Originally Posted by
macrhino
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.
Useful Elite+ benefits with TK are focussed almost entirely on the upgrade vouchers. You may get priority on operational upgrades, though there are other categories of passenger that can easily trump you; and you may get priority treatment when there are operational hiccups ... though be prepared to to push for this to happen.
Customer service ranges from the occasional tolerable experience to generally bad. Offices are the best centres for support. Remote staff seem to speed read initial communication, decide on the line to take and stick to that response: if you pester them further you'll be stone-walled.
Qatar can be better, mainly because their customer-service staff have excellent language skills. Though, sadly, they enjoy low levels of empowerment. Where resolutions are offered, they tend towards the TK strategy of disengaging from further discussion.
Originally Posted by
macrhino
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.
For both these carriers, and many other entities, haranguing them on compensation issues will get you blanked. If you don't pursue a legal remedy through the courts or through a designated third party adjudicator, your choice is acceptance of the final offer or to generate a moral high ground - refuse the offer and disengage from future business. An annual $25K is chunky for personal travel, but it's small beer in terms of corporate travel .... and unlikely to move dials.
Istanbul is a delightful destination, but maybe you you'll find Doha equally as pleasant. QR offers an excellent programmme of subsidised hotel rates for up to four nights on connections between its flights: a far better, transparent system than the clunky offer from TK.