Combined Turkish/United Airlines excess baggage fees from Istanbul to Washington
Sep 2, 2013, 6:38 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 2
Combined Turkish/United Airlines excess baggage fees from Istanbul to Washington
My wife and I flew back from Istanbul to Washington, DC on United Airlines awards tickets on Turkish Airlines from IST to GVA and United Airlines from GVA to IAD. We checked 6 bags total on these flights. We were told that we would only get 3 free (and would need to pay for the rest). The agent indicated that United was the limitation (note that I gave him my gold status card). I told him that this was not correct as we had checked 4 bags for free on the trip to Istanbul on May 30 (note that we had only 4 bags for the trip to Istanbul, but we had 6 bags for the return trip to Washington). We were charged $205 per bag for a total of $615 [1164 TL].
After the flight I called United Airlines and the agent indicated that Uniteds policy was to allow 3 free checked bags for each of us based on my Premier Gold (equivalent to Star Alliance gold) status. They also told me that I had to deal with Turkish Airlines relative to the charges. Note that this web site indicates the number of allowed checked bags per traveler: http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/trav...edBaggage.aspx.
The Turkish Airlines website (http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-us...gage-allowance) states:
MSC (Most Significant Carrier)
If another airline is involved in your whole journey; the most significant carriers (MSC) free baggage allowance rule will be applied. MSC is assigned according to which airline operates the most significant and/or longest part of the journey. If Turkish Airline is MSC in your journey then Turkish Airlines free baggage allowance will apply, if another airline is MSC in your journey than the free baggage allowance of that airline will apply.
I contacted Turkish Airlines via the Washington Ticket Office Phone number (1-800-874-8875) and was told that I needed to file an on-line complaint. I did so and after a week of no response I called back . The agent took some more information and said that I should normally hear back in 7 days from the date of the original complaint. After another week of no response I called again. The agent said she forwarded the information to the appropriate department (I have no idea why this was not already done) and that I would hear back very soon. After another week I wrote a snail mail letter to Turkish Airlines in Istanbul. After another two weeks or with no response, I complained on Turkish Airlines website site. I finally got a response, as shown below:
We have received your e-mail dated June **, 2013.
The services offered by Turkish Airlines to passengers are, as is the case with all airlines, provided as per a framework of rules. In relation to the application of these rules, our passengers are, within the scope of the terms of use of the ticket they hold and in conformance with certain conditions and limitations, provided with a free baggage allowance.
A certain fee is required of our passengers to carry baggage that exceeds the predetermined free baggage allowance.
On flights to America operated by Turkish Airlines, the free baggage allowance is two (2) pieces; on journeys that include other airlines, the free baggage allowance is one (1) piece.
Referring to your message , we checked your ticket number with xxxxxxxxxx and found out that your free baggage allowance is one (1) piece.
Also, we have checked your payment details and we have not found any over charge from you.
Accordingly, we would like you to know that the action taken has been conducted in conformance with the excess baggage carriage rule, while we also feel regret that these operational conditions have caused you dissatisfaction.
Sincerely yours,
Customer Contact Center
Turkish Airlines Inc.
Note that policy stated in the letter is not the same as shown on their website. In my instance, United Airlines, the MSC for my trip, would have allowed both myself and my traveling companion 3 bags each for free based on my star alliance gold status. The difference between these two policies cost me $615 in excess baggage fees!
Neither Turkish airlines customer service nor their facebook monitor has responded to my request to why their policy does not match what they say on their web site.
I filed a complaint with the FAA (no response), on the Star Alliance website (no response)
Any ideas/suggestions?
After the flight I called United Airlines and the agent indicated that Uniteds policy was to allow 3 free checked bags for each of us based on my Premier Gold (equivalent to Star Alliance gold) status. They also told me that I had to deal with Turkish Airlines relative to the charges. Note that this web site indicates the number of allowed checked bags per traveler: http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/trav...edBaggage.aspx.
The Turkish Airlines website (http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-us...gage-allowance) states:
MSC (Most Significant Carrier)
If another airline is involved in your whole journey; the most significant carriers (MSC) free baggage allowance rule will be applied. MSC is assigned according to which airline operates the most significant and/or longest part of the journey. If Turkish Airline is MSC in your journey then Turkish Airlines free baggage allowance will apply, if another airline is MSC in your journey than the free baggage allowance of that airline will apply.
