A foreign tourist was left stunned after being kicked off a flight in Istanbul due to a nut allergy. In addition, the abuse of the carrier continued: the airline tried to charge her for rebooking in the form of about 800 euros.
According to The Mirror, London-based jewelry designer Hannah Olsen was on a Turkish Airlines flight from Manchester (UK) to Cape Town (South Africa) when she was asked to leave a connecting flight at Istanbul Airport. The 36-year-old woman told the newspaper that she only asked the airline staff to read the list of ingredients on the in-flight meal package. The tourist was afraid of the presence of nuts in the dishes, which could cause her nausea, itching, and discomfort.
After her request, the flight attendants brought the traveler a document and recommended that she sign it. With this paper, the airline absolved itself of responsibility for the life and health of the passenger. “They said I had to sign a special form that meant taking responsibility for myself and my health on the plane if something happened. It was a blank sheet of paper, not some form,” the tourist was indignant and refused to write a statement. To avoid problems, the passenger told the flight attendant that she would not eat – that way her allergy would not manifest itself during the flight. However, in 10 minutes, the flight attendants returned and told the traveler that the pilot refused to take her on board. “I was very upset, it was awkward and inhumane,” the woman said.
The tourist was indeed taken off the plane and left in Istanbul, thousands of kilometers from home, with no choice of flight to her final destination. The only thing the airline offered was to pay for the hotel room at the airport out of your pocket.
The interlocutor then noted that Turkish Airlines also tried to charge her an amount equal to 800 euros to rebook the tourist on a flight departing the next day. She was also asked to sign a second piece of paper. The incident on the Istanbul flight ended with the tourists being rebooked on the next flight for free. Still, she says the situation will have a big impact on her future travels: “I will never tell the flight crew about my allergies again because it was very traumatic.”
A representative of Turkish Airlines prepared the following response for the passenger: “We have discussed this matter with our customer service department and have been informed that our passenger has already (left) a personal review through our feedback form. After that, our authorized units evaluated the case in all aspects according to our investigation policy, took all necessary actions, and informed our passenger about the conclusion.”