Flight Review: SunExpress Boeing 737-800
SunExpress aircraft at Izmir airport, one of the airline’s base cities
Flight#: XQ980
From: Izmir (ADB)
To: Vienna (VIE)
Flight time: 2h 35min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
SunExpress, an airline in a state of flux
SunExpress is the third largest airline in Turkey and while it is not as well known as its counterparts Turkish Airlines and Pegasus, it has also been busy growing fast and expanding into new markets.
In fact, SunExpress is in the middle of a diversification process that has seen evolving from its traditional niche role of connecting the German-speaking markets to holiday destinations in Turkey, to a model more akin to that of other low-cost airlines. At the same time, it has been expanding its fleet and the number of destinations it flies to.
The one thing that remains is its focus on serving Turkey’s airports outside Istanbul, with Antalya (AYT) and Izmir (ADB) becoming the de facto hubs for SunExpress.
You can learn more about SunExpress in this interview I conducted for AeroTime with its CEO, Max Kownatzki, during the Dubai Air Show 2023.
And now, after this short introduction, let’s get to the flight review itself.
Flying SunExpress for the first time
In fact, this is going to be a rather short review, since SunExpress product and value proposition is really simple: it is the good old tried-and-tested low cost model, with one basic fare and then a number of extras that you can buy as part of a package or separately.
The difference between the three fares is mostly about the services you have access to, since SunExpress operates a single cabin aircraft, with a limited number of seats offering extra leg room (as you will soon see in the pictures)
Pre-flight: Izmir Airport hotel
Exceptionally, in this flight report I include a short reference to the hotel I slept in before the flight. Although the hotel itself has nothing to do with SunExpress, I found it relevant to the flight experience.
The availability of this modern, reasonably priced hotel within the terminal at Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport was one of the factors that led me to choose a SunExpress flight over an alternative. I guess as SunExpress expands its flight programme out of Izmir, the number of self-connecting travellers facing a similar choice will only increase, so I thought it would be useful to include here some comments about Izmir TAV Airport Hotel.
As I mentioned, the airport is right inside the terminal building, land-side (you don’t need to have a boarding pass to access it) and literally a 2min walk away from the passport control area.
It is quite modern (the current airport terminal was completed in 2014) with contemporary style and decor. Pretty clean and functional overall.
The single room I stayed in is, admittedly, small, but more than enough to get a few hours rest between flights (and actually better than other airport hotels that I’ve seen in other parts of the world). There is even a small desk in case you need to work a bit.
The breakfast buffet are is served in an area that is actually part of the main terminal hall, but separated from it by some movable barriers. Quite an experience!
Very convenient overall.
The Flight
The flight itself was not too long and I slept for part of it.
The experience itself is the classical of an intra-European low-cost flight, nevertheless, I thought it would be interesting to offer some glimpses of what is it like.
This aircraft, had been operating for Pegasus Airlines until July 2023, barely a few months before I took this flight, so it looks like it still has the older, leather upholstered seats found on Pegasus B737-800 fleet, which may not be the most efficient from the airline point of view (compared to the lighter and more modern slim seats) but decently comfortable for passengers!
SunExpress operates single class cabin with 189 seats. Some seats (first row and emergency exit) have some extra legroom (you can see the picture below) that you can pay extra to get.
Seat pitch is 29”, pretty standard in this type of aircraft and configuration.
There is currently no IFE onboard. In the past SunExpress had fitted some aircraft with the Immfly digital streaming service, that lets passengers enjoy some content on their own personal devices, but this is not longer the case.
In a recent interview, conducted during the Dubai Air Show in November 2023, SunExpress’ CEO confirmed to me that they had no immediate plans to install any sort of IFE.
There was no inflight magazine either, so don’t forget to bring your own entertainment with you!
There is a food and drink service onboard. If you haven’t booked one of the fare options with meals included, you can always order something from the menu that is found in each of the seat pockets in front of you. Next are a couple of pics to give you an idea of what to expect:
Our take:
Classic low-cost product, no surprises here.
What I think it is very interesting is that SunExpress is starting to emerge as an alternative good-value alternative to fly to Turkey and beyond from many points in Europe.
What’s more, its network out of Izmir and Antalya means that there are increasing opportunities also for self-connecting (SunExpress doesn’t offer connecting flights as such) through these airports that are less congested than Istanbul. I guess this is going to become more common as SunExpress continues to roll-out its expansion plans and add aircraft and destinations.
