Elderly Passenger Denied Special Assistance by Unprofessional Turkish Airlines Staff
I would like to file a complaint about one of your employees, whose name I later learned is M**** F****, who works for TGS. We had a ticket for a THY flight from Istanbul Airport to Kayseri (ASR) Airport on 12.06.2024 at 06:35. Our passenger is 71 years old and suffers from chronic illnesses, including a condition commonly known as a hernia. We wanted to apply for special assistance at the counter. Despite there being 4 staff members around 05:20, only 1 was working. Upon a passenger's request, we were called to the counter for processing and handed over our ID card. Ms. M**** F**** explained that the apron time was 45 minutes and that they would not provide special service, even though there were still 55 minutes left. Despite stating that we had no luggage and could board with cabin baggage, she made remarks like 'you cannot talk to me this way,' which led to an argument. She then said she could do the check-in but no one would provide special service from there. I agreed to proceed with the check-in, but she did not complete it due to the argument. I then turned to the screen for mobile check-in like regular passengers, but since our check-in time had expired while waiting, Ms. M**** approached me, brought the boarding pass, and warned that we would miss our flight if we didn't hurry. She then informed us that they would provide special service. We stepped out of the line to wait for the wheelchair, and our passenger boarded the plane. However, I wanted to file this complaint so that others do not face similar issues. I believe you should review our audio and video recordings and issue the necessary warnings or penalties to the employee if this is a repeated behavior. Employees who act selfishly and arbitrarily should not work in special and sensitive service areas but be given more active roles. I believe I remained calm and composed throughout the incident. If your investigation finds that I was in the wrong, I apologize and trust that you will take the necessary actions. Thank you, and best regards.
