June 26/27 - SFO to IST 🇹🇷

Today we got an early start expecting to have a nice made-to-order breakfast accompanied by a few glasses of champagne in the United Polaris lounge before our Turkish Airlines flight. Imagine our surprise when the lounge was closed due to COVID! I looked at the departure board and saw Star Alliance nonstops to FRA, IST, MUC, NRT, PPT, YVR, and ZRH. Certainly enough premium customers traveling to merit the opening …and why is it OK to sit next to fellow passengers on a plane or a holding room but not OK to open the lounge with appropriate social distancing? The 14 hour flight on a new B787-9 was great from a hard goods perspective but service was cut back and quite lacking. No pre-departure beverages in Business, no hot towels, no bar service before dinner, and while the chef was back onboard, he had to serve us food on a single tray covered with plastic covers and paper napkins replaced the linen. No after dinner digestif or cheese & port service. We were all done and picked up by the time we were overhead Utah (90 minutes) with almost 13 hours left to go! I know, it’s a real first world problem but they didn’t discount the airfare! Fair warning to those of you planning trips this year! While Turkish disappointed, Istanbul certainly didn’t. The city where Europe meets Asia is one of our favourites. So much to see, do, experience and enjoy. The Bosphorus is notably quieter than several years ago on our first visit to Istanbul. Tourists are trickling back but with a “stay at home” order in effect until June 30th the locals are missing in restaurants and at all the tourist spots. Good for us but not good for the locals who depend on the tourist trade.