I was Mistreated as a Turkish Airlines Passenger
On August 8th, I experienced significant inconvenience during my flight from Istanbul to Izmir with THY. While waiting at the gate, two THY staff members approached me and asked to see my ticket. After inspecting it, they informed me that my flight was 'overbooked' and asked if I could take the next flight, assuring me that THY would compensate me with €100. I agreed, and they promised to take me to the office to complete the necessary procedures after my flight took off.
Once my flight departed, the two staff members were nowhere to be found. Concerned, I approached another THY staff member to inquire about the situation. This staff member informed me that there was no 'overbooking' issue on the Izmir flight and that a mistake had been made. It turned out that the initial two staff members had mistakenly told me that the Izmir flight was overbooked instead of the Bodrum flight. As a result, I missed my flight. I went to the THY office to explain the situation, and they apologized profusely, offering me a business class ticket for the next flight.
Additionally, they informed me that I had the right to a domestic round-trip ticket, which I could use at any time. However, a month later, when I tried to use this Free Ticket, I was unable to do so. I followed all the procedures requested by THY, including speaking with a customer representative, filling out a feedback form, providing my Free Ticket code, and requesting urgency. Despite my daily calls, I received no response, and they kept telling me that the feedback form was still under review. A month after submitting the form, I received an email stating, 'We do not issue Free Tickets for staff-related errors; we did not charge you for your next flight after the missed one.'
Despite having written documentation of my Free Ticket entitlement, they told me I could not use it, and this happened a full month later. The entire process was terrible. I have never experienced such behavior from any other brand or organization. First, they inconvenience you, then they offer a ticket as an apology, and finally, when you try to use that ticket, they deny it a month later. For a company claiming to be a global brand, this situation is unacceptable. I have shared this experience with everyone around me and will continue to do so. In one word, disappointing.