I contacted Turkish Airlines via the Washington Ticket Office Phone number (1-800-874-8875) and was told that I needed to file an on-line complaint. I did so and after a week of no response I called back . The agent took some more information and said that I should normally hear back in 7 days from the date of the original complaint. After another week of no response I called again. The agent said she forwarded the information to the appropriate department (I have no idea why this was not already done) and that I would hear back very soon. After another week I wrote a snail mail letter to Turkish Airlines in Istanbul. After another two weeks or with no response, I complained on Turkish Airlines website site. I finally got a response, as shown below:
We have received your e-mail dated June **, 2013.
The services offered by Turkish Airlines to passengers are, as is the case with all airlines, provided as per a framework of rules. In relation to the application of these rules, our passengers are, within the scope of the terms of use of the ticket they hold and in conformance with certain conditions and limitations, provided with a free baggage allowance.
A certain fee is required of our passengers to carry baggage that exceeds the predetermined free baggage allowance.
On flights to America operated by Turkish Airlines, the free baggage allowance is two (2) pieces; on journeys that include other airlines, the free baggage allowance is one (1) piece.
Referring to your message , we checked your ticket number with xxxxxxxxxx and found out that your free baggage allowance is one (1) piece.
Also, we have checked your payment details and we have not found any over charge from you.
Accordingly, we would like you to know that the action taken has been conducted in conformance with the excess baggage carriage rule, while we also feel regret that these operational conditions have caused you dissatisfaction.
Sincerely yours,
Customer Contact Center
Turkish Airlines Inc.
Note that policy stated in the letter is not the same as shown on their website. In my instance, United Airlines, the MSC for my trip, would have allowed both myself and my traveling companion 3 bags each for free based on my star alliance gold status. The difference between these two policies cost me $615 in excess baggage fees!
Neither Turkish airlines customer service nor their facebook monitor has responded to my request to why their policy does not match what they say on their web site.
I filed a complaint with the FAA (no response), on the Star Alliance website (no response)
Any ideas/suggestions?
Sep 5, 2013, 2:00 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BOM, Ex-TX/ CA
Programs: Ex CO/ UA Gold, Hotels.. TBD
Posts: 734
Damn! I guess now its a virtual bee-hive of sorts.
Could you file in consumer court?
Another Question I had - Had such above knowledge been available to the OP at the time of boarding, could he have shown the Turkish folks the RULES of MSC and gotten them to WAKE UP and ALLOW their bags?
Could you file in consumer court?
Another Question I had - Had such above knowledge been available to the OP at the time of boarding, could he have shown the Turkish folks the RULES of MSC and gotten them to WAKE UP and ALLOW their bags?
Sep 7, 2013, 6:37 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 2
My impression is that Turkish airlines had no knowledge of United Airlines rules relative to baggage, particularly as regards the additional bags allowed with elite status; so what they used was 1 bag free (which is United's basic policy), plus one more bag free with Gold Status (United's policy is 2 additional bags free with Gold Status and it applies to the elite member and their traveling companion). So they may think they are following United's (the MSC) policy, but they can't because they don't know what it is.
Sep 11, 2013, 9:38 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
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Posts: 25,940
My impression is that Turkish airlines had no knowledge of United Airlines rules relative to baggage, particularly as regards the additional bags allowed with elite status; so what they used was 1 bag free (which is United's basic policy), plus one more bag free with Gold Status (United's policy is 2 additional bags free with Gold Status and it applies to the elite member and their traveling companion). So they may think they are following United's (the MSC) policy, but they can't because they don't know what it is.
Good luck to OP in getting the charges back. I actually understand how TK explained it.
Sep 11, 2013, 7:48 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: ORD, HKG
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Posts: 10,320
I agree. MSC charges are based on what is the base allowance on the ticket which is one piece per person. If its based on *G then it's only one extra, which TK said is correct. UA actually might have just allowed OP's wife the additional pieces as she wasn't *G and in theory she would hve been allowed one bag only.
Good luck to OP in getting the charges back. I actually understand how TK explained it.
Good luck to OP in getting the charges back. I actually understand how TK explained it.
If OP's wife ticket was booked thru OP's account, his wife would enjoy the same benefits as OP, and the boarding pass would be listed as UA*G as well.