Much hay has been made about New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ fondness for Turkish Airlines, but this entire issue exposes a frequent flyer novice who could have saved himself a lot of time (and now jail time) by just better understanding miles and points.
What New York City Mayor Eric Adams Should Have Done If He Wanted To Travel The World In Premium Cabins
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in deep trouble and at the heart of his downfall is Turkish Airlines. An unsealed indictment suggests he received luxury travel benefits on Turkish Airlines not from the airline itself, but by at least one Turkish government official and other wealthy businessmen in an effort to influence public policy favorable to their ends:
“For nearly a decade, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
Among the allegations against Adams:
- October 2016 – Adams and his partner purchased two economy class tickets on Turkish Airlines to India for $2,286 then all four flights (JFK-IST-DEL-IST-JFK) were upgraded to business class
- July 2017 – Adams traveled to Nice, Istanbul, Colombo, and Beijing with a family member and staff member, accepting free business class tickets from Turkish Airlines and never disclosing it
- October 2017 – Adams and a companion traveled to Nepal and Beijing, again accepting free business class flights
- January 2018 – Adams and his partner traveled to Budapest on $560 economy class tickets, which were upgraded to business class at no charge
I spoke to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about this matter…the nation is fascinated that a man would seriously consider flying from New York to Santiago, Chile via Istanbul, yet the indictment suggests his partner was either geographically illiterate or insane:
“For example, during the July and August 2017 trip, Adams’s Partner was surprised to learn that Adams was in Turkey when she had understood him to be flying from New York to France. Adams responded, in a text message, “Transferring here. You know first stop is always instanbul.” When Adams’s Partner later inquired about planning a trip to Easter Island, Chile, Adams repeatedly asked her whether the Turkish Airline could be used for their flights, requiring her to call the Turkish Airline to confirm that they did not have routes between New York and Chile.”
To be fair, I’ve been known to fly between San Francisco and Los Angeles via Sydney, Australia for the miles…and Turkish does operate Fifth Freedom routes (including planned service from Sao Paulo to Santiago, Chile, the gateway to the Easter Islands).
Had Adams simply signed up for several credit cards, taken advantage of sign-up and category spend bonuses, and built up points in those accounts, he could have taken these same trips for less out of pocket and flown more directly.
I like Turkish Airlines too, but the 777 on the New York – Istanbul route has 2-3-2 seating…yes, a middle seat in business class that is close to two decades old.
My takeaway from all of this is what novices Adams and his partner were…and how callous they were in breaking the law while receviing benefits that were real, but marginal in the big scheme of things.
This Goes Beyond Adams
Finally, I wish to remind you of a piece I wrote in 2022 about the matter of politicans flying in premium cabins. The idea of politicians enjoying discounted travel and upgrades is not unique to Adams.
Members of Congress have access to YCA fares, which are highly discounted unrestricted fares as negotiated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as part of the U.S. Government CPP (City Pair Program). As the single largest customer of commercial airline tickets, the U.S. Federal Government has negotiated a sweet deal for itself in the form of these YCA fares and it greatly influences Congressional behavior, at least in the offices I worked for.
These are also coded as “full fare” economy class tickets, meaning these Members of Congress enjoy instant upgrades, where available, and enjoy being at the top of the upgrade waitlist, despite paying discount-level fares.
Want to know why the airlines got bailed out during the pandemic? I’d stipulate that one reason is that Members of Congress enjoy the gravy train of being treated like royalty without the actual spending to accompany it.
Beyond Adams, the upgrades and perks our elected officials receive from airlines suggest a symbiotic, cozy relationship that brings to mind the old adage, “One hand washes the other.”
> Read More: Why Politicians Fly In First Class (Not Just AOC…)
CONCLUSION
I don’t feel bad for Adams…I pity the fool. He could have avoided this all (going to jail is not worth an upgrade or free trip on Turkish Airlines) by simply investing a bit more time into reading blogs like this one that would have helped him properly understand and value the world of miles and points.
And to all politicians out there…be careful. I know the NYT and WSJ are sniffing around and that means others are too. I predict there will be more revelations to come concerning the cozy relationship between our elected officials and the governments and industries, like airlines, that serve to benefit through a symbiotic relationship in which taxpayers are the losers.
Politician ought to retain Jackie Chiles [ Seinfeld , Kramer ] for his attorney :
“Who told you to go to Istanbul ? I didn’t tell you to go to Istanbul.”
“How can a Dem be guilty ? No such thing . You cannot be a Dem and be guilty . Dems are by nature innocent .”
Politician ought to say : “I am shocked and chagrined , mortified , stupefied.”
The real question is what did TK have to gain from wining and dining Eric Adams?
Sidenote, Eric Adams claimed that he was basically targeted because of his race from a press conference on CNN. As a fellow black man, I’m not happy that he’s not owning up to what he did wrong and dragging down the black community with his statements
@Malik … +1 .
Lots of chatter about the Turkish consulate in NYC…
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/nyregion/turkish-consulate-manhattan-turkevi-center.html
There even stories about it from late last year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/12/nyregion/eric-adams-investigation-turkey-consulate.html
Gay porn star here, I understand we have an Aaron looking for my stuff.
I almost fell off my chair laughing Kyle, you made my day.
For your next year, be sure to wear a MAGA hat. That turns Aaron on.
You wish. Maybe Chi can have it instead, since he seems more into you than I ever will be.
Adams did not say he was targeted because he is black. He said he was targeted by Biden’s Department of Justice because he has blamed the administration’s open border policy, which has flooded the city with illegal immigrants, many of them criminals, and turned New York into a nightmare for its residents.
