Turkish hosed me
Jun 22, 2019, 1:26 pm
#46
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
Isn't it at least partially a problem of Turkish's making because they allowed AV to issue this ticket? Shouldn't they have a system to prevent anyone (travel agent, other airline) from purchasing this itinerary? Surely they ration inventory on flights they operate and are sold by others, so shouldn't they do the same on this itinerary, i.e., make zero seats available?
TK could zero out inventory on the flight, but that would harm other customers - e.g. customers flying MLE-CMB and stopping over for a few days before continuing CMB-IST, or customers flying MLE-CMB connecting to AI CMB-DEL.
In this case, AV has no obligation to pay TK unless TK flies the passenger (which in this case, it didn't have the legal right to do), so it's hard to argue that TK owes the customer anything.
Jun 22, 2019, 11:38 pm
#47
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,314
Isn't it at least partially a problem of Turkish's making because they allowed AV to issue this ticket? Shouldn't they have a system to prevent anyone (travel agent, other airline) from purchasing this itinerary? Surely they ration inventory on flights they operate and are sold by others, so shouldn't they do the same on this itinerary, i.e., make zero seats available?
If it was that no one should book that itinerary then TK would have zeroed it out.
For this to have been TK’s fault, TK would have to be ale to pull out the reservation from AV’s system analyze it, look at all the other potential connections and make sure that they don’t have fare rules that make the MLE-CMB route invalid and then send a response back to AV’s systems. Including accessing information from any AV’s partnerships with non*A and indeed non IATA airlines...That level of interoperability doesn’t exist in the world.
I’m not sure TK would even know what itinerary was being booked/built by AV at the time of AV requesting the MLE - CMB leg or subsequent to AV requesting that leg.
TK could have only noticed there was a problem when OP was selecting seats. For them to reroute OP would also been in some ways admission that this was their fault.
And finally if fare rules can be ignored and marketing carriers can do their own thing and then blame the operating carrier then every TA/OTA will be selling $1000 EY suites and then expecting the operating carrier to still honour that ticket because the fare rules didn’t matter.
Jun 23, 2019, 2:25 am
#48
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: TK E+, RJ S, AZ E
Posts: 1,869
1. Where exactly did the TK rep meet you at MLE?
2. How (airline, award/revenue ticket, issued by, etc.) and when (how many days before TK’s MLE-CMB flight) exactly did you arrive at MLE?
Jun 23, 2019, 7:15 am
#49
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 304
I was met post security at an information office I went to after not being able to find an open TK desk. I arrived in Male that day on a seaplane from a resort.
Jun 23, 2019, 8:43 am
#50
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,521
Would they be allowed to sell your second example -- MLE-CMB stand-alone with the customer continuing on another airline? Would a workaround be to buy such a flight as AI CMB-DEL with a refundable ticket and then cancel it after arriving (perhaps after producing it for the TK rep)?
Same question: do the rules/laws governing a segment like this allow TK to serve MLE-CMB in the event that the traveler is continuing on a different airline? And/or on TK itself three months later? I suppose TK could push some logic that requires the passenger to combine this trip with CMB-IST on TK on the same ticket if that is what would be necessary to make it valid.
Jun 23, 2019, 11:43 am
#51
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
Same question: do the rules/laws governing a segment like this allow TK to serve MLE-CMB in the event that the traveler is continuing on a different airline? And/or on TK itself three months later? I suppose TK could push some logic that requires the passenger to combine this trip with CMB-IST on TK on the same ticket if that is what would be necessary to make it valid.
However, in this case, AV issued the ticket based on a fare that AV filed and on AV ticket stock. TK has no control over the logic that AV uses - it can only provide warnings on the flight segment level.
Jun 23, 2019, 1:21 pm
#52
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,314
Same question: do the rules/laws governing a segment like this allow TK to serve MLE-CMB in the event that the traveler is continuing on a different airline? And/or on TK itself three months later? I suppose TK could push some logic that requires the passenger to combine this trip with CMB-IST on TK on the same ticket if that is what would be necessary to make it valid.
I think it has to be a TK coded including code-shares (more knowledgeable people can confirm) and can be 3 months later as the rule allows stopover traffic.
Jun 23, 2019, 1:35 pm
#53
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold, Marriott & SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, ShangriLa Jade, Enterprise Plat, Taj Gold
Posts: 3,314
Would they be allowed to sell your second example -- MLE-CMB stand-alone with the customer continuing on another airline? Would a workaround be to buy such a flight as AI CMB-DEL with a refundable ticket and then cancel it after arriving (perhaps after producing it for the TK rep)?
But to do that since this is an award ticket so OP would have to get AV to add the segment provided it was available, OP had enough miles in his account if additional miles were required and had hand bags only so he could skip lag.
I’m not sure if the INTL connections applies either to prior to MLE and post CMB or only prior to MLE.
Last edited by PiperAtGatesofDawn; Jun 23, 2019 at 2:59 pm
Jun 24, 2019, 1:04 am
#54
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: *G, used to be with TK but left due to their corruption and political ties
Posts: 4,404
- The fare here says nothing about the flight. The fare is whatever fare AV constructed for an award ticket.
- The flight rule (totally disconnected from fares) says that it has to be online connecting or stopover traffic.
Online means that you have to continue on a TK-marketed flight. This is not something unique to TK. For example an AF-coded DL-flight within USA will likely have the exact same rule (that it can only be booked in conjunction with another AF-flight).
Jun 25, 2019, 4:53 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
Long story short:
- AV should not sell this itinerary as warning is visible in GDS'es, TK cannot just zero out these flights as they have legal right to sell stopover traffic like IST-TK-MLE (stopover) -TK-CMB
- TK could have handled the situation better, but it is TK, so... (but honestly - would any other airline do anything for the OP in this situation? - TK has no legal right to transport point-to-point passengers, if they FIM OP to fly on another airline, would they even recover the money from AV?)
- TK will blame AV, AV will blame TK, so I hope OP has good insurance policy...
- AV should not sell this itinerary as warning is visible in GDS'es, TK cannot just zero out these flights as they have legal right to sell stopover traffic like IST-TK-MLE (stopover) -TK-CMB
- TK could have handled the situation better, but it is TK, so... (but honestly - would any other airline do anything for the OP in this situation? - TK has no legal right to transport point-to-point passengers, if they FIM OP to fly on another airline, would they even recover the money from AV?)
- TK will blame AV, AV will blame TK, so I hope OP has good insurance policy...
Jul 12, 2022, 12:58 am
#59
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: got2flyfar (YouTube)
Programs: FB Silver, TK Elite/*G, ITA Premium, Hilton Gold; BW Diamond Select; Radisson Premium
Posts: 504
Jul 12, 2022, 1:34 am
#60
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: *G, used to be with TK but left due to their corruption and political ties
Posts: 4,404