3/31/2025
I’m writing to report the discriminatory treatment I received from Turkish Airlines due to my medically documented tree nut allergy.
In April 2025, I booked two round-trip business class tickets on Turkish Airlines (JFK–Manila) through Air Canada using Aeroplan points. In advance of the trip, I contacted both airlines multiple times via phone and email to notify them of my tree nut allergy and request a safe meal. Despite repeated attempts—on recorded calls and in writing—no one from either airline would notate my reservation. Turkish Airlines told me they couldn’t add a note because I had booked through Air Canada; Air Canada told me they couldn’t help because it wasn’t their operating flight. Neither offered a solution, even though Turkish’s own website allows for nut-free meal requests.
My outbound flight was on March 31, 2025, departing JFK at 12:35 AM, with a layover in Istanbul. I was on flights TK012 and TK084. At JFK, I asked the gate agent how to alert the crew. I was told to speak to the flight attendants once onboard. In business class, a chef took my order. When I explained my allergy, he asked whether it had been noted in advance. I explained my unsuccessful efforts. The chef and a manager then informed me—coldly and with clear irritation—that I would not be served any food on the 12-hour flight because it was “too late to call the kitchen” and they didn’t have ingredient lists. Their tone was rude and dismissive. I pleaded with them to ensure my next flight was better prepared, but they refused to help or provide assurance.
After arriving in Istanbul, I tried to resolve the issue before my connecting flight. Turkish Airlines staff sent me from one agent to another until I was directed to the business class lounge. There, the treatment escalated from unhelpful to openly discriminatory. I explained the situation again. The staff told me it was “too late” to note my allergy—even though I had a nine-hour layover. A female manager finally said she would “try” to notify the next flight, but nothing was confirmed. When I pushed for better answers, the male lounge agent loudly said in front of other passengers, “Lady, just give up, you’re not going to get it.”
Things only got worse. After I had been sitting in the lounge for a while, a new manager approached my husband and told him I would need to record a statement saying I would not eat on the upcoming flight—or they would cancel it. They tracked me down again when I returned from the restroom and repeated the demand. I was publicly pressured to verbally confirm, on camera and in front of others, that I would not eat on the 10-hour flight. This was humiliating and coercive. I complied under duress.
Later, they found me again—presumably via surveillance—and told me I also needed to sign a written statement saying I wouldn’t eat. The statement incorrectly listed my allergy as “peanut” rather than tree nuts. When I asked if they could at least make a note for my return flights, which were two weeks away (and well outside their 24-hour window), I was told to call customer service—which I had already done, repeatedly, without success. I was traveling internationally and didn’t have calling capability, so I tried contacting both airlines online—Air Canada via Facebook Messenger and Turkish via WhatsApp. Each blamed the other. Neither helped.
When it came time to board the next flight (IST–MNL), I was called out by name. A gate agent waved me off, saying it was “handled.” Onboard, the chef asked what I’d like to eat—clearly unaware of the entire situation. I told him I wouldn’t eat, fearing retribution. Ironically, he mentioned he had a tree nut allergy himself and expressed concern, but I declined any meal to avoid further escalation.
For the return flights, I did not attempt to notify Turkish again. I just wanted to make it home safely without further humiliation or stress.
The treatment I received was unacceptable. I was treated like a liability, a burden, and ultimately a threat for having a documented disability. I was humiliated in public spaces, pressured to waive my rights, and denied safe food on long-haul flights—all because I have a medical condition that could be accommodated with the smallest amount of effort and empathy.
If an airline can treat a food-allergic person like this, what’s next? Will diabetics be asked to sign waivers to avoid meals? Will passengers with cardiac conditions be told they’re on their own if they suffer a heart attack midair? Will those needing wheelchairs be asked to “just give up”? This is a dangerous and slippery slope.
I have documentation of my emails, flight itinerary, internet messages, and the signed statements I was forced to provide. I share this so no one else has to experience the fear, indignity, and discrimination I did. Turkish Airlines must be held accountable.
Comments are closed.