Turkish Airlines Spilled Meal On Me, Discriminatory Attitude

I am a Chinese passenger writing to formally report a serious service failure and unacceptable treatment during my Turkish Airlines flight TK0016 from Buenos Aires to Istanbul on February 23, 2026, where I was traveling in economy class. During meal service, a cabin crew member accidentally spilled another passenger’s leftover beef rice onto my pants, backpack, and the bag under my seat, leaving all my belongings stained with oil. I have photographic evidence documenting the damage.

The response from the crew was highly unprofessional. The crew member first focused on cleaning the floor and completely ignored me. After a significant delay, he briefly returned with wet wipes, gave a quick apology, and walked away without offering assistance to clean my belongings or relocate me. Despite explaining multiple times that I had a 10-hour connecting flight and was covered in food, he dismissively stated, “There is nothing else I can do in the air,” and “I already apologized three times and gave you wipes.” His attitude was rude and dismissive, and several Chinese passengers witnessed this interaction and even spoke up on my behalf. My tour guide can also confirm these events.

After landing in Istanbul, I approached the Turkish Airlines service desk for help. However, I was told to submit a complaint online and received no assistance with cleaning or changing my clothes. I was forced to pay out of pocket to access an airport lounge, where I could shower and change into spare clothing in order to continue my next 10-hour flight.

My subsequent communication with Turkish Airlines via email has been equally disappointing. The first response offered 4,000 miles, which is not useful to me as I do not intend to fly with the airline again. The second response attempted to shift blame to another passenger and requested a dry-cleaning invoice. The third response issued a €13 cheque that can only be used toward future Turkish Airlines tickets, rather than providing a proper refund. In their final reply on March 24, 2026, they stated they could not exceed their “standard compensation limits,” and denied any wrongdoing.

This handling of the situation is unacceptable. I request the following actions:

A full investigation into the behavior of the cabin crew member(s), including the discriminatory and dismissive conduct I experienced.
A formal written apology from Turkish Airlines clearly acknowledging the service failure and inappropriate treatment.
Reimbursement of my dry-cleaning cost (€13) via bank transfer or cash—not as a voucher or airline credit.
Additional compensation of €50 for the distress, discomfort, and humiliation caused by this incident.

I have already provided supporting documents, including my dry-cleaning receipt (100 CNY ≈ €13), photos of the stained items, and email correspondence. I expect Turkish Airlines to take this matter seriously and provide a fair and respectful resolution.