NYC Mayor Eric Adams Was A Fool: Here’s How He Could Have Flown Business Class Without Breaking The Law

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.