Says mother of teenage passenger, who was allegedly not accompanied by Turkish Airlines officials, flouting aviation rules
Says mother of teenage passenger, who was allegedly not accompanied by Turkish Airlines officials, flouting aviation rules
For 13-year-old Vartika Jain (name changed to protect her identity), from Mumbai, a skiing trip to Geneva turned into a nightmare on her way back home.
Vartika, flying from Geneva to Mumbai, was not only left to starve for hours but was allegedly harassed by airline operators as well, all this despite airline officials being officially informed that she was an unaccompanied minor (UM). The global aviation rulebook says unaccompanied minors have to be escorted by airline officials and handed over to parents at destination airport or to another airline if he or she has to take a connecting flight.
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Vartika had to travel by Turkish Airlines on January 2 from Geneva to Istanbul and then onwards to Mumbai.
Turkish Airlines officials assured Vartika they would take care of her airport transfer at Istanbul.
However, the flight from Geneva was delayed by over three hours and Vartika missed her connecting flight to Mumbai.
When her mother, residing in Mumbai, contacted the Turkish Airlines officials at Istanbul, they allegedly said Vartika would be put on a Dubai-bound flight and then flown to Mumbai. Her mother said the official assured her that a reservation from Dubai had been done for her if she missed her connecting flight.
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2) Without airline escort, she was allegedly stranded at Istanbul airportu00a0 and missed the connecting flight to Mumbai |
Terminal trouble
However, when her mother contacted Vartika at Istanbul, she was in for a shock.
"When my daughter reached Istanbul there was no one to even guide her. On enquiring, a man at the gate of the Turkish Airlines flight nudged her and asked to follow the people moving towards transit," Vartika's mother said.
"She called me and I guided her to find a Turkish Airlines help desk. Once she reached the airlines counter, the lady official on duty there did not even listen to her. My daughter missed the connecting flight to Mumbai that was to take off at 8.10 pm. Later, the airline officials informed her that no seats were available for any of their Dubai-bound flights and the next flight to Mumbai was after 24 hours," the mother added.
As all airport hotels were booked, Vartika was asked to spend the night at the Istanbul airport. The airline officials said she couldn't be given a room outside the airport, as she did not have a valid visa.
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3) Her mother called the airline officials from Mumbai and Vartika was flown to Dubai |
Istanbul to Dubai
"After much pleading my daughter was put on the 11.50 pm Turkish Airlines flight to Dubai. No food or refreshment coupons were given to her. They also took her Geneva-Istanbul boarding pass and her baggage tickets. The boarding pass for the Dubai to Mumbai flight was also not handed over to her. No airline official accompanied her," her mother said.
Vartika reached Dubai at 6 am on January 3 and had to face the same trauma. "As no official from Turkish Airlines was with her, she was left to find the counter of her connecting Emirates Airlines flight to Mumbai," said her mother.
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4) At Dubai, she was caught between Turkish Airlines' and Emirates Airlines' officials |
Tension at Dubai
Vartika's mother alleged her daughter was directed several times between the Emirates helpdesk and the Turkish Airlines counter.
"My daughter was hungry, scared and exhausted. I asked her to rest for a while, as she could not walk anymore. Somehow, she reached the Turkish Airlines counter but was asked to go back to the Emirates' desk, as there was no way to procure her baggage tags. I spoke over the phone and asked the person there to help her board the Mumbai flight but all he did was give me an extension number and asked my daughter to go back to the other terminal and talk to Emirates' officials."
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5) She finally reached Mumbai after 30 hours. Illustrations:Sameer Pawar |
Allegedly, at the Emirates Airlines desk, Vartika was informed that as she was an UM, she had to be 'handed over' by Turkish Airlines officials. "Her ordeal finally ended after half-an-hour and she boarded the flight to Mumbai at 9.30 am," her mother said.
Even at Mumbai, Vartika had to wait for two hours before she could finally claims her baggage and walk out. She stepped out of the Mumbai terminal at 4 in the evening on January 3, after travelling for about 30 hours. The trip should have taken about 14 hours. "It is unfair to harass an unaccompanied minor. I was constantly calling her and my phone bill is around Rs 25,000. Besides this, the trauma my family and I underwent can't be explained," said Vartika's mother.
The teenager had gone to attend a ski camp in Geneva. While other children at the camp returned after a week, Vartika extended her tour by another week and was left alone. Her parents are Mumbai-based businessmen.
| Rules for minors |
| Children between 5 and 11 years (ages may vary slightly according to airlines) traveling without a parent or guardian are considered unaccompanied minors. Most airlines allow a child to travel alone, provided policies of their unaccompanied minor programme are followed. Almost all major carriers have unaccompanied minor programme. The child's flight reservation should be done well in advance and the airline should be notified that he/she will be traveling as an unaccompanied minor. Some airlines allow an unaccompanied minor to take connecting flights, while others insist that the child take direct flights only. |
| The Other Side |
| The Turkish Airlines official spokesperson could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts. The email query to the spokesperson also remained unanswered. |
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