It's low-cost, but looks premium: review AnadoluJet flight from Bergamo to Istanbul

"Hey bum don't you ever fly from Bergamo?" This is a question I am often asked on social media, like when in the comments under my first class videos viewers write me things like, "Yeah nice, but try flying with your knees in your throat in a 20-year-old 737."

Specifications

Aircraft:

B737

Class:

Economy

Treat:

BGY - SAW

Price:

100€

Book

Said, done. After flying in mid-August from Bergamo to Sofia with WIzz Air and returning home with Ryanair, this time I departed from the Orobian airport towards Istanbul, not the capital's brand new and beautiful airport, but the low-cost one located in Asia 75km from the home of Turkish Airlines.

About AnadoluJet

This company is wholly owned by Turkish Airlines, and it is the low-cost arm of the Turkish flag carrier. Given that the flights start for TK, we are not even technically talking about a different company rather a different livery and logo to differentiate the two products offered by Turkish.

Obviously the philosophy is low-cost, so planes all configured with only economy seats, use of secondary airports, and no recognition of Star Alliance status, even if printed on the ticket, or points on cards other than Miles&Smiles.

Reservation

I chose to fly with this company for several reasons. First of all because. I was curious to try it out, second because I had never flown over the Sabiha Goreck airport., third the hours, and lastly the price.

I put the price last because I had other cheaper options, but with inconvenient schedules. I also could have flown directly with Turkish from Nice or Malpensa, but I would have missed the novelty and so here I am on board after spending €207 to fly from Bergamo to Cairo, Egypt with a stopover in Istanbul.

At the airport

There is little to say about Bergamo airport, contrary to the quality offered on board low-cost airlines this is a 5-star stopover.

I checked in at the traditional counters, even though I had already done everything online, because if I can I still take my boarding pass, If I wanted to, I could have done everything in the lounge as well, but this time I preferred to use the public route and not the one reserved for Priority Pass holders.

However, I still took advantage of the opportunity to skip the queue and passed the controls and headed to the lounge.

This lounge is superior in product quality and aesthetics to many lounges an already emblazoned airports such as those at Linate and Malpensa, airports where greater passenger care should instead be expected.

After passing the automated checkpoints, I headed to the gate and boarding was done in the usual manner at BGY: on foot.

By airplane

This 737/800 has thousands of flight hours in its log file since it has been in the Turkish fleet for more than 24 years.

The on-board configuration is the classic one, a single cabin with 6 seats per row And little, but not very little, legroom,

Being old there are old seats that still offer some forgotten options on modern fleets such as Ryanair's.

There is a storage pocket, space for magazines, a coffee table that folds in half, air vents, and the chair also reclines a few inches.

Obviously non-existent technological equipment at the level of IFE, Wi-fi, power sockets or USB. In contrast to what TK offers on the main fleet where all the services mentioned are present even on medium-haul routes such as precisely Malpensa/Istanbul.

I sat in the second to last row, by choice, because it was free and thus no problem for my vlogger activities. The plane shows all its years, but I must say it was neat and clean.

Unfortunately, it is the passengers who should be polite (or thrown out at high altitude) if, like my neighbor, they sleep with their shoes on their feet on top of the seats.

Service

About 60 minutes after takeoff, the attendants started the service, and to my amazement I discovered that AnadoluJet is low-cost but offers its passengers a free snack. A small cheese sandwich, a glass of water and if desired some juice. All free for all passengers.

In conclusion

Excellent experience, setting off unpretentiously and without reading anything I didn't know what to expect and given the outcome I would recommend it for flying to Turkey

The verdict

The plane is an old 737, but kept well, the service is better than many other low-costs, the airport is not the main one but it can still be fine for a weekend in Turkey's capital.

6.5

Service

6.5

F&B

6.5

Cabin and Armchair

6.5

Pro

• Free Eating
• Courteous staff

Against

• Nothing to report