Ramona Teinilä made a blog post about how North American airlines charge customers additionally for all extra services including priority check-ins, individual food preferences or larger leg room, whereas the case is different in many other parts of the world.

I wanted to mention this issue on my blog because I find it relevant to my life. Going back and forth from Turkey to Canada, I notice important differences in the way airlines operate. Turkish Airlines (THY) is usually regarded as a relatively expensive airline to travel with. However, when customers traveling from Turkey to Northern America purchase a THY ticket, they do not only pay to be seated, but they also get supplementary benefits including the right to carry not one but two baggages of 23 kilograms, access to in-flight entertainment through a system provided by the airline and catering services that address specific needs and preferences. Although there are ways to upgrade tickets to business or comfort classes for further luxury, all THY customers benefit from services that would be considered essential. For THY, attending to passengers’ needs results in a highly satisfied customer base.

Economy Class in a THY Flight

The picture is quite different for most airlines in Northern America where passengers are charged an extra amount for almost everything other than their seats. Moreover, customers end up paying the same amount to these airlines to eat quality food and to travel with their baggages. As Ramona stated, these different approaches to pricing result from different business strategies. In my opinion, being one of the highest-quality airlines in the world, Turkish Airlines seems to be on the right track.

Link to Ramona’s Blog Post:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/ramonateinila/2013/11/17/24/
Photo taken from:
http://www.netflights.com/flights/airline-info/airlines/turkish-airlines/turkish-airlines-cabins.aspx
Link to Turkish Airlines Webpage:
http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/