Turkish Airlines inconsistent service attitude or just indifference

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    Hess963
    Participant

    I am referring to you all TK flyers who have experienced indifference emails or posts from TK service centre over your comments, complains and suggestions.

    I personally have written complains over my bad experiences and bad treatments while transiting in the CIP lounge in IST.

    No answer yet, only the infos that my cases are being evaluated…

    It is almost 4 months now from the date when I submit it to TK in IST.

    One thing really angers me is, until now my renewed card has not arrived yet( almost 4 months from the last info of TK Smiles&Miles service center also in IST–the last info indicated that probably the mailing system in my country is faulty and that the mailing system in Turkey is almost flawless. Well, well well–I would not comment on these and over the word “almost” –what could it probably mean in Turkish??? I will just be “humble” and will not lose some negative comments over Turkish service attitudes or Turkish working attitudes like Airpocket over Kuwaitis). Do they really need that long to answer any emails/posts of customers and frequent flyers or send the renewed cards rightly on time etc….

    What do those employees in IST need in order to work efficiently????


    Airpocket
    Participant

    Hess, why on earth would you want to fly TK? There are so many other airlines you could choose to fly to Istanbul.

    And, I don’t just criticise Kuwaiti Airways staff. I also criticise EK, EY staff and, lets not forget, BA and Virgin staff as well. If staff are lazy,rude,and arrogant then they will rightly be criticised, not just by me but by other passengers as well.At the same time, I praise staff when they deserve it. EK have been good to us more often than not and I find KLM staff professional and would continue to fly them.


    Hess963
    Participant

    You have to admit when TK used the leased B777 from Jet Airways and used them on the LHR-IST– it was the best airline and the best Bus. and even First Class on this route!!! The price was and still very good. And during these periods where my plans were BKK, SIN and HKG, the very good experiences with the B777 also continued beyond IST. So it was a fantastic time with TK. Now, we are back in reality!! What an awakening! Alright to be very fair. The A330/340 still used on LHR-IST are still fantastic comparing to other European airlines flying this route, like BA’s regional C class.. The food and service on board is, in my opinion, one of the best at the moment. TK has a good premium product, the huge problem is the inconsistency to maintain these good improvements like full flat bed(hopefully going to be back in the ordered B777)…. And when their Service Centre in IST finally cope with the problems and be consistent, then they really deserve to be a reinforcement for Star Alliance.


    SimonRowberry
    Participant

    Hess, Airpocket – good morning. Please read my various posts about TK (under Turkish Airlines in the Airlines category of the Forum). They are utterly awful and dangerous, and as you’ll read, as I was threatened with arrest when I complained about a breach of basic safety requirements shortly after they’d had a fatal accident. Never, ever, ever, ever again……

    By the way, it was the staff in the CIP Lounge who were the problem: immediately aggressive and defensive, then said they would ignore me if I continued to complain (how I kept my temper, I’ll never know) and then ultimately threatened me with arrest. Nice airline, nice people, nice airport……

    I enjoy reading, with some amusement , the ongoing debate about BA between Airpocket, VK and NTarrant, but let’s face it, the criticisms of BA are based (I think) on service standards. With TK, for me they are based on SAFETY and the response you get when you complain (as you say, Hess). No, BA (or SK, LH, AY etc) would never compromise basic safety procedures the way that TK do, and then be such complete and utter childish bastards when you take it up with them.

    Sorry for the tone of this post guys, but I feel very very strongly about this and my earlier posts I refer to explain fully why I feel that way. It was suggested by someone with a sick sense of humour that TK really stands for ‘Total Killed’ followed by the flight number. I wouldn’t personally go that far myself but I understand the sentiment.


    Airpocket
    Participant

    ‘morning guys. What consistently surprises me about the whole TK safety issue is that they are allowed to fly within Europe!I’m not sure if you remember but a few years back Garuda were banned from flying to Europe owing to their suspect safety records. Why can’t the same standards and requirements be enforced on TK? After all, peoples’ lives are at stake. As someone who knows about the law, I think its only a matter of time before someone brings an action against both Turkish Airlines and the sovereign nation that allows it to land at its airports, in the event of another fatal accident. You can be damn sure that if there was ever a fatal incident in the US then the families of those injured/killed would be suing TK.Indeed, I’m fairly certain the FAA might ban TK from flying into the US if safety standards continue to drop. After all, the now defunct Nigeria Airways was stopped from flying to the US for similar reasons.
    We may have differing opinons about airliens but I totally concur, the European carriers and most self-respecting Middle Eastern/Gulf carriers would never compromise their safety.


    SimonRowberry
    Participant

    Hi again Airpocket. Absolutely agree with you. The problem is politics, particularly at the moment, for all kinds of reasons that we don’t need to rehearse.

    I think that the most banal response I got to my earlier postings re TK was someone who said ‘Good grub.’ Yes indeed, but it could be the condemned man’s last meal.

    The sad thing is that they could be a really good airline with some fairly minor changes. The service on board IS good, they do tend (in my experience) to be punctual and (generally) the cabin crew’s attitude is ok. However, the basic problem remains attitudes towards safety and the attitude towards customer responses in general (whether verbal like mine, or written like Hess’).

