For reasons I still do not understand, my reservation with Lufthansa was converted to Air Canada (its partner) both directions. This may have worked out in my favour as Lufthansa's now two-years of ongoing labour problems did cancel some flights out of Toronto when I was about to travel.
The renting of extra real estate did work out nicely. AC's lie-flat seats in a so-called pod shape, have 14 positions and all the room necessary for a much more comfortable flight. The seat reclines to 180 degrees. The flight outbound was a newer B-777 and for the extra money, the crew treats passengers as humans, much as they did on the entire flight decades ago.
But the food was inedible. Just awful junk. Even the bread was old and tough.
The return flight from Istanbul was on an older 767, but still with the pod format. In the 777, there are two bzns class bathrooms which are larger than coach and nicer. On the 767 there are also two, but small and cramped like coach. But on this flight, both sinks in both bathrooms were taped shut with a metal tape. I asked the stewardess if this was common, and she said that she has seen it, but it is not really common. She did tell me that there were indications that the sinks had not been closed recently; that it appeared that this craft had been flying several days with no functioning sinks at least in Bzns class.
The food was even worse on the return trip. The food on the entire ground trip had been exceptionally good and particularly in Istanbul Therefore, it was more offensive to sit down to a meal with a white tablecloth, metal table ware, many choices of wine and ghastly food. Honestly, not one item was edible.
However, these bzns class lounges are large and nice. None compare with the newly enlarged and renovated Turkish airlines one in Istanbul. I estimated that each of the two floors, was at least 12,000 sq. ft., and maybe closer to 15,000. The format is breathtaking - like entering the biggest restaurant and lounge anywhere, ever.
There were at least four kitchens preparing omelettes to order (it was early a.m.), six pastry stations serving the very finest morning pastries, which switches to desserts mid-morning, many fresh fruit and I mean excellent fruit and really fresh. There were bottled sodas and fruit drinks in cold refrigerators of every kind plus many kinds of great coffee and tea.
There were two pool tables, a cinema, a play area for children, a kind of faux-library, piles of morning newspapers and magazines in all languages, two self-playing grand pianos - one on each floor -playing absurd non-music. There was a golf swinging game and other diversions, plus a several hundred big and comfy chairs and sofas. I believe there were probably 500 or more people in there (it is shared by many airlines in their group). A rather funny aspect was that for all the grand design and vast space, they had only one attractive, but small bathroom for me. Incredibly, the only line-up in the whole place was for the men's bathroom.
That kind of lounge is a blessing where you can try to eat as much as possible for your high fare and hope it keeps you going for the next 10 hour flight on AC.
But if I thought 500+ in the bzns lounge was a lot, it did not mentally prepare me for what I would face near mid-day (for an 11 flight) going back into the main terminal. Every inch, every step, walking the length of the terminal to my gate, was like leaving a packed stadium. Oddly, the Ist. terminal is quite new, but has an odd feature. In between each regular gate,there is at least one or more gates for busses to also haul passengers out a mile or more to craft parked away from the terminal. This really packs a huge number of people into any space. When I got to the gate, there was not one seat anywhere and the standing room only did not even leave an uncrowded square foot. Of course, the babied bzns class passengers were put directly through a narrow passengers so we would not have to suffer for a moment.
I must add that paying for bzns class does not avoid slobs and screaming babies. I cannot believe or comprehend fat men with extra hairy legs, showing up for a flight wearing too-short and rough Levi shorts and a wretched t-shirt. Others were just dressed as though they were going to slop the hogs just before and right after their flights and did not want to bother with more appropriate clothing.
I think their mentality is Mommy never made me do it, so I don't; anyway, you can't force me to dress like a gentleman, so why should I ? One seemingly otherwise almost civilized Turkish bzns man, took off his shoes and socks and sat with his ugly bare feet up, facing right into the aisle, in the face of those eating (or trying to) and the stews going back and forth - despite the fact that every seat gets a gift pack including socks to prevent this from happening.
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