Turkish Airlines review by Jelena 2014-01-14

Operating Airline: Turkish Airlines Flight No: TK1005 (27DEC19:20) / TK 1003 (28DEC07:50) / TK 5863 (28DEC13:30) Destination: Skopje 1. Flight for Skopje TK1005 (27DEC19:20) was delayed for several hours and then canceled around 9pm (no representative of TA to inform us what to do) We had to ask for several employees where to go and it took almost an hour to get to transit desk 216. Turkish Airlines Transit desk staff: was directing us to go outside the transit area to the Hotel desk. After being denied to get a reroute (which we wanted because Austrian airlines planes were landing in Skopje) we asked Turkish Airlines Transit desk staff to provide in written what are our Passenger Rights for canceled flights- They did not provide the passenger rights (they claimed that they don't know or have them- even thaw they had leaflets stating that they can provide passenger rights information) and after we realized that they are only changing the person with which we are talking to ->we all realized that we will have to go to Turkish airlines Hotel Desk (where we did not want to go because we had US and EU passport holders that needed a visa to get out of the transit area) Some of the passengers didn´t know that they need VISA (no one from TA staff had informed them) and after standing in passport queue for 20 min they were redirected again back to obtain the VISA, and then again they had to wait in the passport queue. 2. We all went to Turkish Airlines Hotel desk outside of transit area � First there was a 1 hour line for waiting 00:00am 28.12.2013-after we got in line to talk to the Hotel Desk Turkish Airlines staff- we were informed that they will provide a Hotel and Food and that in 15min they will call our names to take us to the hotel. At 1 am in the morning next to Starbucks café one person (I assume TA employee) grabbed a chair->climbed on it -> and started calling out names we were not on this list for Hotel. We addressed the Hotel Desk Turkish Airlines staff (again very poor in English) asking: when do they plan to provide a hotel because previously they informed us it will take them 15 min- The reply from your staff was: I am a big liar- is there something you can do? At 2:30am in the morning finally your staff gets on a chair: luckily we were on this list for a hotel. Before we got on the transfer he informed us that we have to come back to the airport 3 hour before the flight. As the next flight was scheduled for 7:10am in the morning it made no sense: to go to a hotel->30minutes away-> only to be picked up 1h later? So we choose not to go. None of the employees from Turkish Airlines informed us about providing food or beverage or anything else for the canceled passengers. Luckily we had with us a TA representative-traveler from Macedonia who was running around and bringing some vouchers (not decent enough for child and the least of all an adult) - food and beverage. 3. At 6 am in the morning TK 1003 (28DEC07:50) flight was also delayed and then cancelled. This time the transit desk 216 allowed rebooking but only to Bulgaria (for all other flight we were informed that they were full) - from Sofia Turkish Airlines did not provide any transport to Macedonia or compensation. Several passengers made the rebooking- sadly many of us decided to wait for the next flight at 12:10pm. Some of the passengers that unfortunately decided to go to hotel, even for a while, were bring back to the airport at 5 am. Even although at that time was known that the flight was already cancelled. Others were told to wait for another few hours at the airport. Thus, some of the passengers had the big luck to stay and rest for a little longer, others not. Those of us who stayed we addressed the transit desk begging to get access to at least a lounge or accommodation at the Airport hotel to get some sleep. But Turkish airlines staff informed us, that it was too expensive for them to provide such services. (I don't understand how transport & hotel is cheaper than this) 4. TK 5863 (28DEC13:30) no one from TA showed up to the gate until 1.40pm! Then there we conflicting messages on the screen until we saw that the flight was delayed at 2pm. At 2 pm same gate same flight we unfortunately witnessed a horrible act by Turkish Airlines employee: The first passenger that was supposed to get on the bus: The groundsman checking the boarding passes aggressively asked the passenger if he has a visa to go to Macedonia to which he replied yes. There was a verbal exchange upon which the grounds man- a Turkish Airlines employee repeatedly hit the passenger (without any physical provocation on the passenger's side) The security guard from TAV airport did not react at all at first and later separated the passenger and the Turkish Airlines employee, it is important to remark, that the passenger didn´t reacted to the first aggression, and it was the Turkish Airlines Staff member that was trying to hit the passenger, that is not acceptable in any way. . We told the TAV employee to call the police- he smiled and did not react The women with the attacked passengers and all of us at the gate were terrified from the incident. Also a passenger which filmed the scene on his phone/camera. Was forced by the Turkish Airlines employee to delete the video under the threat of not letting him get on the plane and the passenger had to delete it. Another unacceptable behavior performed by TURKISH AIRLINES STAFF. As a result of these failures, we were held at the Ataturk Airport for 17 hours, manipulated and dragged along to wait for a hotel which later was not even reasonable to go to. We were denied rebooking, rejected to be compensated and at the end we were terrorized by your employee when he attacked the passenger. We believe that the whole misery was a result of incompetence of Turkish airlines staff and we do expect more from a Star Alliance company. We wore additionally disappointed because Ataturk TAV Airport should be a place where international passengers feel safe in Turkey and not a place where a grounds man can hit a passenger and terrorize the rest of the passengers for no reason. After 10 days still no reply on this by Turkish airlines Respectfully your passengers: