[Inonanialry]

They mentioned in their website that it doesn't pork or alcohol... but having such factors doesn't proves its halal.

Please let me know if you have travelled through it.

[Jellowstrom]

Assalam O Alaikum

I used Turkish Airline to go to Turkey in October 2010 before, I did so much search, e-mailing and phone to Turkish airline. I asked whether chicken is machine slaughter or hand slaughter. All the time they said we serve Halal foods even one Turkish student here in USA who logged to my website ask question about ingredient or food in USA. Then I ask her about Turkish airline's meal she told me it is Halal. But for my own taqwa I avoided Salad dresing, desert, rolls and chicken. I think their lamb and beef are Halal. There is no word "Halal" on any product. So my advice is to you to call Turkish airline and verify again.

Syed Rasheeduddin Ahmed
Muslim Consumer Group For Food Products USA/Canada
www.muslimconsumergroup.com
www.canadianhalalfoods.com

[GreefeWrereon]

It may just be that the halal manner of slaughter has simply become the de facto method of slaughter, thus they don't feel the need to label their meats halal. I know when in both Egypt and Turkey I just about never saw any meat actually labelled halal, but that most likely is a result of it being assumed that it's halal. The whole labeling meat as halal thing is only really necessary if in countries where there's a strong chance that the meats you're encountering in stores aren't halal.

[Inonanialry]

Guys thank you so much for your useful response. I really appreiciate it. I called their local office in Toronto and the guy over the phone confidentialy said its halal. But still I will verify it further by doing some research that weather it is zabiha halal or "just halal"... .

[Nglvayhp]

I love Turkish airlines, they are superb. Apart from food being halal or not, their ticket prices are the best. Now from 1th Nov till the end of December round trip to Istanbul from USA/D.C is around 580$. Let me ask if the food is halal or not.

[Nglvayhp]

By the way, anyone can call toll-free number: 1-800-874-8875

[rasiasertew]

but, but turkish airlines food was the best airplane food i've ever had

[Nglvayhp]

but, but turkish airlines food was the best airplane food i've ever had

Why the sorrow? Who said it is not halal? Turkish Airlines personnel clearly say their Muslim food is halal. I enjoyed it myself, would also enjoy in my next trip InshAllah.

The research here is for way too suspicious people.

[freeprescriptionplanrrx]

I would be wary of accepting the word of any airline where they sell alchohol openly and on multiple occasions forbid passengers from praying and stating that it is there policy. I trust the word of umar from italy as he is a good friend of mine. Verdana whilst you are doing research about their halal food policy also ask them their policy with regards to praying on the plane and mention that on multiple occasions a friend of yours has been stopped. Once you receive a response please copy it on this forum so members may be at ease. Jazakallah khairan

[Nglvayhp]

I would be wary of accepting the word of any airline where they sell alchohol openly and on multiple occasions forbid passengers from praying and stating that it is there policy. I trust the word of umar from italy as he is a good friend of mine. Verdana whilst you are doing research about their halal food policy also ask them their policy with regards to praying on the plane and mention that on multiple occasions a friend of yours has been stopped. Once you receive a response please copy it on this forum so members may be at ease. Jazakallah khairan

I will keep that in mind. I already asked them pile of questions about food. Let's see what they say. As for praying, I have never experienced such a thing. We prayed back in the hostess's cabinet while standing. The policy might be about people haphazardly entering that area and standing there for a long while without being supervised; who knows what some freaks can do to the food located in that cabinet. So, they fear a lot these kind of dangerous situations.

What normally we ask them that we need to pray, never got objected. Though on my last trip I got a comment by a Turkish speaking weirdo passenger saying to me: "You guys are disgracing the religion by praying at such unclean places in front of everyone...". if I remember correctly replied "disgrace is yours who never pray.."

Anyway I will keep your question in mind and ask it after their first reply InshAllah.

[bubbachew14]

I would be wary of accepting the word of any airline where they sell alchohol openly and on multiple occasions forbid passengers from praying and stating that it is there policy. I trust the word of umar from italy as he is a good friend of mine. Verdana whilst you are doing research about their halal food policy also ask them their policy with regards to praying on the plane and mention that on multiple occasions a friend of yours has been stopped. Once you receive a response please copy it on this forum so members may be at ease. Jazakallah khairan

I travelled turkish a lot in the past two years and every time Salah came I went to the back and requested to pray. They always say "it's not in our policy" then they look around and say "okay quickly pray here" and alhamdulillah I prayed very comfortably every time. Also, you need to time the request; try to ask them when most of the air hosts are by the first class seats and there's only one person right at the back (there is a long gap like this on their flights when you can pray peacefully).

[bubbachew14]

I travelled turkish a lot in the past two years and every time Salah came I went to the back and requested to pray. They always say "it's not in our policy" then they look around and say "okay quickly pray here" and alhamdulillah I prayed very comfortably every time. Also, you need to time the request; try to ask them when most of the air hosts are by the first class seats and there's only one person right at the back (there is a long gap like this on their flights when you can pray peacefully).

By the way last time I travelled (around two weeks ago) I did have to push it a bit and mention that this is a Muslim airline and a Muslim country I think they feel guilty after that.

