Wrongful Denial of Boarding
Hi. I had a valid Turkish Airlines ticket from Atlanta → Istanbul → Cairo. Before booking/traveling, I called the U.S. Embassy, Egyptian Embassy, and Turkish Airlines directly to confirm I was eligible to travel, and everyone confirmed I was.
At check-in in Atlanta, the agent (seemingly a third-party contractor working the Turkish Airlines desk) refused to let me board, claiming I didn’t meet entry requirements. She showed the Timatic system message, but even that appeared to support that I was eligible if fully read. We repeatedly asked her to review it carefully, but she refused.
She then told us the only way I could travel that day was if we immediately purchased a second ticket for the Istanbul → Cairo leg, this time operated by EgyptAir instead of Turkish Airlines. Because I urgently needed to travel and was already at the airport, I had no practical choice and bought the second ticket on the spot.
When I arrived in Istanbul, we spoke with Turkish Airlines staff there, and they told us the Atlanta agent handled the situation incorrectly and that I should have been allowed to travel on the original ticket. We later called Turkish Airlines in the U.S., and they also indicated the denial seemed incorrect and told us to submit a feedback/refund request. However, despite multiple attempts, we’ve basically been ignored.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? Their feedback forms are useless. No one is helpful, including their call center and feedback forms.