At the height of the season in Turkmenistan the airfare to Moscow has skyrocketed.
According to correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, in March tickets were sold for 2400 manats ($687 using the official rate or $126 at the “black market” rate of 19 manats per dollar), in April at 2500 manats ($714 and $132 respectively), whereas now they are available at 3 95 manats ($884 or $163), according to the second source at 3500 manats.
Owing to the increased demand for airline tickets, they can be purchased only after paying a bribe to a booking office agent.
On 27 July “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” reported that “Turkmenistan Airlines” passengers have recently been experiencing a problem when the airline sells tickets which are later not identified by the online check-in system.
Passengers therefore fail to board their flights and another ticket is issued only after paying a bribe.
Our author Ata Garlyev told the story of an acquaintance in order to provide detailed coverage of what constraints Turkmen residents are confronted with at Ashgabat airport and reports that the staff extort bribes from passengers to successfully check-in for a flight.
A few days ago an acquaintance of mine saw off his family who were going on holiday in Russia. The trip had been planned a long time ago and tickets had been bought several months before the departure date.
However, it turned out that this does not guarantee a trouble-free departure.
It should be emphasized that it is impossible to obtain tickets for flights operated by Turkmenistan Airlines in summer without paying a bribe.For instance, as today, no tickets for any overseas destinations are available until October.
To buy a ticket for these flights, a minimum bribe of $100 needs to be paid for each ticket.Moreover, one should have a contact person who can provide assistance, or have connections among higher-ranking authorities who have the necessary lobbying power or competence.
In order to avoid this, their tickets had been purchased over six months ahead of the flight when there was no boom.
After arriving for check-in at the departure date it turned out that the ticket issued for the mother of the family was not identified in the system despite the fact that the children had been checked in for the flight.
The children could not board the flight without their mother.This news was relayed by the check-in clerk, who added that outbound passengers had to pay an extra charge of 600 manats.
He did not specify why the fee was imposed or what it applied to.
When asked what could be done to see whether a ticket issued for the woman was in the system, an employee responded that the passenger should go to the ticket office which had issued the tickets to clarify the situation.
This was an hour and a half before the flight departure!In response to indignation, the man was offered an alternative contact the booking office located at the airport to find out why the passenger’s name did not pop up in the online check-in system.
The head of the family rushed to the booking office but failed to get to the counter he needed because of a long queue and a shortage of time. Some passengers were in line for the same reason while others tried to get an extra seat etc.
The man eventually took a taxi home, got some cash and came back. As soon as the payment was made, the woman’s name appeared in the system and she was checked in for the flight.
No receipts were issued or any stamps put in the ticket. No official announcements about an increase in the airfare had been made.
When selling a ticket, the agency staff take your address and a mobile phone number. In other words, when changes in the rate occur, the agency staff might contact you and inform about the problem in advance rather than during the check-in.
It turns out that the money was simply “pocketed” by airport staff and it appears that behind the mess at the airport this “business” is thriving.
When asked why he did not ask for an extra charge receipt and did not clarify the situation after his family had departed, the father of the family and said that fish rots from its head.
He is absolutely right.Needless to say, this was a nerve-wracking experience but he had at least to make an effort to seek justice.However, many people who have been through a similar experience prefer not to fight the “system” and they are convinced that their attempts to seek justice would be futile.
Regrettably, this is not good news.
One of the sources of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” tried to discuss “glitches in the system” with representatives of Turkmenistan Airlines in Moscow who informed him that there is no problem and that the system shows all passengers who have a reservation number.