Turkish Airlines Ticket Cancellation Despite Payment
My wife and child, along with myself, had booked a multi-leg flight: Chicago-Istanbul-Jordan-Istanbul-Chicago. One of our connecting flights, the Jordan flight, was canceled by THY. Due to the risk of war, we changed our Jordan flight to Dubai. However, when we arrived at the airport for the Dubai flight, we were not allowed to board due to visa issues. Because we missed our Dubai flight, THY informed us that our Istanbul-Chicago flight was also subject to a ticket change, and we would need to pay an additional ₺40,000. Already inconvenienced by missing the Dubai flight, THY seems to be trying to inconvenience us further by demanding an extra ₺40,000 for the Chicago flight that we had already paid for!
Since 2012, we have flown at least once a year with THY on the Chicago-Istanbul route and have paid an average of at least $1000 per ticket. We have never missed a flight. This time, we did not intentionally miss our flight; the situation at the airport was noted by our flight attendant. However, THY is saying that because we missed our connecting flight, our Chicago-Istanbul flight is also canceled, and we need to pay ₺40,000! When I called customer service for this simple issue, they said they couldn't help and that I needed to open a ticket. When I opened a ticket and explained the situation, the response was a short, non-explanatory message stating that our Chicago flight had been changed according to the rules.
Either there is malicious intent, or they do not understand the written explanation and respond with a generic answer. I have attached their responses, which are very simple and straightforward, advising that I should have checked the visa. My current issue is not with Dubai or its visa; we already missed the flight and were inconvenienced. What I am asking from THY is not to penalize us for the Chicago flight. If you are going to penalize us, at least be clear and say, 'We are penalizing you for the Chicago flight you paid for.'
While already inconvenienced by missing the connecting flight, THY making our Chicago flight difficult is neither understandable nor acceptable. If this situation continues, we will have to switch to other airlines, something I never thought of before and always recommended THY to my surroundings. We will also ensure that people around us are informed about this issue.
Note: Our flight is not a connecting flight but a multi-leg flight.
TK-10792287 #S1-33793777#
Thank you,
