort items, including a folding brush, earplugs in their own plastic container (nice!) and one-size-fits-all eyeshades. But Air China also provides pajamas (plus slippers) to its business class passengers, a rarity for the middle cabin on most all other airlines. They’re cotton and come in a red fabric bag. Well done! Score: 7 out of 7

Air China PJs - Image Courtesy 'Very Good Points'

Intangibles: I believe Air China missed the mark in not incorporating more of its own branding to the kit, but it still comes off as an exclusive amenity filled with useful items.  Score: 5 out of 7

Total score & comments:

This kit was on track to be an average business class offering with a slightly above adequate final score. But the addition of PJs really sets Air China apart from many of its competitors, and the score of 5.25 is well deserved.

Related posts:

Amenity Kit Reviews

Amenity Kit Review Introduction

My Top-Ranked Amenity Kits

World’s Top Amenity Kits of 2012 – TravelPlus Awards

US Airways held its annual Media Day event in Phoenix today and several people I follow on Twitter were present providing updates throughout the day. Among them was Jake Redman, a BoardingArea blogger, who sent out the following that piqued my interest given my obsession with amenity kits:

And he followed that tweet up posting a small portion of US Airways’ video shown during the event, highlighting some of the new products and features the airline plans to introduce. Say hello to the soon-to-be-short-lived new US Airways amenity kit:

Gratuitously Screen-Grabbed Image of US Airways' New Amenity Kit

Another View of New US Airways Amenity Kit

The kit will debut in July and includes skin care products from Red Flower, such as lotion, lip balm, and a facial towlette. Also included will be toothpaste, a toothbrush, mouthwash (yes!), facial tissues and the usual eyeshades and socks. It looks pretty average for a business class kit, but I’ll be keen to acquire one as it’ll be the last US Airways branded kit.

There were other interesting updates from the event, including the fact that US Airways (but not American) will match United’s recent $50 increase in change fees. I have to imagine American will hike their change fee rates in time.

As far as the amenity kit, I’m sorry that Red Flower will likely get a shorter-than-planned market penetration of its products. I think this will be the first time they’ve had their items promoted on such a large scale. When United and Continental merged, United ended up ditching their fairly recent partnership (at the time) with Murad and went with a new skin care manufacturer (Philosophy) for the new kits.

Which manufacturer will the merged American go with? Whoever it is, I hope American keeps the new tablet case for its first class offering.

Related posts:

Amenity Kit Reviews

American Airlines First Class Amenity Kit – Eames Tablet Case

United Airlines Global First Amenity Kit Review

United Quietly Raises Change Fee by $50, Will Other Airlines Follow?

I posted the third annual TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Award winners over on my Road Warrior blog last week. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention them here, as many of you know I’m an amenity kit aficionado.

Not surprisingly, the top honors in each category went to non-U.S. carriers. United Airlines, however, did receive a readers’ choice nod for “collaborative initiative” for its Global First amenity kit. Here were the results:

First Class Female – Emirates Airways supplied by Harmony-gategroup
First Class Male – Etihad Airways supplied by Watermark
First Class Unisex – Singapore Airlines supplied by Harmony-gategroup

Business Class Female – Virgin Australia supplied by buzz
Business Class Male – Qantas supplied by buzz
Business Class Unisex - Turkish Airlines supplied by FORMIA

Premium Economy – Condor supplied by Skysupply
Economy – Virgin Atlantic supplied by Harmony- gategroup
In-flight Amenity Gift – Singapore Airlines supplied by Harmony- gategroup

Children’s under 6 – Qantas supplied by buzz
Children’s over 6 – Qatar Airways supplied by buzz

Ethically Sustainable – Finnair supplied by Skysupply with a Highly Commended Award going to Cathay Pacific supplied by Watermark

I’ve got a lot of work to do to build up my collection, as I only have one of the above – the Virgin Australia female business class kit. TravelPlus photographer David Jenner has a great photo collection of the winners here.

It’s an event I’ll be marking on my calendar to attend next year in Hamburg and it also coincides with the Aircraft Interiors Expo the same week.

Related posts:

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Ranking the Top Amenity Kits Reviewed (as of June 2012)

Amenity Kit Review: United Airlines Global First Class