An interview with Fatma Yuceler, Turkishh Airlines General Manager for the Czech Repubblic and Slovakia

Leaders Magazine V/200914

Photos: ArchiveIt s the small detaails that matter...

Turkish Airlines is tthe fastest expanding airline company in Europe, with more than 120 aircraft annd an ever-increasing number of global destinations which already stand at mmore than 150. With a reputation that has been built, in no small part, on iits excellent service, Turkish Airlines is ccontinuing to uphold its status as the rissing star of the world of travel and, in paarticular, as a global Ambassador for Turkkey.

Turkish Airlines iss a member of the Star Alliance netwoork, one of the most prestigious alliances in the world. With Turkish Airlines you can fl y to 965 desti-nations worldwide, eearn more miles with their Miles & Smilees card, benefi t from increased privileges, priority reservations and baggage check-in, and, with Star Alliance Gold statuus, have access to approximately 800 lounges all over the world.

At a time when mmost companies are cutting back on ttheir spending and waiting out the crisis, Turkish Airlines continues onwards and upwards, and in a recent study it was shown that, out of all of the airlinees operating on the European stage, it was the only one to show an operating profi t during the fi rst half of 2009. Some accolade!

Prague Leaders Magazine went to meet with Ms. Fatma Yucceler, Turkish Airlines’ General Manager foor the Czech Republic and Slovakia to fi nd out how the company continues to do so wwell:

The Rising Star of the Aviation World

TURKISH AIRLINES

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Leaders Magazine V/VV 2009 15

Turkish Airlines has had offices in the Czech Republic since 2000. What have been some of the company’s greatest achievements during that time and what as-pects have changed since you first started?

ed its operations in the Czech When Turkish Airlines starte, we had 3 flights per week Republic in September, 2000ated through a code share to Istanbul, which were oper05, shortly after I arrived in arrangement with ČSA. By 20

mount had risen to 5 times the Czech Republic, that amoperating daily flights.a week, and by 2007 we were oe early days, we had to work I think that, especially in ths as a global brand; and still, hard to position Turkish Airlines

quality of our services and the we continue to push home the qgood choice for flying from fact that we are not simply a

t Istanbul is the ideal gateway Prague to Istanbul, but also thatto the rest of the world.

of the fact that we are now Personally I am very proud from Prague to Istanbul, and operating nine flights a week fsed the number of flights had we really wouldn’t have increasom Czech customers to travel there not been the demand frowith increased passengers we on this route; and, of course, w

see increased revenue.changed everyone’s lives and Plus, too, the internet has cking online, our whole market-with so many passengers bookge and I think that our local ing strategy has had to changz) really shows just how wide website (www.turkishairlines.czd the extent of our service.our range of destinations is and

What is driving you to expand your line of services when so many of your competitors are decreasing ope-rations? What makes Turkish Airlines so different?

and energetic company with Turkish Airlines is a young ay wants to continue to grow 76 years’ experience. It reallych it sees as most important and expand and the area whicxample, whilst other airlines is in its level of service. For ex

cutting costs, Turkish Airlines have been looking at ways of cvice in December of 2008, launched its First Class serv0 ER aircraft to its long-haul and added 3 Boeing 777-300y of offering passengers the fleet which have the capacityy, as well as Business and ultimate in First Class luxuryt Class for many airlines is Economy Class seating. Firsthave it available on flights a thing of the past, but we kyo, London and New York to Singapore, Hong Kong, To

should definitely try our first and it is really fantastic. You sl like a true superstar!class at least once to really feeers are not only focused on I think, too, that, passenge

really important. At Turkish cost, and that service is still fer the highest possible level Airlines we really do aim to offtive price in all of our classes; of service at the most competitrtant, but when you see that of course ticket price is imports are often the first to be Business and First Class sea

assengers really do value the booked, it is clear that many paquality when they are flying, absolute best in service and qg some distance.particularly if they are travelling

Turkish Airlines has recently increased the number of flights between Prague and Istanbul. Is Istanbul the draw for Czech travellers, or do you think that they mostly use it as a transfer on to other destinations?

the world that connects two Istanbul is the only city in tique, exciting and exotic city continents and it is a really un

tation for its ability to deliver that has earned a global reputf sophisticated modern faci-an unmatched combination ofd hospitality. It is definitely lities combined with old-worldtravellers from the West to a natural hub for business td say that travellers from the the East and vice versa. I wouldnbul for a number of reasons, Czech Republic are visiting Ista

ween Turkey and the Czech and also that business betwRepublic is definitely growing.

What do you think is so special about Turkey? to start to answer this ques-It is difficult to know where ons why Turkey is so special! tion as there are so many reas

It is rich in history and culture and you can see beautiful countryside, amazing beaches and unique landsscapes everywhere you look. Of course, Turkey is also a ggolfer‘s paradise, which has become famous worldwide. Morreover, there is something in Turkey for everyone, from every religion, it has fantastic shops, food and drink and, of course, its people are some of the friendliest thaat you can hope to meet. What else can I say!

