This isn’t a good look for Turkish Airlines, but this also likely isn’t the first or last time that we’ll see something like this at the airline, as flagged by PYOK. Perhaps what’s wildest is the the airline even has a policy of banning people for saying negative things, so I guess the airline is just following its published rules! Yowzers.
Turkish Airlines blacklists journalist for six months
Turkish aviation journalist Ali Kıdık claims that he has been banned from Turkish Airlines for a period of six months, for violating the company’s “Safe Travel Passenger Tracking System.” Okay, that sounds like something serious, and like a list reserved for people who cause major disturbances. Did he assault the crew? Pee on another passenger? Smuggle his emotional support snake onto the flight?
Well, when you pull up the “Safe Travel Passenger Tracking System,” take a look at the last point, which is apparently grounds for being banned:
Should a passenger make a statement that potentially diminishes the airline’s brand value, whether through the media or through channels facilitated by the airline, the airline reserves the right to disallow the passenger on the flight.
To go into a bit more detail, here’s the email that the journalist reportedly received from the airline, translated to English:
Airline companies have the right not to transport passengers who do not comply with the rules established in accordance with international passenger and baggage transportation conditions.
In this regard, we also include passengers who we determine to have behaved inappropriately in the Safe Flight Passenger Tracking System program.
The Safe Flight Passenger Tracking System is a system implemented to ensure that passengers who intentionally engage in actions/share content that is damaging or harmful to the brand image of Turkish Airlines, or who produce similar content, are not accepted on our flights for a certain period of time.
In this context, we would like to inform you that you have been included in the Turkish Airlines Safe Flight Passenger Tracking System due to your behavior that is not in line with our brand image, and that we will not be able to accept you on our flights until July 12, 2026.
If you would like detailed information on this matter, you can contact us via the Safe Flight Passenger Tracking System Form.
What did this journalist say that was so bad?
We don’t formally know which incident caused the journalist to be banned from Turkish Airlines, since the carrier didn’t provide that detail in the initial correspondence conveying the ban.
However, in terms of timing, it followed a January 7, 2026, social media post, where he reported that Turkish Airlines flight attendants were no longer allowed to wear national flag pins on their uniforms, and were no longer allowed to feature a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country’s founder.
That might sound minor, but that got quite a bit of attention, especially with the way he framed it, wondering if the airline had an “issue with Atatürk and the Turkish flag?” He also asked if it was something that the pro-Kurdish political party had requested. This caused many people to be angry.
However, some suggest that his post may not have been completely accurate, and he may have been making a big deal out of nothing. The uniform regulations have reportedly had this rule since 2011, which limits flight attendants to only wearing their badges. A recent memo simply reminded employees of the rule. That would suggest that this wasn’t a policy change at all.
Bottom line
Turkish Airlines has banned a journalist from its flights for a period of six months, for apparently saying negative things about the airline. The interesting thing here is that the airline isn’t even trying to hide this, and literally has a published policy that passengers can be banned if they “make a statement that potentially diminishes the airline’s brand value.” So, ummm, Turkish Airlines passengers beware!
What do you make of this Turkish Airlines ban?
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