I am an American executive residing in the United States but working in Kuwait. In 2023 I traveled to Kuwait with Turkish Airlines and was captivated by the country. Consequently, I have exclusively utilized Turkish Airlines for my flights and have also facilitated the travel of my remote staff to Kuwait via Turkish Airlines. I consistently fly in business class and have rapidly progressed to an Elite Plus member status, which I will maintain until 2027 although it looks doubtful this will benefit me in any way.

On August 29, 2025, I embarked on a Business Class flight on Turkish Airlines (TK0078) from Miami to Istanbul. Unfortunately, my lie-flat seat, a premium feature and the big reason I fly business class, remained inoperative throughout the 12-hour duration of the flight. Despite the crew’s commendable efforts, they were unable to rectify the issue. Also, the flight arrived over an hour late, leaving me with an eight-hour layover before my scheduled onward connection.

As an Elite Plus member, I was then denied access to a private lounge suite despite my actual layover being under the 9-hour threshold, even though my “official" layover was above that limit. But the big problem was a refusal to offer compensation for a business class seat which would not lie flat. I had previously received compensation for a simple entertainment system failure, which was significantly less than the compensation offered for this more disruptive problem.

Upon contacting Turkish Airlines, the initial compensation offered was 13,500 miles, which was insufficient compared to the compensation provided for a similar entertainment system failure. After repeated requests, I was provided with a 15% discount code that had the following limitations:

• The code expired on December 31, 2025, despite my having already booked intercontinental flights with Turkish Airlines on October 30 (Kuwait to Manila) and November 10 (Manila to Miami).

• I had previously informed Turkish Airlines that my next intercontinental trip was scheduled for January 2026.

• The code was rendered invalid due to technical issues within the booking system (Not in the same year).

• The code was only re-issued after multiple follow-ups, yet it retained the same unrealistic expiration date.

The cost of the January flight was over $4,800 if I booked it now. However, Turkish Air advised me to wait until after New Year’s and contact them to receive a new code. Naturally, booking a new flight 12-14 days before the flight would increase the cost. Booking the same flight today but departing on October 15 results in a price of $6,554. Therefore, applying the code they offered me as compensation would result in a price higher than if I simply paid the full fare today.

When I proposed a reasonable alternative—paying the full fare now in exchange for an equivalent miles credit—it was declined. I requested management escalation contacts, but none were provided. After months of back-and-forth, the matter remains unresolved. I wrote to many Turkish Air representatives, but none responded. I was told by the help desk to direct message them when I complained on social media, and when I did, I received no response.

I have spent over $25,000 last year with Turkish Airlines, always booking business-class flights for myself and flights for staff. I booked the next flight with Qatar Airways, which now offers comparable or better fares (e.g., Miami–Kuwait Qsuite ~$4,880) and has demonstrated more flexible and customer-focused recovery policies.

Reestablishing my business with Turkish Airlines would require significant effort on their side as they have not met customer service standards premium customers expect, and they have already lost a business class flight and failing to address this, they will lose all my business and that of my staff.

Comments?

#FlyBetter #TurkishAirlines #ElitePlus.