An Indian National has accused Turkish Airline of discriminating against him because he was travelling to Nigeria and because of his nationality.
The passenger, whose name was not audible in an audio recording, narrated his experience in the message shared via WhatsApp. He claimed he was a Business Class passenger on board a Turkish Airline flight from Istanbul, Turkey, to Nigeria.
The passenger, who claimed the event happened on Thursday, August 17, 2017, explained that he had an eight-hour layover before his flight to Nigeria so he decided to use one of the sleeping suites reserved for Business Class to rest while waiting for his flight.
But he was shocked when an employee of the airline told him he could not use the sleeping suite due to his nationality and the destination he was headed.
He said, “I’m sitting in Turkish Airline Business Class Lounge I have a layover here from 10:30am to 6: 3 pm, that is over 8 hours. So, I went to see if there is a place where I could sleep.
“I go to the desk on the wall there is a notice saying: “Only for Business Class passengers”. I said fantastic, I’m a Business Class Passenger. And it said it for people who have layover of six hours and more and I said fantastic, I satisfied that also. I have a layover of six hours and more.
“I said to the lady who is there at the desk: Please, can I sleep? Where is the suit, where can I go and have some rest? She said No sir, where are you coming from? I said Mumbai, India and I am going to Nigeria.
“She said but then you can’t sleep. I said why not? She said that’s the rule. I said what rule?”
He said the lady at the desk told him that the airline has a policy that only allowed Business Class passengers who are nationals of mainly Western countries or passengers travelling to Western countries to use the sleeping suites.
“She showed me a list of countries. You have to be coming from them or going to them only then that Turkish Airline recognise that you need sleep,” the passenger recounted.
“So, if you don’t go to those countries and you don’t come from those countries, and of course all European countries are part of that Washington, is part of that New York is part of that, and so on. Other than that, if you come from India and so forth and basically a non-white country it is assumed that you don’t need sleep.
“So here I’m sitting, even though I’m a Business Class passenger on Turkish Airline, Even though I have a long layover, I’m not allowed to sleep in the sleeping suite of the business class lounge. According to me because I’m not white. According to their rules because I’m from India and I’m going to Nigeria.
“I think this is something that should be brought to the notice of the highest authorities. Including the president and including the head of the Turkish Airline to say that on what basis do you discriminate on your customers and between your Business Class passengers?
“I’m absolutely certain that if this is how the Turkish Airline treats its passengers then this is my first and last time on Turkish Airline,” he said.
Turkish Airline has been dogged by a string of complaints by its Nigerian passengers of mistreatment and poor handling of baggage leading to the damage or loss of passengers’ luggage.
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