Free airline upgrades are one in every of modern life’s small joys. Carriers typically give out complimentary seat changes to passengers with airline status or as compensation for a foul experience, not in the event that they’re the Mayor of New York. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is scrutinizing seat upgrades that Eric Adams received from Turkish Airlines on several trips over the past nine years. The probe is an element of a broader corruption investigation involving the unpopular mayor and the Turkish government.
Adams has steadily taken flights to and from Turkey on Turkish Airlines since 2015, in response to the New York Times. This was back when the retired NYPD captain was Brooklyn Borough President, but already held ambitions of becoming mayor. Adams claimed that lots of these trips were for official business to foster economic ties between the Big Apple and Istanbul. In 2017, Adams told the Daily Sabah, “Turkish Airlines is my way of flying.” The Daily Sabah is a newspaper keen on the authoritarian rule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The exact value of the seat upgrades has yet to be determined. Still, the value difference for only one seat between economy and business class on an intercontinental flight can easily be over $2,000 or more. The upgrades and other lavish outings are believed to have continued through his mayoral campaign in 2021. The mayor’s lawyer told the Times:
“As borough president, the mayor consistently disclosed his official travel to Turkey, did not receive any improper upgrades and did nothing inappropriate in exchange for an upgrade. Speculation is not evidence. We look forward to a just and timely conclusion to this investigation.”
What’s the harm in taking gifts from foreign governments? Shortly after being elected mayor, Adams was accused of pressuring town into approving the Turkish Consulate’s latest gleaming tulip-shaped skyscraper across the road from the United Nations, despite fire safety concerns.
Now, Turkish Airlines boasts that it flies to more destinations than some other airline on the planet and has genuinely tried to spice up its presence within the United States. The carrier has run TV ads through the Super Bowl and got several American celebrities to sign endorsement deals, but Eric Adams isn’t one in every of them. Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund owns a 49.1 percent stake within the airline.
Credit : jalopnik.com