An Indian national on board a Turkish Airline flight to Nigeria on Friday accused the airline of discriminating against him on grounds of his nationality and destination.
The passenger, whose name could not be ascertained because of the poor quality of the recording he shared through a messaging application, WhatsApp, said he was denied the privilege reserved for his class of ticket.
The Indian said he boarded the Turkish Airline flight from Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday with an eight-hour layover before his arrival in Nigeria.
Being a Business Class passenger, he sought to use one of the sleeping suites reserved for his class of ticket, so he could rest while waiting for his flight.
However, on getting to the airline’s desk, he was bluntly told he could not use the sleeping suite because of his nationality and the country he was headed.
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Part of his recording read, “I am sitting in Turkish Airline Business Class Lounge. I have a layover here from10:30 am to 6: 30 pm. That is over eight hours. So, I went to see if there is a place where I could sleep.”
“I go to the desk on the wall there is a notice saying: ‘Only for Business Class passengers,’ and I said fantastic, I am a business class passenger.
“And it said it for people who have a layover of six hours and more and I said fantastic, I satisfied that also. I have a layover of six hours and more.”
“I said to the lady who is there at the desk, please, can I sleep? Where is the suit, where can I go and have some rest?”
“She said, ‘No Sir, where are you coming from?’ I said Mumbai, India and I am going to Nigeria.
“She said, “Then you can’t sleep. I said why not? She said, ‘That’s the rule.’ I said what rule?”
Attempts by NEXT EDITION to check what constituted “Restriction” on the airline’ website failed as no information was supplied.
However, when we visited its Sales Office located at Shop 8, Sheraton Hotel, Ladi Kwali Street, Abuja, it was closed for the weekend.
A similar visit to the airline’s office at Leadway House, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Business District, Abuja, failed because the office< was also closed for the weekend.
