After initially booking a trip to Washington DC to fly this Turkish A350 Horizon Premier Business Suites in early 2023, something rather typical happened. An aircraft swap to a 777, which I had no desire to fly! Luckily I had plenty of time to re-arrange my travels with United for that trip.
Couple of months ago, I finally managed to fly this product and am I so glad to do. Turkish took delivery of several of these Aeroflot designed A350s but is no longer the only airline flying the product. As of this month Air India will start flying it internationally.
I will do a proper review of a flight itself separately. Here I’ll focus on what can you expect from this product and the various features.
While Horizon Premier by Collins Aerospace surfaced as a complete product in 2020, it has been an evolution of numerous designs and prototypes showcased during events such as Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg since 2016…
This has enabled a invaluable feedback loop to inform the choices and compromised necessary between what is physically possible together with the safety regulations and commercial realities of airlines requirements.
I think this has paid off rather well..
Rather than adding a door to a product that was not initially designed to have one such as BA’s Club Suites, which can feel rather flimsy sometimes, this product was designed with doors in mind from get go…
So rather than an afterthought it is an integral element of it. Whether some want it or not, greater physical separation and privacy is now a critical component of Business Class designs.
And as you may notice, the doors are almost made a feature of in itself by the designers !
Just a few moments in you can say these doors here were implemented with as much conviction as the QSuites first did.
One aspect where this product may have “corrected back on” is perhaps the over-generous amounts of storage afforded by the Super Diamon product.
I am pretty sure the vast majority of customer will neither want or use that amount of storage, so here, Collin’s has pared this back to providing what I would say is just enough..
You have this closed unit that houses a mirror and a reasonable storage area which can fit most personal items, including most ladies handbags as well as place to hang the headphones.
Then you also have a neat draw that slides out in front where you can either store your shoes or perhaps bigger handbags etc
The the side console itself provides plenty of surface space in flight for things like laptops etc.
You may have noticed those double doors by the IFE screen in front..
Well, they open up to reveal a mini wardrobe where you can hang up a jacket or other outer layers of clothing..
There are even two levels of hooks here so you can hang smaller things and it is all rather nicely illuminated with lighting!
Perhaps the space thing that matters the most is the seat width and feet space, and this product ever so improves on that over the Super Diamond
In other products, beneath the footrest is where traditionally you would place shoes. Here this looks to house some kind of vent system instead, but that is not a problem.
Besides the beautifully sleek design design elements. The product altogether provides a more premium look and feel with use of materials such a Kevlar etc
Another noticeable improvement over other recent Business products, you can enjoy a much larger 21-inch screen for your entertainment during the flight..
The quality is crisp and super high definition to enjoy the latest movies in all their glory. You really would notice the difference!
Another feature that I particularly like and very few carriers have in Business class is electric window blinds!
Being able to control your exterior lighting in the multi-stage way such as those provided by these 2 layer shades from partial to total blackout is a nice control to have and the electric nature of it just makes it feel ever so elegant.
Yet to date, very few products provide this, with some Air France A350s featuring electric windows blinds
I’m rather impressed with this product and can’t wait to try it on Air India too with some of it’s colour, material and finish customisations.
Turkish Airlines is introducing a newer Business Class product for it’s new and retrofit 777’s as well as future A350s. As of now, many details and actual finish is unknown, but I cannot imagine it will be able to substantially improve upon this design?
With First Class cabins shrinking throughout the world, this is a kind of welcome hybrid that borrows elements of First Class and brings them into Business.
What do you think of this product? Is there something different you would have preferred?
Faze, founder of Wander Up Front and Elevate Your Stay, is a London-based travel specialist with a deep passion for aviation. With over 2 million miles flown, he has spent the last 7 years focusing on First and Business class experiences.
Faze provides straightforward, no-frills insights into premium airline products and services, sharing what matters to help travellers make informed choices.
Follow him on his adventures and behind the scene stories on Instagram !
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