After several months in Bali it was time to visit my old home country Austria again. Denpasar Airport (DPS) currently acts as the sole aviation gateway to Bali and is located on the southern part of the island. A second airport is planned for the north of the island ("North Bali International Airport") to relieve the existing airport. However, the actual realization has not yet been fixed in terms of time.

There are a total of seven different 1-stop variants for the flight from Denpasar to Vienna (VIE), with that of Turkish Airlines (TK) being the shortest in terms of distance (11.577 km) and with a travel time of 19h 05min . The total travel time is only slightly undercut by Qatar Airways (QR), namely by 25 minutes (18 hours 40 minutes in total) due to the shorter connection time in Doha (DOH) at a distance of 11.816 km. The other options would be those with

• Emirates (EK) via Dubai (DXB): 19h 20min (11.717km)
• KLM (KL) via Amsterdam (AMS) and a stopover in Singapore (SIN): 21h 00min (13.149 km)
• China Airlines (CI) via Taipei (TPE): 21h 20min (12.785km)
• EVA Air (BR) via Taipei (TPE): 21h 30min (12.785km)
• Korean Air (KE) via Seoul Incheon (ICN): 22h 50min (13.518km)

Last time I used the variant with KLM, which means that there is an additional loss of time because the flight to Amsterdam is routed via Singapore and you have to get off there and board again. As such, I find this option less attractive, especially since the stopover in Singapore takes place at night and one is deprived of sleep. In addition, the flight to Istanbul has the advantage of being able to sleep late in one go instead of having to change planes halfway.

Denpasar Airport "I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport" is the second busiest airport in Indonesia after the main airport Jakarta Soekarno Hatta (CGK) in terms of annual passenger numbers. The flight route between Jakarta and Denpasar is one of the busiest in the world. Based on the number of flights, the route was occupied in 2022 third place worldwide because there are up to 79 daily flights between the two cities. The airport has two terminals, one for domestic flights and one for international flights, as well as a single runway (09/27) with a length of 3.000m.

A total of eight check-in counters were open for the flight with Turkish Airlines, six for Economy Class and two for Business Class. Due to the large number of open check-in counters, the check-in was already completed within 10 minutes. At check-in I was told that the flight was 100% fully booked. Denpasar's evening international flight schedule that day featured flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Doha, Amsterdam, Dubai and destinations in Australia such as Melbourne (MEL), Sydney (SYD) and Brisbane (BNE).

31.01.2023

• TK067 Denpasar - Istanbul
• HRS: 21:05 p.m
• STA: 05:20 (+1)
• Gate: 1A

The route to Istanbul is offered five times a week (every day except Tuesday and Saturday). A Boeing 787-900 with the registration TC-LLI was scheduled for today's flight. This type of aircraft serves this route on a regular basis. The aircraft used was 3,1 years old and was handed over to Turkish Airlines on February 20, 2020. The seating configuration is divided into 30 seats for business and 270 seats for economy. Since the incoming flight from Istanbul (TK066) arrived 33 minutes late, this led to a planned departure delay of 25 minutes to 21:30. Boarding at Gate 1A has been divided by seat rows. However, all rows of seats could be boarded at the same time, so this division only led to a certain order at the gate - but not in the plane itself. I went to my aisle seat at the back of the cabin (29D).

Block-off was at 21:50 p.m., the start was then somewhat delayed on runway 27 at 22:01 p.m. (ATD). Because of the great range of inflight entertainment, the time actually flies by and dinner was served about 90 minutes after take-off. You could choose between chicken or fish. Chicken would have been fine for me, but since it was already sold out, I opted for a vegetarian menu, which was specially prepared for me and was served five minutes after ordering. After this refreshment, I made myself as comfortable as possible around midnight and actually managed to sleep seven hours straight. “Thawed” again, I was looking forward to landing in Istanbul soon. The flight initially went via Singapore and Malaysia, later via India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. About 90 minutes before landing, breakfast was served - omelette.

The landing then took place in Istanbul after a flight time of 13 hours 05 minutes at 06:06 local time (time difference to Denpasar -5 hours). The delay was good for me, because it significantly shortened my stay in Istanbul for the transfer. My plane was parked at the end of the terminal, which meant a longer walk of about 15 minutes to security. Since the gate for the 08:50 departure was not announced until 07:35, I made myself comfortable in a café in the meantime.

01.02.2023

• TK1883 Istanbul – Vienna
• HRS: 08:50 p.m
• STA: 09:10 AM
• Gate: D1

The connecting flight to Vienna was operated with an Airbus 321ceo with the registration TC-JSN. The aircraft, christened "Yüksekova", was 7,9 years old and was handed over to Turkish Airlines on March 24, 2015. The online check-in assigned me a seat in the middle of the plane, this time 18C. The occupancy was estimated at 80%. The block-off took place at 08, ATD then at 51.

Egg dishes were served for breakfast after about 40 minutes of flight time. I really appreciate that Turkish Airlines also offers inflight entertainment for every seat on its medium-haul jets - in contrast to most flag carriers. The flight route led via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and finally Hungary to Vienna. The aircraft then landed on Runway 29 in Vienna at 09:08 local time. I have flown this route twice before and this time it was my longest flight on this route with a flight time of 1h 59min. Block-on was at 09 at Pier East, but de-boarding was done by bus. The queues at immigration were short and so I was able to quickly go to the baggage claim on belt 14, where my luggage was already doing its rounds.

Conclusion

Turkish Airlines is one of the top airlines in terms of value for money. Good in-flight entertainment, great catering, quick processes at the airports and courteous on-board staff demonstrate a high level of service quality. With an actual travel time of 18h 07min the travel time of Qatar Airways was undercut by 33min and my flight route was therefore the fastest and shortest flight connection between Denpasar and Vienna. I can therefore warmly recommend Turkish Airlines for any air travel.

This post was written by: Dieter Hasselsteiner