On this page, you can see all of our writers from the Turkish Airlines team who have contributed to our Crew Insights category. By clicking on the name of the author, you can access the relevant author’s information and all his/her articles published on the Turkish Airlines Blog.
Turkish Airlines Blog
With this account, managed by our writer team, we welcome all who love travel and exploration to enjoy these blog posts. And we gently remind our readers of the delight to be found in 'hitting the road'.
As Tolstoy said: “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”

Merhaba! Ben Cansen Yelesen. Marmara Üniversitesi Sosyoloji-İngilizce bölümünü bitirdikten sonra sanat, deneme ve gezi yazılarım sayesinde kurumsal bir gazetenin editörleri tarafından 28 kere “Günün Yazarı” seçildim. İngiltere’de dil eğitimi aldıktan sonra, 2014 yılında çalışmaya başladığım şirketimizde ayrıca yazarlık mesleğime devam ediyorum. Web destinasyon sayfa içeriği ve kurum içi birçok dergide yazılarım ve projelerim yayınlandı. Sanatın iyileştirici gücüne dair aldığım eğitime ek, 4 yıllık tiyatro oyunculuğu ve 39 ülkeyi dolaşmanın şanslı hissiyatı ile bu ailenin parçası ve gülümseyen yüzü olmaktan mutluyum. Paylaşımlarımız ile renkleneceğimiz nice yolculuklar dilerim.

She was born in Ankara in 1988. She received her undergraduate, graduate and doctorate education on Industrial Engineering. Joining THY in 2009, Değirmenci is currently working in the Flight Planning unit. Değirmenci had the opportunity to see more than 40 countries and more than 100 cities. Having made discovering new places and meeting new people a lifestyle, Değirmenci shares what she has seen with everyone in her travel articles published in various magazines. She also teaches Strategic Management, Project Management and Aviation Management at various universities. Değirmenci, mother of 3 children, speaks English and French.

My name is Emir Can KILIÇ. I was born in Istanbul in 1985. I received my bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering in 2007 and my master's degree in Industrial Engineering in 2010. Since 2013, I have been working at the Revenue Analysis Directorate under the Revenue Management Directorate at Turkish Airlines. I try to travel frequently because I love to explore new places and acquire different experiences.

My name is Melih Torlak. I was born in Istanbul in 1987. I received my bachelor's degree from Istanbul University's Department of Economics, my master's degree from Galatasaray University's Department of Marketing and Logistics Management, and my doctorate from Marmara University's Department of Marketing. I have been working for Turkish Airlines since 2009, currently I am working as Ankara Sales Manager. My hobbies include reading books in different categories and traveling to different cities and sharing about them.

Hello my name is Mustafa Göksal, I was born in 1983 in Konya. I graduated from Yıldız Technical University Naval Architecture and Marine Machinery Engineering in 2009. I have been part of the Turkish Airlines family since 2014. I had the opportunity to work in different cities at home and abroad, now I am working as the Alexandria / Egypt Station Chief. Besides blogging and traveling, I am interested in topics related to science fiction and space.

I was born in Istanbul in 1978. I started Turkish Airlines in 1997 while studying English Education at Istanbul University. After working in many departments, I no work in the Team Allocation Directorate, where I transferred in 2012. My main interests are traveling, exploring new places, taking photos, and reading books.

My name is Salih Gider. I was born in Istanbul in 1989. I graduated from Istanbul University Journalism Undergraduate Program and Istanbul University New Media Post-Graduate Program. In the past, I worked as a reporter for various news channels. I have been working as a Flight Attendant in our company since 2013. Photography and tennis are my interests.

I was born in Trabzon. I studied International Relations in Ankara. I started aviation in Istanbul. I am working as a first officer at Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 Fleet. Since my college years, I have written book and movie reviews, essays and published travel articles on my personal blog. I love road trips and discovering new tastes.

I am Umut Aydoğan. I was born in Istanbul in 1975. Traveling and exploring new geographies became my lifestyle after I met Turkish Airlines. I have become a traveler ready to hit the road at the slightest opportunity to show the world to other people through the eyes of a photographer. I am a gastronomy lover and a person interested in local cultures.

My name is Cihan Gülbiten. I was born in 1966 in Kırklareli. I graduated from Kuleli Military High School in 1984, Air Force Academy Aircraft Engineering in 1988, and Air Force Academy in 2001. I joined Turkish Airlines in 2007. I am currently serving as the Commander Captain Pilot in A-330 aircraft. I am married and have a daughter and a son. I enjoy traveling and seeing new places. I have a published book called “How Do I Become a Pilot?”.

