Turkish Airlines has reminded Australian travel advisors that full passenger contact details are mandatory when issuing tickets, warning that incomplete information has strained trade partnerships.
In an email to the Australian travel trade, the airline says that missing or incorrect information can disrupt communications and has even led to financial losses.
“It has been suspected that agents have caused various losses and financial losses as a result of incomplete or incorrect provision of customer knowledge,” it states in the message.
“This situation is making our direction of trade impossible and is directly harming our partnership.”
Turkish Airlines reiterated that every booking must include a passenger’s phone number, date of birth and email, as well as Special Service Request (SSR) entries, to enable timely schedule updates.
Under its reservation rules, it states that “responsibility rests with the agency” if a passenger cannot be reached.
The notice follows ongoing trade frustration aired to Karryon since the airline entered the Australian market in early 2024. While some passengers have praised Turkish’s onboard experience, many travel advisors flagged ongoing customer service frustrations when dealing with the Istanbul-based carrier.
One point of consternation for many travel advisors, a spat between Turkish Airlines and Sabre, was resolved in June after Turkey’s national carrier signed a new distribution deal with the travel tech company.
KARRYON UNPACKS: This is about process, not blame, and sets clearer expectations for travel advisors now.
