Houston (April 1, 2013) – Turkish Airlines, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, is expanding its presence in the United States. Today marks the launch of its newest gateway in Houston, Texas. Houston becomes the fifth U.S. gateway, joining Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. The airline will offer non-stop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport (IST). “We’re delighted that Turkish Airlines can now serve the Houston community and better connect them with our services to 220 destinations globally via Istanbul,” says Hamdi Topçu, Turkish Airlines’ chairman of the board and chairman of the executive committee. “Houston is a mecca for international travel. Our hope is that these new flights will make international travel easier and more convenient for both business and leisure travelers in the area.”
Former U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, has avoided an order to repay roughly $500,000 that the House Ethics Committee ruled she wrongly accepted in legal fees from a Turkish-American group. The order stems from a U.S. House committee ruling that Schmidt violated House rules when she let the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund pay for a slew of legal battles against her 2008 Democratic opponent David Krikorian. While the committee found her error wasn’t intentional and decided not to sanction her, it said she “must disclose and repay the improper gift.”
In 2010, Temel Kotil, CEO of Turkish Airlines (TK/THY), surprised the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) by announcing that TK’s goal was to become the world’s largest airline. Three years later, THY has the largest international network and serves more international points than any other airline: by any measure, a very quick achievement of a daunting goal. But that is just a waypoint in the ongoing remaking of Turkish Airlines.
By Sam Gutelle - The Young Turks‘ YouTube channel is over 985+ million views, meaning it will soon become one of the first 75 YouTube channels to reach a billion hits. When it achieves this milestone, it will be the first political channel in the billionaires club, so Cenk Uygur and his pals are celebrating in style. The Young Turks will host a party in LA to commemorate their mad YouTube skills, and by following a “scavenger hunt” on their YouTube channel, you can be there too.
