Turkish Airlines Sold My Seat at the Gate Despite Having a Boarding Pass

At Istanbul International Airport on February 24, 2025, at 21:45, Turkish Airlines resold the seat of a passenger who had already received a boarding pass and checked in their luggage for flight TK0364 to Tashkent. The passenger arrived at the gate in the last 15 minutes, only to find that their seat had been given to a standby passenger. Instead of keeping standby passengers at the check-in counter, Turkish Airlines strategically places them at the gate, anticipating that some passengers will arrive late due to the airport’s large and complex structure. In the last 20 minutes before departure, Turkish Airlines quickly reallocates the seats of delayed passengers to standby passengers, prioritizing operational convenience over passenger rights. Even when the original passenger arrives within the final minutes, their seat is not returned to them. Turkish Airlines has no issue delaying takeoff by 15, 20, or even 40 minutes for operational reasons, yet when a passenger is just 5 minutes late, their paid seat is taken away and resold at the gate, leaving them without any right to object. I strongly condemn the behavior of Turkish Airlines’ gate personnel and the rushed resale of a seat within just 1-2 minutes.