Turkish Airlines Seat Selection Changed Last Minute Despite Check-in
I purchased a ticket for Sunday (06.08.2023) and selected a window seat (41A) two weeks in advance. 23 hours before the flight (on the night of 05.08), I checked in online and confirmed that my seat selection remained unchanged. The boarding pass generated after check-in also showed the correct seat number (41A).
I arrived at the airport 2 hours before the flight and used a check-in kiosk to print my boarding pass. I noticed that my seat had been changed to an aisle seat in the middle row (41D). This caused me to wait in line for 20 minutes. At the baggage drop-off, they checked and informed me that my original seat was taken and no other window seats were available. When I asked why my seat was changed last minute despite booking it two weeks in advance, they couldn't provide a satisfactory answer and just said the seat was now occupied. They suggested directing my complaint to the staff handling grievances, but they were too busy, and with only an hour left before my flight, I couldn't risk missing it.
When I boarded the plane and reached seat 41D, I saw a cabin crew member and a family member sitting in the seat I had reserved two weeks prior. I don't think it's appropriate for a pre-booked seat to be reassigned to someone else last minute. In this situation, I could have bought a cheaper ticket and let the system assign me a seat instead.
