I had the wonderful opportunity of joining Turkish Airlines at its Summer Kick-off 90th Anniversary Celebration last week on a tour around Manhattan. Finn Partners and Turkish Airlines coupled up to host around 100 industry members aboard a sunset cruise around the Statue of Liberty to celebrate the beginning of many celebrations for the monumental anniversary.

The evening started on the top deck of the boat, where hors d’oeuvres were passed around a dance floor/open bar/balcony layout. There was also a food station with some traditional Turkish appetizers. I made sure to take advantage of the photo booth right away to avoid a long line later in the evening. The DJ played music while all the guests met and networked.

About an hour into the cruise, the general manager of North America for Turkish Airlines, Emre Ismailoglu, took to the microphone to welcome everyone, introduce the team from Turkish Airlines and toast to 90 years of the airline. This is where he also announced Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more destinations than any other in the world, will increase daily flights from JFK to Istanbul (IST) beginning this July.

A sit-down dinner was next on the agenda after the speeches on deck. For this, the crowd was directed down the steps to the indoor dining area. I sat with a new friend, Katie, a freelance travel writer, as we enjoyed a buffet-style meal. I had a Caesar salad, salmon and rice. During dinner, a few members of the Turkish Airlines team got up to pull raffle tickets for business-class seats. Unfortunately, out of the eight or so given out, my number wasn’t called.

At this point, the DJ started playing on the roof deck again as everyone finished dinner and went back upstairs for dessert, Turkish coffee and the most magnificent view of the Statue of Liberty. It might have been around 8:20 p.m. at this point, and the sun was setting right on the water as we rounded the monument. I have never seen the Statue of Liliberty in person, so like many others on the boat, I took plenty of photos and selfies with “her.” The cup of Turkish coffee was just what I needed as we docked the boat at Pier 40 in NYC and I headed back to Philly.

It was a great night to see old friends and connect with many new ones, from writers to travel agents and buyers. Looking forward to celebrating this fabulous achievement more. Happy anniversary, Turkish Airlines!

— Haley Fogarty, advertising manager