I Face Extra Seat Charge And Cash-Only Payment On Southwind Airlines Antalya-Kazan Flight

On January 24, 2025, during my Southwind Airlines flight from Antalya to Kazan, I experienced a highly unfair and frustrating situation. Although my legal baggage allowance was 30 kg, I was told that because my luggage exceeded the limit by just 6 kg, I would have to pay extra. Instead of applying a fair excess baggage fee, the airline charged me under the excuse of an “extra seat option” and assigned me seat number 9, which had no special features whatsoever.

For myself, my wife, and my child, Southwind Airlines charged a total of ₺9,600. Shockingly, they refused to accept credit card payments. This raises the serious question of whether the refusal to accept cards is a way to evade taxes. Even more absurdly, they claimed they were giving me a “discount.” Since I did not have that much cash on hand, I was told to withdraw ₺7,500 from an ATM and pay it directly. The remaining ₺2,100 was sent via bank transfer to the personal IBAN of an unidentified individual at the airport. I still have the payment receipt.

To make matters worse, my original flight ticket had cost only ₺5,000—yet I was forced to pay nearly double that amount in unfair charges. No invoice or official documentation was ever issued for this payment.

I demand a full explanation, reimbursement of the unjust amount taken from me, and accountability for the refusal to accept legal payment methods. I also request that aviation authorities and consumer protection agencies investigate Southwind Airlines for this practice. I will also be filing a complaint through official government channels.