So, my family and I decided to fly to Turkey with Turkish Airlines. Here’s how that went.

We arrived at the Dublin airport four hours before our flight, as per tradition. Of course, we spent what felt like an eternity just waiting to get our boarding passes. And when you’re stuck in a crowded airport with no plans other than to stand and stare at each other, the “family bonding” can quickly turn into, well, “family annoyances.” Finally, after what seemed like hours, we got our boarding passes and headed to security. Miraculously, security was a breeze—definitely not what I was expecting.

Now, despite having a decent breakfast before leaving home, we were all starving. So we hit up a coffee shop. I had a coffee and a chicken wrap, which, to be honest, I’d rate a solid 2/10. Anyway, the First drama of the day happened when my mom somehow managed to spill her entire coffee—onto the table, the floor, everywhere. She asked us to grab tissues, but by the time I returned with some, the staff had already cleaned it up. Classic.

Once our gate was announced, we moved toward it—only to discover that every single seat in the waiting area was occupied. Thankfully, the gate next door had a few free spots, so we camped there. Of course, I was bored out of my mind, so I pulled out my phone. At that point, I think we were all scrolling through our devices, killing time. Time flies when you’re on your phone, right? I didn’t even realize it was time to board until my dad reminded me to grab our passports and boarding passes. We dashed over to our gate, which was conveniently right next to us.

Finally, we boarded the plane. I was excited—it was my first time going to Turkey. But in the back of my mind, I kept wondering if this flight was going to be delayed like our last trip with Turkish Airlines. On that occasion, all four of our flights to Pakistan were delayed. Weather issues, they said. And let’s not forget the 20-hour layover in Istanbul, where we got to enjoy a luxurious hotel room that had LED lights and not much else. The flight itself was a different story. The plane was unbearably hot, and the air conditioning wasn’t working. Apparently, the fans only “kick in once we’re airborne”—which, sure, doesn’t help much when you’re roasting on the ground. Also, the food was bad. I’m pretty sure most planes have that issue, though.

Anyway, we finally took off. I was determined to make the best of it, but then I ran into my Second issue: sitting next to a stranger. So, I made my younger sister sit between me and my older sister (yes, this was definitely a mistake). Problem #3: She kept interrupting my music, demanding to play games I didn’t even know how to play, and pestering me to do things I didn’t want to do. I just wanted to listen to my music and maybe fall asleep, but no. She kept going on and on, and while it wasn’t too annoying, I was this close to losing it.

Then came problem #4: My headphones started glitching. Every time I touched them, the music would skip. Even my sister noticed it, and while she tried to watch a movie, her screen started glitching too. Meanwhile, my mom’s screen kept turning off entirely, but I was able to fix that for her. At this point, I was ready to just scream into the void.

Then, of course, problem #5 arrived: food. Eating and listening to music don’t mix, so I had to watch something while I munched down on whatever they served. I tried watching Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the lag was so bad that I gave up after 10 minutes. As for the food? Well, it was better than last time (so, marginally better), but I still wasn’t impressed. Its was Borek, a traditional Turkish food. Everyone else seemed to like it, but my discerning taste buds weren’t having it. The only redeeming part was the bread and butter. The bread was just a little too tough for my liking, though.

Three to four hours later, we were finally descending. Honestly, I was tired—mainly because I’d been stuck next to a complaining child for the entire flight. After what felt like an eternity, we landed. And you know what? Despite all the problems, I’d rate the whole experience a 7.6/10. I know, not the highest score, but people have different opinions. I think it could’ve been better, but it wasn’t the worst flight I’ve ever had either.

Turkish Airport