Turkish Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | I was supposed to fly from Dubai to Atltanta via Istanbul - all on Turkish airlines. The flight from Dubai was delayed by an hour before it even took off. I asked the gentleman at the counter whether this will affect the transit and he said i have got enough time. I landed in Istanbul at 1:50 PM and my next flight was supposed to be at 2:50 PM and had 1 hour to board. Despite getting off the plane and rushing through the security gate, i reached 10 minutes before the boarding and the staff were so rude to say that you have missed your flight - not even a slightest of empathy in any ones behaviour. I was offered another flight via Toronto after 26 hours. They were not ready to issue any visa to enter the country. Also they told that i need to collect my baggage from lost and found and made me wait there for hours before they could track my luggage. One of the worst crew i have come across across. I will never recommend Turkish Airlines to anyone primarily because of the rude behaviour of staff - no exception at all.

✅ Trip Verified | Never again will I use Turkish Airlines. We booked the ticket to Cape Town from Malaga (via Istanbul) 6 months in advance and chose Turkish due to the more direct route than having to travel to UK/Northern Europe or Middle East. We paid for extra legroom seats on all flights. One hour before leaving for the airport on our outbound date I received a phone call from the Turkish Airlines ticket desk at Malaga Airport to advise that the Istanbul-Malaga (second leg) of our return journey flight had been cancelled. They told us to go to the ticket desk when we arrived and before we checked in to be given options. The options were an 8 hour wait in Istanbul airport for the next flight (no thank you after an 11 hour flight) or the same flights a day later. We opted for the second option of flying on our original flight choices day later. The lady on the desk suggested that we claim afterwards for the extra hotel night and the extra day car hire. She also said that she could not book us the seats we had already paid for and that we should try to ticket desk in cape Town to do this for us. We checked in, we started to board, they got us all on to the air bridge where we stayed for about an hour before being moved back into the terminal. Then we boarded. The flight departed 90 minutes late with no explanation. The staff said that they did not know what the problem was. We arrived in Istanbul with a short connection due to the delay and after being bussed from the plane to the terminal we ran like crazy to get on the flight. We made it but our luggage remained in Istanbul. One case arrived a day later & the second case 2 days later. We collected the first case ourselves (as we thought they were both there) and went to the ticket desk to arrange the seats for the return journey. We had to leave all of our details with them as they were busy and unable to attend to it at the time. I e:mailed the ticket desk and customer services a number of times and each time the mails were returned with a message saying that the inboxes were full and could not accept any further mails. I also made a few phone calls but never managed to get an answer. After about a week I received a call from the ticket desk with an offer of slightly different but acceptable seats. When I told her about the issues I had ben having regarding contacting them she told me that the sales desk were very short staffed and that there actually isnt a customer service unit at all in Cape Town. During this time we were travelling with friends around the Cape and at times were without internet so communications were difficult. I also began the process of trying to claim for the emergency clothing items that we had to buy. I am still trying to complete the electronic form which keeps saying that I am giving wrong information (it doesnt specify what it doesnt like) and I am simply completing each box in order as it request me to do - along with the uploading of the files they request. I have tried to complete this form numerous times and in the beginning with help from the baggage handling company who confirmed that I was completing the form correctly. To this day I am still in communication with Turkish Airlines requesting them to reimburse me. They have refused to reimburse us with the cost of the hotel & car rental and are fobbing me off regarding the clothing cost. I know that I am legally entitled to this so I will continue to press.