When the US DOJ gets credible evidence of public office corruption, what do people expect the US DOJ and US Attorneys offices to do: pretend as if the rot is non-existent?
High-profile individuals in government offices should be wary about doing favors and waivers, but they should be even more wary when it has the perception of assisting the financial or lifestyle desires — in the present or future — of themselves or their near or dear family and friends. They can’t count on it going like it goes with some Supreme Court Justices in DC.
NYC has declared itself a sanctuary city for uncouth politicians who visit Istanbul , which is contrary to good taste .
NYC offers free medical care to uncouth politicians who eat Istanbul street food ; quick – they need a diagnosis .
Such nonsense.
@Aaron … Quick – put on your dark vision protection to protect yourself from reading brilliant comments .
Why, will you be getting someone else to post for you?
Aaron thinks he is guilty because he is straight and black. Aaron wants all that BBC for himself.
Meanwhile we all understand he was targeted because he didn’t follow the liberal talking points on illegals and tried to make NYC a better place for its legal citizens.
Oh, here I was thinking we were getting a brilliant comment, and instead we get Dave Edward’s usual asinine comment of stupidity.
Your story begins and ends with Eric Adams was a fool. This guy is the Eva Peron of the NYPD. Plucked from obscurity and clerical desk work into the highest office in the city.
I am constantly amazed at people (particularly those in office or visible business roles) who do stupid stuff, including simply a failure to STFU and stop digging the hole, all for chump change. I’m not suggesting it’s right for big bucks, obviously. But Adams’s [the correct possessive form] behavior is shocking for so little.
@Dave … +1 . Must not forget that electability does Not correlate with intelligence , e.g., Brandon or Camel-a . Especially among the dems .
Good, I hope the crooked scumbag goes to jail. It’s a shame we don’t throw more politicians there either.
@Chi … He did proclaim his innocence verbally with an Istanbul accent . His breath smells like he was licking an Istanbul goat . However , that evidence cannot be used in court .
A new motto for live and lets fly:
Don’t Go To Jail, Read LALF!
And if you do go to jail, just remember Aaron’s are everywhere in there so don’t drop the soap.
Assuming you are the same person posting under a different name, I can’t tell who is more obsessed with me and/or projecting their homoerotic fantasies onto me, you or Chi Hsuan.
Ask Matt, he will tell you how wrong you are, as usual. Now back to your open 18th birthday party for young confused males ass pirate.
How can I, when you have them all over at your place…
To sell your integrity for J on TK with an IST layover? That ought to be a crime right there!
@Arthue .,.. +1 . Astonishing , isn’t it ?
If one has an intense , overwhelming personal need to be in Istanbul , then that becomes the main thing . Some are so enraptured and flush with anticipation to be in Istanbul , they cannot control themselves .
It still bewilders me that this guy won the Mayoral election for our nations largest city. And I’m a Democrat. I have no clue what he offers and the reality is that regardless of what he tells people his primary residence was in New Jersey. His son lived in BK. This is a case that if I lived In NYC I would have voted GOP in a heartbeat over him, which is what I said when he was running.
It’s fact that Govt employees are actually required to use U.S. carriers when that option is available, even if not convenient. It might be prudent for elected officials to follow that voluntarily as well. Most of those flights were easily booked on U.S. airlines.
Regardless, I bet this is far more widespread than we imagine. I would be the most suspicious of IAD flights on ME carriers. I can smell a few handshakes going on there. Of course, let’s not forget SCOTUS…the most corrupt of them all.
Were the upgrades actually handed out by someone who was paying for them? If not, their inclusion in the case is overblown in my opinion. Giving great service to public figures is good PR for any company, let alone one which is trying to make inroads in foreign markets. Accepting free tickets obviously is a lot more problematic.
By the way, are there (or will there likely be) any consequences for those actually making the inappropriate (or ‘inappropriate’) gifts?
If he had a lot of points, I am sure Turkish could have opened up space at reasonable rates, like 40,000 miles each way in business class. Wink wink, harder to prove
Perhaps he was visiting Istanbul for hair treatments (evidently unsuccessfully).
Nah … politicians are enraptured with the odors of Istanbul , which are lovely scents for politicians .
Politicians return with a souvenir bottle of “Istanbul Odors” , which he splashes under his arms .
One can always smell a politician when he lifts his arm to invite a glad-hand .
Alert. You are correct the dems are never Guilty!!!
@Dee … That was Jackie Chiles speaking to the jury , on Seinfeld .
He originally said : “how can a bystander be guilty ? you cannot be a bystander and be guilty . bystanders are by nature innocent . that is the nature of bystanding .”
I’m disappointed in the Turkish government. While the Saudis were buying Jared Kushner, the Turks were buying Eric Adams? They need to step up their bribery game.
The Saudis and Emiratis bought Trump. Kushner-Trump was just the vehicle.
Someone should look into whether Adams received “sexual services” — “comped” or otherwise — in Istanbul as part of the corruption games.
@Jesse … NYC politicians are a dine a dozen , perhaps ?
I feel like this shouldnt be a criminal matter but I need to know more, like what what Turkey received in return.
It’s not necessarily just about Turkey. There are also Turkish-Americans with business interests in the city that have been part and parcel of the corruption allegations.
Meanwhile NYC lets the murderers and rapists go scot free.
Liberalism is a mental disorder.
MAGA-ism a disorder of the body politic.
In the meantime Ye Lord Trump has a wide open back door for illegal campaign contribution and bribery efforts with the sale of overpriced products. Think of $100,000 watches available for sale using Bitcoin.