Confirmed? I don't see anything at all in this article that suggests 'confirmed'. All I see is a lot of wishful thinking on the part of THY, from the headline 'Turkish Airlines opts...' all the way through.

> Turkish Airlines (THY) has chosen...

> The carrier has for some time been considering...

> Temel Kotil says: “THY has decided...

> The decision follows...

Erm...notice anything missing here? How about what _Star Alliance_ thinks about all this? Not a word.

My opinion: in no way does THY measure up to the standard expected of a *A carrier. For those who thought that ex-communist LOT Polish lowered the tone of the organisation, wait 'til you see Turk Hava Yolari.

I imagine they must be (officially) a non-smoking airline by now but, Turks being Turks (among the heaviest smokers in the world), I wonder if it is really enforced. I remember when they had to start offering a 'non-smoking section'. Instead of putting smokers in the last few rows in the back, like everyone else, THY had smoking on one side of the aisle and non-smoking on the other, all the way from the front of the plane to the back. (This is not a joke.)

What do they need to be accepted by *A? A majority vote of the existing members? A super majority? (I don't expect that it would have to be unanimous.) A word, Temel Kotil: I wouldn't be so self-assured, if I were you.

cheers,

Henry