✅ Trip Verified | Dubai to Lisbon via Istanbul. In April, I booked a flight from Dubai to Lisbon for $530.90 with Turkish Airlines. When I received an email to check-in, I was unable to do so. I decided to call them to inquire why. They told me they cancelled my reservation and my credit card was flagged as fraud. I was told to provide proof that the credit card belonged to me so I did. First of all, why was I not notified that they cancelled my reservation? I even received an email notification to remind me to check-in… After a long day of correspondence, they emailed me saying I can get the flight for the same price that I originally paid. I called to book my flight and they said it wasn’t going through again so I had to use a different credit card. The Turkish Airlines representative then confirmed my payment went through and checked me in online. Great! I finally have a reservation since it was less than 7 hours till departure. When I went to drop off my bag at the Dubai airport, the Turkish Airlines representative said that there was no reservation for me. I showed him my confirmation AND showed him my online credit card statement that showed I had a charge from Turkish Airlines. He repeatedly told me I no longer have a reservation and need to buy a new ticket with a travel agency at the airport. He also told me I would be fully refunded when I submit a claim with Turkish Airlines. Again, why wasn’t I notified that they cancelled my reservation? Why did they cancel my reservation after they already charged my credit card? It was 1 hour until departure so I did exactly what the Turkish Airlines representative told me to do. I bought a ONE WAY flight for $1306.98!! Since my flight in April, I’ve had a nonstop battle trying to get my refund. On Dec 19, 2018, Turkish Airlines called me to apologize for everything that’s happened. She admitted it Turkish Airlines’ fault and that they didn’t follow their protocol which resulted in them cancelling my reservation. She asked me to send a copy of my passport and my credit card statements and that I would get my full refund in one week. Since that phone call, Turkish Airlines has completely ignored me. I’ve tried contacting them Jan 4, Jan 6, Jan 9, Jan 15, Jan 16, Jan 20, Jan 22, Jan 25, Jan 29, Feb 1, Feb 4, Feb 14, and Feb 20. Every time I’ve tried contacting them, they either do not respond to me or the call center tells me they’ll mark my case as urgent and someone will respond to me in 48 hours. I have not ONCE heard back from them ever since I was told I would get fully refunded in Dec. Why is their protocol to respond within 7 days or 48 hours, but it’s been 2 months now and I haven’t heard from them yet? Why did they not follow the proper protocol in the very beginning when I booked my flight? Why didn’t they ever notify me that they cancelled my reservation? Why did their own employee confirm my payment went through and check me in? Why did they cancel my reservation when they already charged me? Why did their own employees tell me that they’ll fully refund me, but aren’t now? Why are they completely ignoring me? I feel like everyone should be aware how horrible Turkish Airlines is. I hope no one else has to go through what I’ve been through. It’s been seriously affecting my health dealing with them. It's evident that they have horrible service and will not refund people (reading other reviews). Please- save your money, time, and health, and book a different airline.

✅ Trip Verified | Montreal to Berlin via Istanbul. I was mostly disappointed with the services. I flew from Montreal to Istanbul and from the beginning I felt the experience to be flawed. There were some 28 business class seats and I had chosen a seat with direct aisle access. The seat is quite comfortable and large was what I noticed at first. The cabin crew was awful. They congregated at the forward cabin near the bar and watched us settle in. As we were in the middle of winter, passengers all had heavy winter coats. I was seated in row two and could overhear some passengers asking the crew if they could take their coats. I was a bit taken aback by the crews response: "No, later, later". Needless to say, I was not going to go out of my way to ask them to take my coat and instead opted to leave it at my seat. The crew members did not offer to take my coat nor my neighbour's at any time during this 9,30 hour flight. We sat in the cabin at our seats with no drinks offered, no water bottle for at least 15 minutes. The crew came by after 15 minutes to offer us a selection of non alcoholic beverages. I declined the drink and was asked if I wanted anything else and I ordered champagne. All drinks during our entire flight were served with no napkin and I thought this to be a bit odd since you get a napkin in Canada even on low cost carriers! Menus were handed out and we were asked for our selection later on. After take off, the service was not well planned. It took a while before any crew member came by and when they did they offered to make our beds! We had just left Montreal at 1045 pm and I suspect this is why they were asking us prior to even taking a drink order! I declined the offer for bedding and informed they that I would be ready for it after dinner. "Of Course Sir, anything you want". The response lacked being genuine and I felt the crew was somewhat irked. The service began with handling out a bottle of water, 40 minutes into the flight. We waited another 10 or so minutes and we were asked for drinks. The "Onboard Chef" came by to take our food order and this was also done in a chaotic way. He would take the order for 3-5 seats at a time and then disappear. The whole order taking for the entire business class must have taken 40 minutes. The food was served and it was beautifully plated. I can't say the food tasted better than any other overseas carrier I've flown in business class. The onboard chef seemed like it was all a show and I could not really see how he was a chef. He took our order (chefs don't usually do this) and made sure the plates looked nice. I think that is the extent of it and I don't really see any exotic or added value to this.During the whole meal, my drinks went dry for 10 or more minutes at a time. I have flown many carriers in business class and I have never had to ask or get up to ask for more wine with my meal. The crew in the business cabin were simply not friendly nor attentive. I also experienced the Turkish Airlines lounge in Istanbul during my connection. It is tired looking and circus like atmosphere. I qualified for the use of a resting suite. The attendant informed me she would come by to let me know when I could shower. I was there 3 hours, and she never came.

