American vs Turkish Airlines
On the best documented aircraft, American scores 10/10 for the business seat and Turkish Airlines 8/10. The aircraft on your booking decides whether those seats apply.
By Jon Miksis · comparison updated
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What matters for your booking
Business fares
Of 47 shared business routes, American was cheaper on 6, Turkish Airlines on 41, and 0 were the same price.
Economy fares
Of 51 shared economy routes, American was cheaper on 21, Turkish Airlines on 30, and 0 were the same price.
Start with your route and cabin. A fare advantage in economy does not establish a business-class bargain, and a better seat does not establish that a connection or a higher fare is worth it for your trip.
The business seats being compared
These are each airline’s best-scoring documented business aircraft. The fare grid does not identify aircraft, so the seat below is not promised with any fare in the table. Service and food require a separate firsthand review.
American
787-9P (Flagship Suite)
- Seat layout
- 1-2-1
- Fully flat bed
- Yes
- Direct aisle access at every seat
- Yes
- Privacy door
- Yes
- Seat score
- 10/10
- Wi-Fi
- Paid in the recorded product
- Lounge access
- Included in the recorded fare
- Checked bags
- 2
Cabin checked .
Recorded source: American Flagship Suite launch coverage, AeroLOPA aa-789p seat map.
Turkish Airlines
787-9 / A350-900
- Seat layout
- 1-2-1
- Fully flat bed
- Yes
- Direct aisle access at every seat
- Yes
- Privacy door
- No
- Seat score
- 8/10
- Wi-Fi
- Paid in the recorded product
- Lounge access
- Included in the recorded fare
- Checked bags
- 2
Cabin checked .
Recorded source: Prince of Travel Turkish business guide, Turkish Airlines fleet pages. Sources conflict on whether the A350-900 has a sliding door; recorded as no door because a door is a claim and this one is not settled..
Seat scores describe bed, aisle access and privacy door only. Read the scoring method. A tie does not compare comfort, food, service or reliability.
Check the aircraft on American
787-9P (Flagship Suite): 10/10 for the seat. Flagship Suite launched June 2025 and flies only on newly delivered 787-9Ps. Every other American widebody keeps the door-less reverse-herringbone Flagship Business. Recorded September 1, 2026.
777-300ER / 787 (Flagship Business): 8/10 for the seat. Reverse herringbone, direct aisle access from every seat, no privacy door. Recorded September 1, 2026.
Check the aircraft on Turkish Airlines
787-9 / A350-900: 8/10 for the seat. The 777-300ER is Turkish's principal US aircraft and carries a materially worse cabin. Retrofits to 1-2-1 are under way and the 'Crystal' business class with doors is not expected on retrofitted 777s until 2027-2028, so the same route and fare can produce either product well into 2027. Recorded September 1, 2026.
777-300ER (legacy): 5/10 for the seat. The cabin the retrofit is replacing, on the aircraft Turkish flies most from the US. Recorded September 1, 2026.
Compare the fares and the routing
Each row compares the same airports, cabin, travel dates and observation date. It can still compare a nonstop against a connection. Journey times, aircraft, baggage allowances and change rules were not recorded with these fares; check those before treating the price difference as a saving.
Showing 12 of 47 matched business routes. Round trip per person in USD, for travel November 8–14, 2026.
| Route and observation date | American | Turkish Airlines | Price difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Chicago (ORD) → Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $10,366Nonstop | $4,322Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $6,044 less |
Chicago (ORD) → Madrid (MAD) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $11,115Nonstop | $4,347Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $6,768 less |
Houston (IAH) → Dublin (DUB) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $4,354Connects via DFW | $5,750Connects via IST | American was $1,396 less |
Chicago (ORD) → Edinburgh (EDI) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $8,556Connects via PHL | $4,386Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $4,170 less |
Chicago (ORD) → London Heathrow (LHR) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $9,947Nonstop | $4,432Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $5,515 less |
Detroit (DTW) → Edinburgh (EDI) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $10,590Connects via PHL | $4,486Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $6,104 less |
Atlanta (ATL) → Milan Malpensa (MXP) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $12,651Connects via MIA | $4,527Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $8,124 less |
Atlanta (ATL) → Lisbon (LIS) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $10,346Connects via PHL | $4,567Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $5,779 less |
Los Angeles (LAX) → Rome Fiumicino (FCO) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $4,648Connects via DFW | $4,961Connects via IST | American was $313 less |
Houston (IAH) → Rome Fiumicino (FCO) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $7,563Connects via PHL | $4,691Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $2,872 less |
Houston (IAH) → Madrid (MAD) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $6,775Connects via ORD | $4,890Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $1,885 less |
Seattle (SEA) → Madrid (MAD) Observed September 1, 2026 Compare all observed airlines | $10,230Connects via ORD | $4,990Connects via IST | Turkish Airlines was $5,240 less |
Your airport missing? Check the full route tool for the airlines we observed there. Confirm current fares, journey time, baggage and ticket rules before booking.
Before paying for the ticket
- Check the exact operating airline and seat map on every long flight, including the return. An airline name or business-class label alone does not guarantee a flat bed or aisle access.
- Compare total journey time and connection length. A lower fare may buy a much longer trip.
- Reprice with your bags, preferred seats and change rules included. These observations do not establish that the tickets have identical restrictions.
- Check other airlines on the route. Being cheaper than the other airline on this page does not establish the cheapest fare in the market.
Common questions
- Is American or Turkish Airlines better in business class to Europe?
- On the best documented aircraft, American scores 10/10 for the business seat and Turkish Airlines 8/10. The aircraft on your booking decides whether those seats apply. Of 47 shared business routes, American was cheaper on 6, Turkish Airlines on 41, and 0 were the same price. Service and food are not scored in this comparison. These are observations for travel November 8–14, 2026, not current quotes.
- Which is cheaper, American or Turkish Airlines?
- Of 47 shared business routes, American was cheaper on 6, Turkish Airlines on 41, and 0 were the same price. Of 51 shared economy routes, American was cheaper on 21, Turkish Airlines on 30, and 0 were the same price. Both counts refer to travel November 8–14, 2026. A cheaper fare may involve a connection; compare the itinerary as well as the price.
- Will I get the business seat shown here?
- These cards describe the named aircraft in our cabin records, not a seat guaranteed on every flight. At least one of these airlines has a recorded aircraft or cabin variation. Check the operating airline, seat map and aircraft for every segment before paying; equipment can change. The fare observations do not record the aircraft.
- Has Jon flown these business cabins?
- American business class is not on Jon’s confirmed flown roster. Turkish Airlines business class is not on Jon’s confirmed flown roster. That records the airline and cabin, not every aircraft or itinerary. This page compares documented specifications and dated fares.
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