Turkish Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | If you are flying to Turkey from within the United States and vice versa I would not recommend Turkish Airlines unless you are flying out of one of their main hub airports like LAX, SFO or JFK. This is the fourth time in a row we have flown with Turkish Airlines where some portion of the domestic leg of our trip had a cancellation or delays with domestic carriers that Turkish Airlines does not take any responsibility for although we paid them for those flights. They also don't provide notice when the domestic carrier makes scheduling changes. This years debacle involved Turkish Airlines booking a connecting flight on Alaska Airlines from our home town to LAX where we were to board the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul. This flight was so delayed we had to book a separate flight on another carrier and then pick up and transfer our bags once we reached LAX in order to catch the Istanbul flight. When we contacted Turkish Airlines about this on the day of the delay they told us there was nothing they could do about it until the end of our trip. Now at the end of our trip I contacted Alaska Airlines who report that Turkish Airlines did not pay them for those tickets, and when I contact Turkish Airlines about getting reimbursed for the flight we paid for and never used I am getting the royal runaround. I have been flying with Turkish Airlines for more than 20 years, and although I have known for years that their customer service is absolutely lacking in anything resembling service things have gotten worse. I would recommend Lufthansa, United or American. The food is not as good as on Turkish Airlines but you will experience less headaches. Also, I would highly recommend Alaska Airlines. Although this was not at all their problem as this was a Turkish Airlines service failure, all of the Alaska Airlines employees we worked with were incredibly courteous, helpful and generous in helping me on the day of the trip and at the end as I seek to get a refund for the tickets we never used.

✅ Trip Verified | In Kiev we were registered without any problems for a flight to Vancouver with a transfer in Istanbul. However, apparently the company is guilty of overbooking, of which my son and I became a victim, and, as a result, our 15-hour flight lasted for three days. In Istanbul, the airline gave us an obscure background check on the reasons for entering Canada for my son, who has a valid student visa and study permit. Still in an atmosphere of terrible nervousness, because the check was carried out in the last minutes before going on the plane. In the end, we were allowed to board the plane, but by that time the exit was already closed, the landing was over, and the plane flew to Vancouver without us. There were about 10 people like us on this flight, some returned to Kiev, and some, like us, agreed to fly to Vancouver on the next flight every other day. The fact that all this was not accidental, namely with the aim of weeding out excess passengers, is evidenced by the fact that our luggage did not fly to Vancouver, but somehow also remained in Istanbul. And upon arrival in Canada, it turned out that the question that interested Turkish Airline so much was not at all relevant for the Canadian border guards, since they did not contain any comments regarding the grounds for entering the country. Since we had to wait two days in Istanbul for the next flight, there was a question about the hotel. The airline refused to put us in a hotel. Therefore, we had to pay for accommodation and food in Istanbul out of our own pocket. Although, the legislation in such cases stipulates that the airline must provide such passengers with accommodation and three meals a day and even communication. However, any attempts to prove something were threatened to deprive us of even those tickets for the next flight that we were promised. To top it all off, upon claiming luggage in Vancouver, it turned out that three of our four suitcases were destroyed, broken, torn apart, that is, beyond repair. The day after the flight, I filed a complaint about the suitcases on the airline's website, as well as a complaint demanding to reimburse the cost of the hotel and food in Istanbul, as well as to pay compensation prescribed by law. However, the airline ignored my requests, which left me no choice but to go to court.

✅ Trip Verified | We were stuck in a traffic for 2 hours due to a burning vehicle on a highway. We still arrived at the airport 1 hour before departure and they would not let us go to the gate. After, we have been on the phone with them for 12 hours the next day and they said they can change our plane for $8,900 when I originally bought it for $4,600.

✅ Trip Verified | Unfortunately we witnessed the constant deterioration of services of Turkish Airlines. The cabin staff barely speaks English, do not keep an eye on the clients, the food and especially the drinks are under the services offered 3 years ago. Our overall experience is that they cut costs by eliminating entire categories of drinks, food and in flight entertainment. We only fly with them because we do not have another option from our location.

