Italian Airport Drama: Turkish Airlines Forces Russian Family to Pay €1,069 for Teen's 'Wrong' Ticket

A routine return trip from a Mediterranean cruise turned into a costly headache for a Russian family at Rome's Fiumicino Airport last June. Turkish Airlines staff refused to check in a 13-year-old girl for her flight to Moscow, claiming her ticket was purchased under a child fare—valid only for passengers under 12. The airline demanded the family buy a new ticket on the spot, priced at €1,069 (roughly 94,300 rubles), or the teenager wouldn't be allowed to board.

The situation quickly escalated due to a language barrier: airline managers spoke Italian, while the family communicated in English. Fellow passengers stepped in to help translate, but the check-in agent remained firm. The parents presented documents showing their package tour included tickets bought at a single, standard fare for all passengers. According to the travel agent who arranged the trip, the employee was unyielding: 'Either buy a new ticket, or the child doesn't fly.'

With no other option, the family called relatives back home to transfer money to a foreign card and purchased the new fare—several times more expensive than their original ticket. Once back in Moscow, their travel agent confirmed no mistake had been made on their end. The family has since filed a formal complaint against Turkish Airlines, seeking a refund and compensation for emotional distress. This incident follows a similar case where a Russian traveler was denied boarding on a Maldives flight after booking through an aggregator, only to discover his name wasn't on the manifest moments before departure.