✅ Trip Verified | New York to Dhaka via Istanbul. Services at Istanbul Airport was horrible and totally unprofessional. I had a flight from JFK to Istanbul on the way to Dhaka and had a 12-hour long stay over in Istanbul. While it was written on the Turkish website that they would give a hotel room if the stay over is 12 hours or more, there was no such opportunity. Turkish airlines staff at the airport had limited English proficiency, lack of decency (rude), and lower motivation to cooperate. However, instead of a hotel room, a lady at the counter offered me snacks. When I requested for lunch instead of snacks or breakfast, the lady just tore the check she wrote in front of me. I was devastated seeing this non-professional rudeness. Only positive things were inflight hospitality and foods.

✅ Trip Verified | In 9/30/2018 my wife, our 11 months old son, and myself took Turkish Airlines to fly from San Francisco to Addis Ababa via Istanbul. Half way in the first leg of the flight (from San Francisco to Istanbul), a lady in the flight got sick and a decision was made to divert the plane to Bergen Norway, so the lady can get a medical treatment.  This caused 3 hours delay on our arrival time to Istanbul and we missed our second leg flight (From Istanbul to Addis) as a result. When we first got to Istanbul information was scarce and no one were willing to help. After a lot of leg work we finally reached to the “Transfer” station where we can request to be booked to another flight.  We were told the next flight to Addis Ababa is 24 hours later and the airline will provide hotel accommodations for us. They booked us to the next flight and refer us to another station where we can request hotel accommodation. When we got to the hotel accommodation station, we were told to get a visa and return. When we got to the Visa station we faced discrimination because my wife carried a passport from Ethiopia. Visa was offered to my son and myself who were carrying a US passport and denied to my wife who were carrying Ethiopian passport. When we asked why we were told they don’t give Visas to people who carry Ethiopian passport. We showed them my wife’s US green card and explain the situation we will face if we had to stay in the airport with a sick child for 24 additional hours and they still refuse to give my wife a visa. The only solution they offered is to leave my wife who was breastfeeding behind.  We tried to call the US Embassy in Istanbul to explain the situation, but they were closed for the day. Out of options, hungry and tired, we finally decide to stay in the airport for the next 24 hours. We returned to Turkish airlines terminal and asked if we get admittance to the Turkish airline lounge, so our child can rest in a comfortable area and this request was denied because we are not Turkish airline business customers. For the next 24 hours, we were prisoners in Istanbul airport. I regret my decision to fly Turkish and I will never fly them again.

✅ Trip Verified | My first time on Turkish. It's not a bare-basics, race-to-the-bottom product, but it's far behind Asian carriers and Qatar Airways in warmth and sophistication. There is a lot of confusion both in the cockpit and at the Istanbul transit area. Passengers are given the wrong information. My flight ex-KUL taxied all over the airport for 2 hours before returning to gate for refuelling. (We were just about to take off on a 11.5-hour journey with not enough fuel? Interesting.) That just about put paid to everyone's plans to catch their connecting flights. The gate number for my Geneva flight was different from what the entertainment system showed us right before landing (as I found out after sprinting, laptop and shoes in hand, to the wrong gate). Very stressful. On board, food is okay but same-same across sectors. English is not great unless pre-recorded. Male crew are quite patient and hard-working. The female staff can be pleasant when they want to be. Sadly, many make it very clear that having seen the world and having put peroxide highlights in their hair, pouring coffee in economy class is not where they want tp be. (How hard is it to say "Good evening" to a passenger during boarding, instead of giving an icy, silent stare?) In the future, unless I decide to travel to one of the secondary destinations served by TK, such as Salzburg or Lyon, my preference will remain with the more established airlines.

✅ Trip Verified | Maputo to Almaty via Istanbul. Turkish Airlines has the worst customer service and IT-systems. They charged me for a flight but due to system error the funds disappeared from my account without the payment showing in their system. Their customer rep gave me as an only alternative to wait for 7 business days and buy the tickets then. Of course I could've just chucked another 1,500 USD in and tried if their system would've worked on the second time around.

Not Verified | Booked business class for the comfort, travelled from Toronto to Istanbul, the flight was good rested well. The flight from Istanbul to Karachi was a disaster, none of the seats were working to recline or adjust the foot rest. People should think twice before purchasing a business class. On top of they take the headphones 20 min before landing which is so annoying. Overall horrible from Istanbul to Karachi.

✅ Trip Verified | Berlin to Manila via Istanbul. Turkish Airlines lost my luggage. It was delivered only 36 hours after my arrival. The worst thing was the way of delivery. A very rude guy brought the luggage to my place. He threatened me to throw the luggage on the street if i don't come down the stairway to pick it up. I complained via the feedback online form and now i am messaging with Turkish Airlines for more than 6 weeks. They refuse to give me any compensation for the stress. For me it's the poorest customer service i ever experienced from an airline I will never fly Turkish Airlines again.