u/CheetahFeeling9819

On my most recent trans atlantic flight, the overhead bins were full, so flight attendant took my carry on and stored it elsewhere on the plane, telling me I could pick it up after landing. When we landed in Istanbul, the bag was gone.

The purser told me ground staff would be notified and would help me at the end of the jet bridge. I got there — nobody knew anything. I asked to go back onto the plane to look for it and was refused.

Then began an absurd tour of Istanbul Airport. I was sent to an assistance desk, then the transfer desk, back toward the gate, then Lost & Found. I was literally running around one of the largest airports in the world, and not a single Turkish Airlines employee took ownership of the situation.

Eventually out of desperation, I went to the airport police. We reviewed CCTV footage together and we actually saw another passenger walk off with my suitcase. We followed his movements on the cameras for 1.5 hours: he stopped to pray, went into a restroom, and came back out with a different pink suitcase. Apparently, the bags had been switched.

Thankfully, I had an AirTag in mine. Between the AirTag location and the CCTV footage, the police figured out where my suitcase likely was. One of the officers literally ran to get it for me.

Meanwhile, I had a connecting flight. I went to the Turkish Airlines ticket desk, explained that I was currently with the police reviewing CCTV because my carry on disappeared after their own flight attendant had stored it elsewhere, and asked to be moved to the next Bodrum flight. Their response? If I didn’t board my original flight, my ticket would be forfeited.

The police ultimately recovered my suitcase and got it back to me just in time. I made the flight during final call. I also discussed pressing charges over what had happened, but doing so would have required me to remain at the airport for another couple of hours. After everything I had already been through and with my connecting flight departing, I ultimately chose not to stay and pursue it.

Absolutely unforgettable customer service — for all the wrong reasons.

I don’t get the hype around Istanbul Airport. The taxi time after landing feels endless. Then you walk forever just to get anywhere. And its always insanely crowded with people from every corner of the world. At this point it probably has every virus currently circulating on the planet. Everything is ridiculously expensive. And so many basic things just aren’t thought through.

For latest flight to the US they still packed us onto buses like sardines to get to the plane.

And for US flights, you have to go through an additional security checkpoint—but they don’t even have bathrooms inside that secured area. If you need to use the restroom, you have to leave, go back out, and then go through security all over again.