Ray C

Turkish airlines won’t even take you for a ride

We are a group of South African citizens and professional artists who were invited to participate in an international arts festival in Pristina, Kosovo. In preparation for our trip, we carefully reviewed the visa requirements for South African passport holders entering Kosovo. All available online sources, including the official website of the Republic of Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearly indicate that South African citizens do not require a visa for short stays (up to 90 days within 180 days). It is also important to note that Kosovo is not a member of the European Union or the Schengen Area, making the requirement for a Schengen visa both illogical and inconsistent with publicly available policy. Despite this, when we attempted to board our Turkish Airlines flight at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, we were denied boarding. Several Turkish Airlines staff members, who were dismissive and rude throughout the interaction, incorrectly insisted that we needed a Schengen visa to travel to Kosovo—a country that is neither in the EU nor within the Schengen visa zone. The core issue lies in Turkish Airlines’ failure to provide accurate and transparent visa requirement information on their website and booking platforms, particularly for travelers from countries with complex or less common travel scenarios. At no point during our booking process or pre-flight communications were we warned of this supposed requirement. When we attempted to escalate the matter, Turkish Airlines’ customer service deflected responsibility, referring us to a Kosovo embassy—which does not exist in South Africa—leaving us with no avenue to resolve the issue. This lack of clarity, accountability, and customer support highlights a critical failure on the part of Turkish Airlines, which directly resulted in our being unable to fulfill our professional commitments at an international event. Furthermore, it reveals a dangerous gap in the airline’s responsibility to provide travelers with reliable visa and travel documentation information, particularly when the country in question offers visa-free access to our nationality. Given the financial, professional, and reputational damage we have suffered due to this avoidable incident, we believe Turkish Airlines must be held accountable for: Misinformation and/or lack of information regarding visa requirements; Poor and disrespectful treatment by staff at OR Tambo; Failure to provide proper channels for resolution or escalation of visa-related disputes; Obstruction of travel despite compliance with official government regulations of Kosovo. We urge Turkish Airlines to investigate this incident and to provide a formal response, compensation, and policy review to ensure that future travelers do not face similar barriers due to negligence or misinformation.