I am submitting an official complaint regarding the poor treatment I received from four Turkish Airlines (Anadolu Jet) staff members on the TK 4336 flight from Istanbul to Belgrade on December 27, 2023. During my journey from Riyadh (TK915) via Istanbul, I encountered issues during the boarding process around 11:20 AM. The first staff member seemed confused while checking my passport and boarding pass. After stamping the card, they hesitantly returned my documents and pointed me to another staff member during boarding. Despite having a stamped boarding pass and valid passport/visa, the other staff member told me to step aside and wait for additional checks without providing any explanation. While waiting, I called the numbers 0530 035 76 ** and 08503332538 but found no resolution.
Around 11:40 AM, two more staff members joined. By then, everyone except two Turkish women with soon-to-expire passports and a Pakistani family with US visas had boarded the plane. The Turkish women were quickly allowed to board, followed by the Pakistani family after a brief online search about Serbia's visa policies by the staff. For me, however, the two additional staff members examined every page of my passport with a magnifying glass, took photos, and scrutinized my UK visa in detail. Despite my repeated questions about why I was singled out, the need for such a thorough passport check, and the reason for my extended wait, I received no explanation other than 'we need to check.' One staff member mentioned to the others, 'He speaks Turkish too,' and remained silent.
Finally, around 11:54 AM, they asked, 'Do you have entry and exit stamps for the UK?' I confirmed by showing the current UK border stamps. After a check, they returned my passport and boarding pass, stating I could board the plane. Throughout this approximately 35-40 minute ordeal, the staff did not ask me any other questions about myself or my travel. It was evident from start to finish that the incident was racially motivated. Otherwise, the only black person in line would not have been presumed to possess a fake passport or visa. I expect Turkish Airlines to ensure that their staff are well-informed, respectful, and unbiased, and to respond with detailed steps on how they will address and rectify this incident highlighting the importance of tackling racial discrimination concerns.
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, I had a flight with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Airport to Tunisia. I arrived at the airport 4 hours before the flight. I completed check-in and baggage drop-off, followed by passport control. I was at the designated gate 'B2' 50 minutes before the flight, where my ...
On January 16, 2024, I had a flight ticket with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Airport to Antalya Airport at 13:45. At 13:23, we were in front of gate G5(A), and there was no staff there. Later, a staff member from the adjacent gate came and mockingly said, 'Your plane has left,' and insulted us. We...
On 11/11/2023, I arrived at Istanbul Airport at 17:30 for my Istanbul-Adana flight TK2466, scheduled to depart at 18:40. I headed to the counters to board my plane 1 hour and 10 minutes before the flight, only to find that my seat number was no longer available on the machine. I asked for help from ...
On 12.05.2024, my flight TK967 from Ercan Airport to Istanbul Airport was originally scheduled for 18:55. It was first delayed by 1 hour and 55 minutes to 20:50, and then delayed again to 21:50. As seen in the attached video, at 21:56 (bottom right corner of the screen), boarding had still not co...
On March 16th, I flew with Anadolu Jet from Rize to Istanbul. After the flight, I discovered that my suitcase had been damaged, with a tear and a hole in one corner. The airline staff created a report with the code SAWTK50377. They took photos of the damaged luggage, my passport, and other boarding ...
Comments