Tag Archives for turkish airlines.
Turkish Airlines has abruptly replaced both its chairman and CEO despite strong financial results and no public scandal, framing the exits as retirements while offering little real explanation. The succession appears to have been arranged at a high political level, but the choice of an insider commercial CEO and finance-focused chair also suggests continuity in airlinr strategy.
A couple apparently booked in economy sat themselves in Turkish Airlines business class, got caught during boarding, refused to move, and—shockingly—ended up being allowed to stay put rather than further delaying the flight. The catch came after takeoff: flight attendants served everyone else in business class while pointedly refusing to give the self-upgraders food and drinks, turning their “win” into a very public lesson in how far you can push it.
An email says Turkish Airlines has placed an aviation journalist on its internal no-fly list for six months, citing his articles and social media posts as the reason. The move has sparked a backlash over whether airlines should be able to bar critics from flying based on what they publish.
Turkish Airlines just wiped out the last meaningful value in its Miles & Smiles program. After raising United domestic awards last year, Turkish has hit them again: mainland–Hawaii business class jumps to 40,000 miles each way when two years ago it was 12,500.
Adams and his partner bought coach tickets to India, and Turkish upgraded them to business for free 48 hours prior to travel. He took a relative to Europe and Asia in business class for free on Turkish. And he also accepted free business class tickets to Nepal and Beijing. He was given a two-night stay in the Bentley Suite at the St. Regis Istanbul for less than $600 and a free two-night stay in their Cosmopolitan Suite.
But this is priceless…
Reader Doug asks why there’s no Coca-Cola in the Turkish Airlines business class or Miles & Smiles lounges in Istanbul? And some of you may not be aware of the reason either: it’s a political statement.
According to local reports, police responded to the airline’s office to issue a ‘first warning’ but employees “made trouble for the police officers,” and they responded by closing the office but will be permitted to re-open.
I hadn’t even realized there was a new Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature® Credit Card for U.S. customers until reader M.E. flagged it for me. And it’s sure a strange one!
Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other carrier in the world. They already fly to 14 U.S. cities with the recent launch of Denver and Dallas. The airline isn’t coy about expansion plans. Their Chairman gave an interview where he telegraphed their next four U.S. cities: Philadelphia, Charlotte, Orlando, and Minneapolis.
This lounge is too small for the volume of passengers and it turns an architecturally interesting space with tarmac views into a chaotic mess.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
