Orbitz.com & Turkish Airline Nightmare - 1 day difference
 

Hi fellow travel lovers! I'm reaching out into the Fodor's universe to see what suggestions you may have my Turkey travel nightmare. I'm supposed to leave tomorrow for Turkey for a friend's wedding. And as you probably know, less than a week ago, there was a military coup in Turkey. Because of the military coup, the scheduled events and my travel arrangements have all changed, including my travel companions and accommodations. Since Saturday, I've been calling Orbitz.com - where I booked my ticket and Turkish Airlines to proactively make plan changes. Initially, they wouldn't give me any information because they said things were still in flux and that making any changes would result in forfeiting my ticket and penalties. Even through the US travel ban to Istanbul, the companies both said call back 24 hours before your flight. Turkish Airlines finally posted that they will fully refund traveler tickets that depart between July 15-20. My flight is on the 21st. Because my flight is one day after the deadline, I'm SOL per their policy, unless Orbitz can get a waiver from Turkish Airlines to get the flight refund. I've clocked over 7 hours of call time but the representatives at Orbitz have called the department within Turkish Airlines that could issue my waiver and no one is picking up the phone. I was hoping that there would be a reasonable person that would see these extreme circumstances of a military coup extends beyond a 5 day post-coup period and consider that these events have broader impacts. As it stands now, I'm waiting for a response from my escalated pleads. There is no way I'm travelling as a single female right now to Turkey. I'm at my wits end, this is so frustrating and I don't know what else I can do. Help.

Well, that is your decision now not to go if the flight is going and airport is open. So while I wouldn't go either, I think you just have to face the facts that this is your decision and swallow the cost. Turkey wasn't exactly tranquil before the coup, anyway, so you were already incurring risk to do this.

The US currently has no travel ban on Turkey, they just warn you that it is risky.
https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...l-warning.html

Turkish Airlines is usually the cheapest airline as they are trying to get business, so I would guess your ticket at least didn't cost as much as it could have for other trips to Europe. No one is forcing you to do, it's just you want a refund to which you are not legally entitled. It isn't the airline's fault either, about the coup, so one could think about why you think they should financially be at risk rather than you when their flight is operating.

I think you just have to wait and see what happens but there is nothing else you can do, if you get a refund, consider yourself lucky.

Has the date of the wedding also been changed? If you would be OK going if you were not alone, is there anyone else going to the wedding who could meet you at the airport?

Would the airline consider giving you a voucher for travel at another time?

Travel insurance?

The Turkish Airlines website says that flights from the US to Turkey have been back to normal since yesterday. I don't think you will be eligible for a refund tbh. If you've had events or hotel rooms cancelled by the host because of the uncertainty the attempted coup intiially caused that might conceivably come under the realms of travel insurance. But I think that with the flights going ahead as per normal there won't be any recourse in that particular area should you decide to change your plans.

PS It would have to be a pretty stellar insurance policy to cover war/coup/natural disasters/acts of god etc - understand that you probably have limited/no legal redress and are relying on goodwill from the airline unfortunately.

The THY announcement was that they would refund or exchange tickets or reservations free of charge until August 1.

We are leaving today and tried to check in about an hour ago. The older on-line check-in application said, "operational difficulties" and would not complete the check-in. Then, i managed to try on the new App and checked in for myself without any problem but could not check my wife in. The web site reverted to the older version and did not complete her check-in.

However, my very wise wife had downloaded a THY App to his smart phone and she could very quickly check-in.

We got the same seats we had reserved months ago also.

Use your PNI code or your e-ticket number.

If you get the new THY site, it will also allow you to change your reservation or ask for a refund.

Thanks otherchelebi, I hope you have great safe travels. And you're correct RM67, insurance isn't covering this...your comment brought a smile to my face, all the things not covered by insurance policies in that very small print.

My friends and I put together a very comfortable trip and I've travelled quite a bit through Europe and the Middle East and when I found out about my friend's wedding, I naturally weighed lots of factors. Ultimately with the company of friends and travel buddies, we put together a really comfortable trip. But they were due to fly out a couple days earlier than me and their flights were cancelled as a result of the coup.

Turkish Airlines is offering waivers and exceptions to their July 20 date and I'm just trying to figure out a way to reach Turkish Airlines so that I can make my case for an exception.

I hope things work out for you, but I wanted to tell everyone that there are travel insurance policies available with a "cancel for any reason" clause. I had to use it once, and it covers 75%--better than nothing!

I am going to look for this in the future yorkshire!

I should have said, "Her smart phone"

In any case, the app that you can download to a smart phone may give you some alternatives.

Or you can try calling the airport and/or city offices in US cities they fly.

Elliott.org gives these contacts and suggests that you use *email* as you have a record of your communications.

Phone Contacts
Main: (312) 416-0018
Customer Service: (888) 656-4546

How to get through to an operator Press # # # # #

Email Contacts
[email protected]

Thank you so much travelhorizons! I really appreciate the help!!