There have been times within the history of Turkish Airlines when business hasn’t been so prosperous. The airline reported a gross annual revenue that was more than 4 billion dollars US in 2010 alone. Yet for more than 2 decades in the 70s and 80s, the airline was plagued with a poor reputation due to frequent delayed flights and sub-standard customer service.
The airline also battled some several negative press after seven accidents from 1974 to 1983, along with several other serious events reported. The fate of Turkish Airlines took a turn for the better beginning in the latter half of the 1980s largely thanks to influence from the highest levels of government. Indeed, the turn of the century has seen a steady rise on all fronts for Turkish Airlines, and it seems there are only blue flying skies, ahead.
There seems to be an increase in passenger flow especially among expatriates. Once they pick good licensed moving services to relocate, then their next move is to estimate relocation expenses, and select Turkish Airlines as their carrier of choice.
At the beginning of 2011, Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare contract with US Airways. A codeshare is a legal, and approved, agreement between two airlines that allows them to share passenger bookings with each others’ scheduled flights. Since both airlines earn more money and can expand their customer base, they generally consider it to be an advantageous proposition. Due to the fact that there are more flights available, this offers passengers a higher level of flexibility and they can also save money as the deals are usually better, making such agreements also prove advantageous to passengers. So this particular codeshare deal will allow increased travel options to Turkey and the United States. Throughout the latter portion of 2010, Caroline Wozniacki, the women’s number one ranked women’s tennis player, signed a deal with Turkish Airlines.
This indicated a strong international branding effort by the airline’s marketing team. Turkish Airlines now have Miss Wozniacki as their representative for the Business Class Service. European tennis lovers are the primary target audience for the airline’s high profile spokesperson. The airline has signed her for a three year contract that includes appearances in public relations events and commercials.
The purpose of the Turkish Airlines rewards program is to get people to upgrade to better classes as often as possible. Their customer and passengers stand to gain the most benefits from this upgrade. The members of the Miles & Smiles program have the option of changing their Economy, Comfort and Business class tickets to a higher level. Upgrading can be done to the following classes: First, Comfort an Business. It is mandatory, though, for passengers to have earned sufficient miles before they can upgrade their tickets. Turkish Airlines has an extensive history that has seen quite a few problems at the beginning. It isn’t surprising because airlines face many problems that need to be dealt with. The airline has gone through many changes at all levels from the top on down. Like people, the airline has successfully learned from its previous mistakes and has now become a company that can adapt to its environment making it a powerful player on the market. This article has provided a quick glimpse at some of the most exciting times and events for Turkish Airlines.