BE AWARE ON TURKISH AIRLINES

I am lodging an official formal complaint, which requires serious investigation. I have notified my travel agent of my experience and she has indicated that they (Flight Centre) have escalated the matter for investigation (August 2024). It has been several weeks And I have had zero response other than a TK reference number and no assistance from Flight Centre as they say a I must work directly with the airline as they don’t have anyone they can deal with!!! That in itself is alarming

My first flights with Turkish Airlines were an absolute disaster and I have never experienced anything like this in all the decades that I have travelled. It is absolutely alarming and needs to be investigated at the highest level.

Details as follows:-

Flight TK045 9 July 2024 - 16:35 Cape Town to Istanbul Booking - Wheelchair Assisted Passenger (refer to booking Flight Centre)

Arrived at Istanbul airport and they didnt have me on their system for travel assist. I was taken by wheelchair to a chair and told to "sit"! Eventually one of the ground staff walked me km's away to some special assistance bay. I had to literally run to keep up with him. Again I was told very rudely to "sit"! No explanation. Didnt know what would happen next. No water available or even an option to go and get some anywhere. I eventyally went to the bathroom and found a transfer desk. They said I should fill in a complaint form. No resolution. She did give me water when I repeatedly asked. I dont know what will happen when I get to Heathrow. When I try to ask I just get told to SIT!!

Flight TK1979 10 July 2024 - 07:50 Istanbul to London Booking - Wheelchair Assisted Passenger (refer to booking Flight Centre)

There were similar issues to the previous flight. No communication. Took hours to get assistance, when the buggy eventually took some of us to the customs area our passports were collected and we were processed in bulk. I was handed back the wrong passport, which thankfully I picked up and also noted that it in fact wasn't even stamped. The gentleman helping me assisted with collecting my baggage which also took more than an hour to arrive and nobody at Turkish Airlines would, or could direct us correctly. My suitcase was tagged as priority by your staff. Once again another very unpleasant experience.

Flight TK1980 5 August 2024 - 11:25 London to Istanbul Booking - Wheelchair Assisted Passenger (refer to booking Flight Centre)

The assistance from London was easier as the staff communicated better at the airport. When we eventually got boarded this is when things got really alarming. We were all seated when there was lots of shouting going on between a female passenger with children and a small baby. She was told to take her seat. She tried to do this, but someone was in her seat. The airline had issued the same boarding passes to various people so the seats were occupied and there was nowhere she could go. An argument ensued. The lady announced “this is not an airline it is a bus”. “I have small children and you want to separate us all”. The cabin staff were extremely unhelpful and rude. One of the male cabin crew told her loudly to “SHUT UP”!!!! Another crew member had to intervene and try and defuse the situation. It was absolutely barbaric. I have the name and contact details of other passengers who can provide confirmation of this event. We were all very unsettled after this fiasco.

When arriving at Istanbul airport I was collected and taken to a deserted area with a few seats and told to SIT! Again no proper communication or explanation. I didn’t know if, or when I would be collected and taken through to the next area. Once again total confusion with the only instruction to SIT!. I had a shuttle that was going to collect me and would not have waited hours for my arrival. Eventually I was taken to a holding area and the staff didn’t communicate and there was total chaos with most passengers asking for help and some form of communication. The staff were very rude and simply ignored you. After walking to another help desk I tried to ascertain what would happen next only to be told to go back and wait. Eventually I was taken to collect my bag and taken to the door where I was asked for money for the service!!

Flight TK044 11 August 2024 - 01:40 Istanbul to Cap Town Booking - Wheelchair Assisted Passenger (refer to booking Flight Centre)