My name is Duygu Aksakal. I was born in 1989 in Aydın. I graduated from Ankara University, Department of English and American Philology. I have been working as a cabin clerk at Turkish Airlines since 2013. I am interested in camping, skiing, trekking activities, and I enjoy spending a lot of time in nature. I like to experience different cultures and reflect them in photos I take together with the opportunities provided by my profession.

Hello, my name is Ozan Oğuz Kurt. As a Turkish Airlines Flight Academy graduate and a Co-Pilot Candidate Nominee, I have been serving my company with pleasure for three years. As someone who grew up with aviation and holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism, I have turned traveling and writing into my lifestyle. If I can be a source of inspiration for anyone who is curious about my travels and humble experiences, it would be enough. You will, presumably, encounter a travel and aviation journal that is different from the classic travel articles. You can read about the lesser known and discover the details. Travel, aviation, history, and the stories of people fuse in the same pot. So come, let's explore our planet together…

I was born in Tekirdağ in 1972.
I graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Arabic Language and Literature in 1994. I completed my first Master's degree in 2008 at Bahçeşehir University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Global Politics and International Relations, my second Master's degree in 2010 at Bahçeşehir University, Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Business Administration Program, and my doctoral studies at Bahçeşehir University, Department of Business Administration and Organization program with a full scholarship. I am currently working on my doctoral thesis.
In 1989, I started my professional career as a translator and went on to work in the tourism and aviation industry. I am a licensed tour guide in English and Arabic. I am also the first woman to own a car rental company in Turkey. I became interested in politics and was the youngest member of the Council of Europe. I was the Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Wrestling Federation and a board member at ICTs affiliated to the Istanbul Municipality. I am a lecturer. As a manager, I worked for Moldova Airlines for 3 years and Palestine Airlines for 8 years. I am currently the manager at Turkish Airlines. I ran my own agency for 10 years. After driving the creation of Turkish Airlines' Honorary Observer and Secret Client Unit, I volunteered there for 5 years and then worked as an inspector for 10 years. I have been the General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Bari/Italy for 3.5 years and I speak fluent English, Arabic, intermediate German and Italian.
I love learning about other cultures, travelling, sharing my knowledge in writing or speaking, my family, my friends, loyalty, young people, my country and my flag. I have visited my whole country and about 750 cities in 113 countries.
I'm the author of "Torbayla Yaşamak” and write articles for various websites, especially Name Haber and Turizm News, and for Fashion and Travel Magazine and Food and Travel Magazine.
I am married and I have a son born in 1994, who is a software engineer and studying for his Master's degree in management engineering.

My name is Aykut Mehmet Bildan, I was born in 1986 in Sakarya. I graduated from Sakarya University, Tourism and Hotel Management Department. I am married and have a child. I joined the Turkish Airlines family in 2011 and I am currently working as a cabin chief. While reading, fine arts and the art history of cities are my greatest areas of interest, we have been traveling - as much as possible - to the accompaniment of 'that' song of 'that' city mentioned in 'that' novel for the last 6 years.

My name is Simge Aktaş. I was born in Samsun in 1996. I am currently studying Business Management at Istanbul University. In addition to being a student, I worked as a consultant in different companies. I have been working as a flight attendant at Turkish Airlines since 2019. I have been traveling abroad since I was 18 years old and I've seen more than 50 countries and had experiences in countless cities. I have always felt that this is what made me who I am and I have acted accordingly. I live in harmony with literature, history and travel, with the philosophy as if I was traveling for the "first time" and "last time". I like spending time especially in Scandinavia and Europe.

My name is Ayperi Tınar and I was born in İstanbul, in 1994. I graduated from Kadir Has University Department of International Trade and Logistics in 2016 and then lived in Toronto for a brief period. In the meantime, I began traveling solo and realized that travel is my greatest passion. Since then, all my life decisions have been about nurturing that passion. I’ve been working as a flight attendant at Turkish Airlines since March 2019. Apart from my personal travels, the ability to fly to any point in the world – without a plan – and to share experiences with people I’ve just met, even briefly – is the chief factor feeding my personal motivation.

Hello! My name is Begüm Kandıralı, I was born in Malatya in 1992 and graduated from Hacettepe University State Conservatory Ballet department and Ankara University State Conservatory modern dance department. My love of dance started when I was six. From that time, I’ve participated in competitions, I’ve danced on stage, and I’ve been a choreographer. I also lived in Lisbon. Then I completed my Master's degree in Occupational Health and Safety at Beykent University. Since 2018, I’ve been a cabin crew member with Turkish Airlines. I still practice yoga and follow dance and visual arts activities. In my free time, I draw and read.