My complaint:
Dear Turkish Airlines.
I write from your Business Class Lounge in Istanbul. Having arrived at the airport at 11 pm the night before to take your flight TK 0692 from Istanbul to Cairo. Your check-in staff member insisted that a PCR test was the only way we could take a flight to Egypt. They refused the certificate of full vaccination issued by the European Union and I quote this certificate was irrelevant, furthermore, my colleague an Egyptian national who holds an Egyptian Vaccination Certificate issued by the Egyptian Government was told that this was not valid. We were informed that the only way we could travel to Egypt was to take a PCR test at the airport and await the results My colleague and I have no choice to comply with this false demand to complete our journey. We took the PCR test at our own expense. We then had to wait for the results. We then returned to the Business Class check in where we had to rebook our flight at 7.30 am six hours later.
We were informed that my ticket was going to cost an additional €450 citing that the ticket had been changed 4 times already. This I might add was because Turkish airlines had already cancelled my flight from Malaga to Istanbul 4 times leaving us stranded at great expense. After further debilitating stress. We finally managed to re-book our tickets on the much later flight at 07.30 am. During the process, I had asked to speak to a manager or supervisor. No one was available to help, and the attitude of your agent was beyond rude. It was stressful and humiliating. I am of advanced years and the stress caused has had a very negative effect.
During the debacle of your insistence on the now proven unnecessary PCR test, it was suggested that once we arrived at the so-called “Business Class Lounge” we should ask to speak to a manager. When we explained our situation the ridicule continued, and the reception staff after a minute on a mobile phone search reiterated that a Covid Certificated issued by the European and the Egyptian government was irrelevant and a covid PCR test was the only we could travel. This compounded the stress of the whole situation when again the risk of refusal to board might again be insisted upon. I cannot express the level of my feeling of stress and humiliation given by your staff’s superior attitude. Apart from being worn out by your treatment, we are at the loss of the cost of the unnecessary PCR tests and the additional fee for rebooking. Not to mention the already 4-day delay on the first leg of our flight at great expense. Please immediately refund these costs but more importantly educate and train your staff on the requirements of travel under these stressful times. A course on how not to humiliate your customers might benefit both Turkish Airlines and its customers. I await your comments and reply.
Suggested solution:
Reimburse for the additional costs and compensation for the delay