I arrived at the airport 3 hours prior to departure as instructed by the airline and my travel agent. I asked for assistance when I arrived and was told to go to check in. I had to do this on my own dragging two suitcases and my hand luggage. The gentleman at the security area saw how much I was battling and left his post and helped me to the check in counter after I had gone through the security checks. When I arrived the lady at check in told me frankly “your flight only leaves in the morning”!! This was alarming as I had not been informed about this delay by the travel agent or Turkish airlines. The airline had been aware of this delay for over 12 hours as the same issue occurred in Cape Town for the flight on route to Istanbul. I asked why the flight was delayed and she just shrugged her shoulders and stared at me. I told her that I had serious medical conditions and if there was going to be such a long delay it would be safer for me to go back to my hotel. I kept on asking for more details and I got no response. I don’t know if it is a language barrier but I have never experienced anything like asking a service provider a question and just be met with a stare and complete silence. I started feeling very unwell and informed her that due to my medical conditions it was imperative that I not be put through major stress and asked her to call a supervisor. I explained my medical circumstances to the supervisor and asked him to assist me, as I would not be able to sit in a chair for 10 hours. He said he would see what he could do. I repeatedly asked for assistance and this was not forthcoming. I was left to sit in a chair with no communication or clarity. I again provided my medical reports, which were shown to the supervisor and he said that he would try and get me lounge access and I must SIT DOWN AND WAIT. There was no WiFi access and I needed to get hold of my medical team to find out what would be the safest option for me and how I should medicate under the circumstances. They did not help me with accessing WiFi either. I was completely unprepared for this unfolding fiasco. I repeatedly asked for clarity as it would be safer for me to go back to my hotel, but they just told me to sit and wait. Next thing all these staff members got up and left and a new team came on duty. I had to then go through the same details again. I asked for a supervisor who eventually came and persuaded me to check through my luggage and that he would arrange for me to go to a quiet room where I could rest before the flight in the morning. I proceeded to do as instructed because of the assurance he provided. Once a I was checked through I was taken to a deserted wheelchair holding area where a I was told that the flight was only leaving in the morning!! Obviously I already knew this. They were completely uninterested in supporting any of us. There was a lady half lying on the floor and half in a wheel chair, a blind man just dumped in a chair. It was a terrifying thing to witness. I kept asking when a I was going to be taken to this quiet room to rest and be given food and something to drink and a I was just told to wait and sit down. This carried on for hours. I kept telling them I was feeling very ill and needed medical attention. They just ignored me and continued playing on their phones. I have photographs to prove this. I started feeling so unwell that I thought it would be better to try and seek medical assistance elsewhere in the airport before I passed out and then things would become even more serious as they couldn’t be trusted. I walked to a Turkish Airlines customer care section where there was a long queue. I could barely stand at this point and went to the business class section where there were no passengers, but staff on duty. I explained how ill I was feeling and that a I needed assistance. I was told to join the queue. I asked him if I blacked out was he just going to step over me. He eventually told me to sit and he would ask someone to help. Another staff member was provided with my medical supporting documents and he said he would come back to me. This didn’t happen for a very long time. Eventually he got a wheelchair assist staff member and I was informed that I would be taken to a room where I could lie down and rest and be assisted. I was then taken by wheelchair to another deserted area some distance away and was planted in front of a locked room. I repeatedly told this individual that I was now feeling very ill and wanted to throw up and begged him to call for help again. No communication. Eventually an employee of the airport intervened and he unlocked the room, which turned out to be a childcare facility, which was locked up and not in use. I was able to lie on some benches. I repeatedly told him that a I needed assistance and he told me he didn’t work for Turkish Airlines, but was employed privately by the airport. He connected me to the WiFi so I could contact my medical team, but by now it was the middle of the night. He saw that I was very unwell and called a medical team which arrived at around 2.30 a.m. (7 hours after a I asked for assistance). A Doctor was then called. The medical team documented everything regarding my medical condition and asked me to sign the paperwork. I was left in this dark room and I was unsure if someone would fetch me for the flight, or what would happen next. The Doctor said he would need to examine me again in 4 hours as my sugar level was at 24.2, which is very serious. Some time later someone arrived with a wheelchair and without any explanation took me to the boarding gate where I had to sit on a chair again until the flight boarded sometime around 6.30 a.m. I was so ill at this point that I don’t recall what time we did depart. We were loaded and unloaded due to some issue, which was not explained to us. We were just about to take off and there was an announcement asking for a Doctor. It was decided to park the plane again and take the passenger off for urgent medical attention. I took my medication and slept for some hours. I was very grateful to arrive back in Cape Town. The flight had to be exited on foot and we had to go down stairs and walk to a bus. I am a wheelchair assist passenger. I asked the cabin crew how I was going to do this and once again I was just stared at and told that the wheelchair would fetch me at the terminal!!! I therefore navigated the steep steps with my hand luggage and zero assistance from the cabin crew. Eventually a passenger asked if they could help me.

My experience with Turkish Airlines was like a horror movie.

I will be able to provide you with the photographs and the contact details for the other passengers on the flight from London to Istanbul should this be necessary. I am alarmed that this type of situation can ever take place with a so called progressive world class airline. I would definitely agree with the passenger that stated this is not an Airline, it is a bus. The staff are not trained and simply have no clue about customer service and simply don’t care. It may be very necessary for me to alert the general public so that this never happens to anyone else.