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Turkish Airlines |
Them dark clouds is making me nervous, Mabel. I need a drink.
Kin ya' ask the flight attendant to bring me a stiff one. We're flyin' THY today, Marvin. Well then bring out the brown bag, woman. There's no time to spare.  |
Turkish Transportation Minister warns Teetotaling Flight-Attendants
A fast-growing number of male flight attendants who work for Turkish Airlines (Türk Hava Yolları -- THY) have declared that they may refuse to serve alcohol, even on international flights, to paying passengers. That's because, according to their strict reading of Muslim doctrine, drinking of alcohol is a sin against Islam. Last year THY stopped serving alcohol on all domestic flights in Turkey -- under behind-the-scenes pressure from certain unnamed conservative parliamentarians and their supporters. But that apparently didn't satisfy the more religious (and militant) of the male flight attendants -- who represent about 25% of THY's mostly-female cabin crew work-force. Boozers have a champion, however, in the person of the Government's Transportation Minister, Binali Yıldırım -- who is keenly aware of Turkey's foreign tourism woes this year. And, when he heard the anti-tourism news about the possible flight attendant refusal, he said, "THY, now 70 years old, is a highly prestigious international company with a distinguished past. Who do these flight attendants think they are...to refuse serving alcohol because, they say, it's sinful according to their own personal religious beliefs? Turkish Airlines isn't some sort of private hangout for Muslim dervishes, m'friends." The Transportation Minister also commented that Turkish Airlines was committed to a well-established tradition of service But Minister Yıldırım stopped short of saying that the male flight attendants would be fired if they carried out their threat. |
Comments Posted by Cüneyt | February 23, 2007 I'm a Turk myself, and I wonder... Since when did MALE Turks finally decide to OBEY Islam. They should feel foolish for saying 'we refuse to serve alcohol'. In Turkey it's customary for MALE Turks to drink Rakı ("lion's milk") and Efes beer. The Muslim world already views Turks as NON-Muslims. So what's the point in changing now. Posted by The Real Cüneyt | July 18, 2007 Man... you give Cuneyts a bad name! Turks are 99% Muslim. You logic is flawed. I am a Turkish male and I don't drink. Elhumdulillah! [Ed. Thank God!/Glory be to God!/Praise be to God!] You are just a European wannabe. You atajerk! [Ed. a derogatory reference to Atatürk] Jim and Peri Comment | July 18, 2007 I know we said we'd make 'No Comment' in this page's heading, but 'The Real Cüneyt' must not have read our entry, Is drinking alcohol forbidden by Koranic decree? Guess our site vistors will have to decide (as always) who the 'Real Jerk' is... |
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© [LPT] - Turkish Airlines, teetotaling flight attendants seek complete ban on alcohol
