Turkish Airlines Didn't Make a Last Call Announcement For the Flight
On December 21, 2023, I entered Istanbul Airport with my friend three hours before our 01:50 flight. At 00:20, as soon as we knew which gate to board from, we started walking towards it. Even though our walking distance was at most 15 minutes, we were in front of the gate at exactly 00:35. My friend left to handle a few things, leaving our belongings with me, and I waited in a seat very close to the gate for it to open. After the gates opened, I waited for the line in front of me to decrease. Once the line had slightly decreased (it was moving very slowly), my friend and I joined the queue. After waiting in line for a bit, I noticed that the people at the front were not entering through the gate directly in front of them but through the gate immediately to its left (F17). When I looked at the gate I was supposed to enter (F18), I saw about 15-20 people trying to explain something to the staff, so we headed there. As we approached, I suddenly noticed the word 'closed' in large letters on the screen, and I felt a wave of panic. I tried to explain to the staff that I had been in line the whole time, but unfortunately, they did not believe me. I heard the other 15-20 people there having similar discussions with the staff. We were all asking why the last call announcement was not made, but the response we received was 'this is a silent airport, no announcements are made here.' We were there on time, and this will be evident when the records are reviewed. The disorganized line of F17 passengers spilling over to the front of F18 will also be seen in those records. If the last call announcement had been made at the gate, we would not have been so inconvenienced. I have tried to detail everything that happened in the feedback file I created for this issue. If necessary, I can upload that document here as well.