Also, the best airline to pray on was Kenya airways - we were travelling as a group of 3 and each of us prayed there nicely one by one. KLM is the worst

[Mark_NyB]

http://www.zabihah.com/d/Airline/2064/Turkish-Airlines

Referring to your message please be advised that meal served on our flights does not contain any pork products. Also please note that all food loaded to Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul are halal food. However, from some other destinations eventhough no pork products is being used the meat served may not fit to Islamic slaughter.
Sincerely yours,

Customer Relations Management
TURKISH AIRLINES INC.

This is what a person i know only via email said last week:

As far as Turkish airlines, I can't really tell since they don't have any halal certification. It falls under what I had written to you before about food in Istanbul restaurants. They are slaughtered by muslims but with not extreme care to Islamic regulations.

There was an incident couple of years back where a ham was served to passengers by accident and it became a very big issue in Turkey but these days, THY is under partially government partially private sector control so I'd hope things are getting better.

(He works for the Gimdes Halal Certification Body based in Istanbul. (http://www.gimdes.org - http://www.halalcertificationturkey.com )

[Pelefaifs]

Generally nowadays, when people say meat is halal it means there's a lot of ambiguity.

[soryalomop]

As for praying, I have never experienced such a thing. We prayed back in the hostess's cabinet while standing.

Alhamdulillah, that's good for you.
"Unfortunately"; i bear witness in front of Allah that it happened the opposite to me the 100% of times I politely tried to pray on their flights.

The policy might be about people haphazardly entering that area and standing there for a long while without being supervised; who knows what some freaks can do to the food located in that cabinet. So, they fear a lot these kind of dangerous situations.

Please rest assured that I'm not a freak nor I haphazardly entered into any area.

I'll relate you what happened.

First time:
Flight MADINA MUNAWWARAH - Istanbul.

A German brothers wakes me up saying Fajr time entered, we need to pray Salah. I stand up, move towards the toilets, I "raise" my long sleeves up to the elbows waiting for the bathroom to be empty, and a steward approaches me without even me saying anything. He asks me what I'm gonna doing and if I have intention to pray and that I cannot pray nor take wudu'. I didn't even ask him, I remain amazed. He argues that there is no enough water on air flights for people wudu' and that what will happen if people see me praying, then all will want to pray.. I objected that a lot of brothers don't have any problem in praying on non-Muslim airlines and I cannot pray on TURKISH Airlines? He insists forbidding me to pray while standing. Along side, he precises that "I'm Muslim too". "Alhamdulillah, I'm not saying anything about this", I reply. After a few minutes of discussion I ask him who his responsible is, so I go to talk with this hostess lady who tells me the same: "it's against Turkish Airlines policy". I get very angry but comply with their instructions, pray while sitting, and alhamdulillah when we land off there was still time for Salah and I prayed at the airport.

Second time.
Flight Istanbul - Dubai.

Maghrib time enters. I stand up, already have wudu', and politely ask a steward for a convenient place in which praying. He sais it's not allowed, it's not safe, it's for my own safety and on top of that "it's against Turkish Airlines policy". He says I can pray while sitting. I tell him it's not valid and that I will only take a couple of minutes: will be fast.. He says policy forbids to stay in that area (normal corridor area in front of toilets. "So I cannot even stay here talking with you?".
I end up having to pray my Maghrib Salah while sitting and having to make it up as soon as I arrived at Dubai airport.

The result is that I have the firm intention not to give anymore my money to Turkish Airlines nor use their "services" anymore, insha'Allah.

May Allah guide secularists, and if there is no guidance for them, may Allah destroy them.

[Nglvayhp]

Umar_Italy,

I sympathize with your situation. MashAllah you have strong sense of Sabr and kindness. I couldn't have handle such a horrible situation in a civilized manner like you did, especially the wudu part in the first event.

In a secular country such as Turkey, things heavily get up and down by the type of ruling government at the time. If the government with its parliamentarians inclined towards Islam, or more so practicing, then in almost all areas there is improvement, whilst non-Islamic left-sided governments bring about just the opposite; a secular hammer on the heads of Muslims. I assume you had this unfortunate experience quite a decade ago or so, during the horrible left-winger ruling government - where haters of Islam had the guts to spit their hatred. Alhamdulillah, those days are OVER. Everything pretty much gets better and better by the grace of Allah.

[soryalomop]

I assume you had this unfortunate experience quite a decade ago or so, during the horrible left-winger ruling government - where haters of Islam had the guts to spit their hatred. Alhamdulillah, those days are OVER. Everything pretty much gets better and better by the grace of Allah.

brother.

I'm sorry to contradict you once again, but that's not the case.
The first incident took place less than two years ago.
The secondo incident took place less than two months ago.

I just wish you were right...

[freeprescriptionplanrrx]

See as long as the policy states that they wont allow somebody to pray then I wont even travel with them. I will never give my money to such a secular airline. I mean I've travelled on kuffar airlines before and never faced any problems so what is wrong with such an airline?

[erepsysoulperj]

If You Have Doubt Whether Its Halal Or Not, Then Its Best To Stay Away From Eating It.

[Nglvayhp]

If I post what the officials from Turkish Airlines wrote to me about the status of their Halal Food upon carefully researching the matter, I am sure you will be amazed.