    By the way, I remember Garuda in the days when it was said to stand for ‘Good Airline Run Under Dutch Administration.’ Times changed significantly for them and perhaps (geo- and euro-politcs apart) it should also for TK.


    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone!!
    First to Simon Rowberry: I am still shocked and angry after reading your TK posts. I just could not understand why on earth!! could any airline which is only being censured by a customer who is afterwards threatened with arrest, react in such appalling way.
    Those airline people who are responsible for the safety of their own airline and are frequent readers in this forum should consider to be more sensible to their judgements and actions before they daunt any customer in that way. I am saying this very frankly: Without us/customers there is no YOU!! There is no excuse to such dismal behaviour, especially when a customer is only pointing out some basic breaches. And definitely no tolerance in ignoring or neglecting safety on board!!
    Instead TK should be grateful to have passenger who care for the airline and especially in the part of safety on board. Yes, it is our lives at stake!!! and not those people sitting in their office chairs in IST…
    I am shocked and still in disbelief, because it doesn’t fit to the impressions I had with TK( whether it is regional or international routes).
    Well, the CIP lounge staffs I encountered were likely Simon R. has described, but ignoring and threatening—Wow, these are really new heights of customer service and very sad impressions of TK.
    Simon R.( as for my part ) you don’t need to excuse for your words regarding on these matters with TK. I sincerly believe, it is TK who should excuse to you. You are still the paying part and they are only the recipient.
    I will definitely be aware of these matters on my next trips with TK and will be cautious and alert for any faults regarding safety on board.

    Regarding banning TK: I believe this airline has to be more neglected and inconsistent than the described faults earlier inorder to be banned from EU airspace. TK has the potential and is still on the right track to be a competitive airline; but they should be aware not to lose those good improvements, take customers complains/suggestions seriously and more important fulfilling the basics of a safe aviation.

    Regarding Garuda Indonesian Airlines and the lift of the ban from the EU:
    Most of you might have already heard that GA is planning to serve LHR and FRA in the near future with the new A330 (stopping in DXB).
    I just hope they have learned from their faults. Being banned is not a good impression for an airline who wants to transport passengers safely and earned revenue from them. Both TK and GA are in my regards still “regional players” in a globalise aviation world. Being a part of an international airline alliance does not mean instantaneously to have adapt the alliance’s good safety records. There is a lot more to learn and improve, most of all the trust and assurance of the pax flying with them.


    Senator
    Participant

    I had an interesting experience in April on TK. I flew ARN-IST-RUH-IST-ARN on a mix of A320/B738 with varying degrees of configurations. Whilst the price in business was very attractive, I would agree that basic safety procedures were not followed.
    On the late night IST-RUH service on an A320, I woke around 1am to the smell of someone having just smoked. I went forward to the lavatory, and I commented to the female purser. Her answer? “What can we do?” On the IST-ARN return, no check for trays, glasses before landing in the forward cabin on the B738. Tables were down and several people had no seatbelts on.

    While onboard F&B is excellent, the price to Middle East destinations is half of LH/BA/AF, I am not sure if I want to go back. My company have me booked to Iran in November, perhaps it is time to change. The alternative was Iran Air; not sure if this is better.


    SimonRowberry
    Participant

    Hi Senator. Yes, your experience is very similar indeed to mine. They are absolutely disgraceful as an airline. Cheap fares perhaps reflect the value they place on their customers’ lives?


    trident3
    Participant

    Makes you wonder how they ever got accepted into Star Alliance?


    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone!!

    Just to update you—I have sent at least five emails within 4 days consecutively over my recent complaints and still failing renew card.
    NO ANSWER AT ALL, not even a decent note that my recent emails have been obtained and will be answered lately. NO –not a thing from IST Headquarter. So I assume as an Elite status holder/Star Gold I am just as important as the fly on the wall….. OH, it really sucks TK!!!!


    NTarrant
    Participant

    Just a thought, but quite a number of years ago now I tried to contact Aer Lingus customer services. I had emailed a few times over a few weeks and got no reply. Eventually very annoyed at being ignored I sent the same email 28 times after each other. It did the trick, I got a reply the next day!


    Hess963
    Participant

    NTarrant thanks for the proposal. But do I really need 28 emails or more to send to IST just to get their attention. It is already a very bad image on what we have here. Perhaps BT can write something ove airlines with inconsistent service attitude and ask frequent flyers over their recent experiences…..hello!!!… I forgot…BT just need to down load all our comments and send it with a nice gift wrap to the TK headoffice in IST and forward our deepest feelings to them! Merhaba….!!!


    Hess963
    Participant

    Hi everyone !!

    Just updating you over my previous and countless efforts to get TK headquarters finally register my claims and complains–I have filed them through TK’s online customer service area–so I ‘ll be kept informed–and at the moment the development is still pending.

    I am really starting to worry if the results ( if anything will ever come from all this!!) will be still in this year or lifetime !!

    TK should definitely consider to improve it’s PR and customer relationsion’ s attitude—-appalling is too mild to stress here !!

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