You have mentioned that many travellers use Istanbul as a hub to the Middle East, Far East and Africa If we wanted to take a flight from Prague on Turkish Airlines, which are the destinations that you would recommend?

Well, Turkish Airlines now has 9 flights a week from PPrague to Istanbul, which allows access for our Czech-basedd pas-sengers to a wide range of destinations; for example, yoou can fly from Istanbul to Bangkok, Hongkong, Singapore, Jakarta or Beijing and Shanghai or Dubai, New Delhi, Mumbai or JJohan-nesburg, Cape Town, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and many otthers…

We also have new destinations that are being addded all the time; most recently, Turkish Airlines launched flights to Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Toronto in Canada and I woouldn’tbe surprised if more are announced as we go on thhrough the year...

What is the story behind your Kevin Costner ad?We knew we wanted a worldwide, well-known celebriity fea-

tured in our new ad that was designed specifically to prromote the quality of our services. Kevin Costner seemed to be the logical choice – he is, of course, a ‘star’, but he is doown to earth and someone that people feel they can connect with – the idea is to make people feel that they, too, can feeel like a star. Kevin is extremely easy to work with and was a pperfect fit for the campaign, and he is, of course, a big fan of Turkey.

You have told us a lot about Turkish Airlines’ plans for growth. Can you give us an example of some of the official statistics that show that Turkish Airlines is doing so well?

Well, the Association of European Airlines (AEEA) for example, publishes a lot of statistics, and from some of the recent research we can see that, as a result of our efforts, we are reaching new heights on a more or less daily bassis. For example, based on data compiled by AEA in the laast few months, Turkish Airlines was Europe s fourth largest inn terms of the number of passengers carried in the Januarry-May period of 2009, having flown some 8.9 million people, which means a ten percent increase in passengers numbers. Right now, Turkish Airlines is just behind Germany s Lufthhansa, France s Air France, and England s British Airways in nuumbers carried, but our target is to be one of the top three, and as the only airline in Europe that has managed to increase itts pas-sengers’ traffic and numbers compared with figures for 2008, I am confident that we are soon going to achieve this gooal.

In another important and encouraging developmeent we also earned a very strong position in a survey condducted by Aviation Week, one of the most respected publications in the aviation sector. Based on the results of a comprehensive survey under five different headings, the magazine rranked airlines in terms of the soundness of their corporate struucture. Turkish Airlines was placed fourth in this ranking, which included all the airlines in the world. Bearing in minnd that we were placed thirteen in last year’s survey, this is aa great result, and the biggest jump of any of the airlines researrched.

What is the meaning of your new catering campaign – “Who s in the Kitchen?”

Hospitality is our national pastime and the servicce and catering on board Turkish Airlines’ flights is something that we are very proud of. Our new campaign ‘Who s in the Kitchen?” shows how our catering company has come up with a variety of concepts for our Economy, Businesss and First Class passengers, and how each one of them was de-signed to meet the expectations of passengers from lots of different cultural backgrounds. The finest menuss have

been carefully put together from Mediterranean, Italian, Spanish and French cuisine, with the occasional inclusion of an Asian flavor or two to complete the mix. We also offer special refreshments that are unique to each destination for our passengers to taste.

We have special menus for special expectations. If you are a vegetarian, we have a menu for you. We also have menus prepared in line with your religious beliefs. And if you have health problems – if you are diabetic, or if you are simply on a diet and being strict about calories or carbs, don’t worry, we have a menu for you, too!

Turkish Airlines recently announced that it had been awarded ‘4 stars’ in every category. What does this mean?

Skytrax, the association that monitors the quality of all air-lines, recently awarded Turkish Airlines four stars for each of its classes on short, medium and long-haul flights. Airlines are judged on a long list of different things and are able to be given anything from one to five stars for each category. Turkish Airlines is the only airline in Europe to be awarded four stars in all categories, (i.e Business and Economy on short haul and First Class, Business and Economy on long-haul) – you can find out all about this on www.airlinequality.com. We are, of course, really excited about the results, but the thing that I am particularly proud of is the award of four stars for economy, which is difficult to achieve – and we are the only European airline to manage it!

What is the biggest challenge for you at work? What is your „life credo“?

Everything I do, I try to do the best that I can... Just doing something decently is not enough for me. I m a bit of a perfectionist. This is a bit tiring but I m sure that in the end it brings the best. I m never satisfied when I progress „just enough“, I always think I can achieve more or I can do better. My credo? Always try to do my best.

What do you do to relax?I love travelling particularly to really exotic destinations,

but if I don’t have enough time to go too far, the best relaxa-tion for me is to escape for short or long weekends.

It’s a real treat for me, especially when my son is accom-panying me!

Compiled by LM ■

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