Dear TK
 

When I pay for a business class ticket, I expect business class treatment. If the plane is parked remotely, which is unfortunate, at least have the decency to give business class pax their own bus and not allow economy class passengers to cram us up. I didn't pay a premium to be crammed like sardines. In addition, you might want to revisit your transit security fast track lines.. Yes we have a seperate line but it is joined with economy passengers at the end. Guess what? Sometimes I fined it hard to be allowed by fristrated economy class pax to get into the line when it joins!

You might want to rename your thread "Dear TGS" as TK is not responsible for airport operations

But they are responsible for the airport services they choose to procure and provide to their passengers.

If TK is willing to pay for J class buses, I'm sure TGS will be more than happy to provide them.

Johan

Correct. And THY owns 50% of TGS.

Guys.. I pay TK not TGS.. I hold TK reaponsible, not TGS

TGS is a joint venture between TK and Havaş.

I am sorry for the OP's experience but TK is nothing but a glorified state funded airline that happens to be based in a geographically advantaged location and therefore can fly directly to a lot of destinations. They have poor CRM, poor customer care and poor ground services. IMO, the only good thing about TK is their flight crew and meals.

When you buy a ticket from TK, you are taking a huge risk in case you need proper customer care.

I have a great fund of goodwill for Turkey and things Turkish. I've had a bundle of happy trips in both C and Y on THY.

The airline has treated me well - until last week I clashed into their customer care. For reasons not quite as stupid as they seem, I left a bag in the IST lounge. I realised as soon as I was on the aircraft, where the purser assured me there was an excellent chance it would be found by vigilant lounge staff and shipped to me on a later flight.

So over the next days I sent increasingly desperate messages with details and photos to THY through their website and by email. Each one received a polite, but depressingly negative reply: Not found / not in our records.

Then a Turkish friend volunteered himself an airport visit. Within a very short time he'd located the bag, and it's now on its way to London via DHL.

Perhaps TK was searching its LOST department rather than its FOUND. But the truth is, with only THY Customer Service on my side I'd be down some important equipment.

So yes you found the best way to handle this !

Customer management in case of issues is not the best asset of TK

You are lucky to have a Turkish friend. I forgot my camera in the lounge on the way out and found it on the way back - fortunately my connection was long enough for them to bring it over to the lounge.

I forgot a bag on a SK aircraft landed at CPH, and I had an onward flight and they couldn't locate the bag. The info counter at CPH gave me card with a site called missingX.com and my rucksack was never register there (I guess it's nothing valuable and they don't bother as no one will pay to have if found). Fortunately we have access to Copenhagen area so Mr. called the police lost and found and he got our rucksack back after a week.

Is it really hard for TK to reform their CR? Or have they given up on that in favor of mass transit and crowd management?

Flying TK has always been on the basis that one can hope for the best in the air (usually pretty ok) and very little on the ground (usually dreadful). If anything goes wrong you are on your own and the non-caring ground staff turn largely hostile or simply vanish.

It would not take much to improve customer service and the ground experience at IST but I do not detect any corporate awareness. Millions of $£€ are wasted on sponsorship and advertisements but one stupid football/movie sponsorship less could probably pay for some real training and development of standards.

The problem with TK Customer Service is not that it doesn't have the budget or training available. It's cultural.

Customer service in Turkey is years behind Western standards except in two industries: F&B and banking.

Just yesterday, I was trying to return an online purchase a day after receiving it in the mial because I realized I can buy it elsewhere cheaper and it took me 3 hours to convince the agent on the line to give me an RMA. This purchase was made with the largest online retailer in Turkey and they proudly claim "no questions asked, hassle-free returns" on their website.

Oh and before I forget, there is also the fact that TK jobs are extremely easy to get for relatives and friends of ministers, government officials, etc. as customer care jobs such as agents can start working really quickly after a relatively short training, unlike those in marketing, finance or technical departments. This is a political issue so I'll refrain from commenting further on it.

Oh and that dreadful accented recording they put on their call center.. Very very improfessional.. Is it hard to hire a native or at least native like English speaker to say "Welcome to Turkish Airlines.. For (whatever) press one..."?????

Btw, their Arabic recording is worse!

Yes TK can improve their CS, and they can be like any Western airlines too - but then TK will become so Westernized so that they start to nickle and dime you in everything - alcohol for purchase and snack for sale. How many airlines out there serve you a delicious meal for a 2 hours flight in economy? How many airlines give you an amenity kits for long haul flight in Y(saw the QR one and it's nothing like the TK one)?

I'd rather they keep their Turkish culture - if you don't like it, fly other airlines - at least when they are like this I can choose them over LH,SK or even UA.

Competition is growing fast and their location advantage is loosing ground to instability and security issues.. They'd feel the pain after the summer rush and they better address CR if they still need their loyal FFs

Actually they already felt the pain in their 1st half results, but it is going tougher from now on