✅ Trip Verified | The flight Vancouver-Istanbul was 52 minutes delayed. I was told I had to get my boarding pass printed in Istanbul. We arrived at gate at 15.47. According to signs, it is 33 minutes straight to the gate. Boarding was at 16.05. I had to go to the Service desk to get boarding pass re-printed. The clerk went to the back and was gone for about 20 mins. Reasons unknown. Then I had to wait in security again which took another 20 minutes. I ran and got to the gate at 17.05 but nobody was there. Plane was still there. Went to TA customer service desk where they took about 30 mins to write information down and sent me to another desk. I was then informed I will have to re-book flight leaving in the morning and pay for another ticket. I tried to call customer support in Canada, US, UK, Turkey but nobody picked up. The staff in Istanbul quoted me 180 USD for TL1237 next day, which I was forced to pay in order to get out of Istanbul. I had no wifi but when I checked online later, the same flight was Cad$ 150 (about 50% cheaper). This seems like a gross exploitation of travelers in an already vulnerable situation. I was so exhausted by the long flight and stress, I collapsed on the floor. I spent a total of about 7 hrs from time I landed to the time I checked into a hotel. I had not eaten for about 10 hrs by that time. Horribly incompetent and unhelpful staff in Istanbul. The requirement to pay again for an overpriced ticket in Istanbul is outrageous as I already paid for an entire ticket all the way to Vienna. Especially when the delay was caused by actions of Turkish Airlines. This is crooked business practices taking advantage of travelers who are stuck at the airport.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst airline ever. We were departing from LAX, supposed to layover in Istanbul, then fly to Amman. During the flight we had to emergency land and the crew would not inform us of what happened. We were already 3-4 hours into the flight and they wanted to fly us back to LAX even though we were over Chicago. Later they told us the window by the pilots had a crack in it, so for safety we were going to emergency land and apparently this is a common issue with their planes. After everyone on the plane was asking to land in Chicago because we were flying over it, they instead landed and stranded us in JFK airport in New York. The crew was going to inform us what to do as the plane landed but never did. 300 people were stuck at JFK and we all had to go to one small terminal in an enclosed space and retrieve all our luggage. This happened around 5AM. It took almost 3 hours to get my family's luggage. Then we had to wait outside for another 3-4 hours to wait for small shuttles that can only fit about one family to take us to a hotel. We ended up booking at a nearby hotel and took an Uber, otherwise we would have to wait even longer in the cold. When my wife and I tried to contact the Turkish Airlines helpline and JFK they were extremely rude and closed the phone multiple times in our faces. We were stuck in New York for 18 hours. Finally, I was able to book a flight for 11pm after countless attempts of trying to get help. We ended up spending $600 in New York because Turkish Airlines refused to help us. $90 for the Uber to and from the hotel which was 10 minutes away. $400 for the hotel. Additional costs for food and another Uber ride ($90) to the airport and back to the hotel trying to get the airline to book us a new flight. We lost an entire day due to Turkish Airlines' negligence. They're extremely rude and don't communicate. Also, I had paid extra to have seats with more legroom. Once we got on the flight our seats weren't where they were supposed to be. We realized they changed the plane without informing us. I talked to a crew member and compared emails of our flight to show this was the case and they confirmed it. So, we lost more money there too. Just now I was trying to delay my return flight (back to LAX) for another week. I called Expedia and they could not help because of Turkish Airlines restrictions and told me to call them. So, I called Turkish Airlines 800 number and the man on the phone was very rude and dismissed any questions I had. He said I had to contact the JFK office to change my flight because when we were stuck in New York, we booked a new ticket (not sure how that’s connected). Even though Turkish Airlines messed up my flight, I had to contact JFK. So he gave me an email address and told me to email them for help. I did and asked to delay my flight. The email bounced back stating I wasn’t an “authenticated sender”. Very frustrating experience!

✅ Trip Verified | Four flights on this airline and not one was able to get out on time, especially since they seem more concerned with cargo than passengers or luggage. O'Hare was the worst location both ways ... over an hour at the gate after departure time due to loading cargo going out, making us late and almost everyone missing their connections in Istanbul. Coming into terminal 5, we had to wait for our luggage off the plane for 2.5 hours. Missed local transportation options twice in that time period (every 1.5 hours) and had to sit at Chicago for an additional hour and a half. Only positive was that they didn't balk at giving us a hotel room in Istanbul to wait out the 12 hours, though I doubt I will see my visa fee back to wait at said hotel. Oh yeah, and the customer service line doesn't pick up.

Not Verified | Attracted me by the lowest price, I bought a round trip flight. Then due to the COVID situation in Brazil had to change my layover to Panama and their service told me I am good to go. Then just two hours before the flight boarding assistant told me I can't fly and have to call them. They were switching me back and forth to different operators and finally told me they can't help me and suggested to write a private feedback on the official site. Feedback review took a whole week, their response is nonsense: they apologized for a bad experience and told me I should call to code sharing partner, Copa Airlines, I didn't pay anything to them, I paid Turkish, not Copa.

✅ Trip Verified | Horrible customer service. hardly anyone speaks English. I am supposed to fly out of Atlanta to Karachi. First they cancelled our flight than they asked us to call customer service or rebook our tickets to another date. Our initial date to fly out of Atlanta was July 13th, they cancelled it. Which I received an email, When I called their customer support. Called multiple times spoked to 4 or 5 individuals, was very hard to understand them, no clear directions or fixing the issue. I spoke to a lady that reissued our ticked to July 16th and said everything should be good now, But a week later When I went to their website and checked my flight information. I found out that she did not reissued our ticked instate she left the booking uncompleted and their is no way to change your tickets online. I couldn't print my flight information and had to start contacting them again.

✅ Trip Verified | Horrific customer service dealings. My sister suppose to fly out of Karachi with her kids to attend our nephews wedding in Los Angeles. First they cancelled their flight than they forced them to book on July 14th flight and said that no other flights are available before 14th. After checking their website I have noticed that they had 4 flights were available before 11th. I contacted their corporate office multiple times and I was advised to wait until next day and they will fix this issue and rebook the family without penalizing them. They have wasted our time until July 6th and until all the flight before 14th are completely booked. I am still waiting for their call but it is too late because they don't have any seats available anymore. She and kids are going to miss the wedding now. Shame on them. Don't fly them.