By now you have read about the indictment of the Mayor of New York, Mayor Adams. The failing NYT has a great article, Lie-Flat Seats and Chilled Champagne: Testing Eric Adams’s Upgrade Life, detailing the mayor’s keenness on flying Turkish Airlines. Unfortunately, it’s not all miles and smiles, for the mayor. The SDNY has indicted Mayor Adams for corruptly accepting more than $100,000 in illegal gifts, including expensive airline seats and stays in hotels, in exchange for using his political influence to help Turkey.
As an attorney, I need more details before I make a determination whether such charges are warranted. As a travel blogger, I wonder why Mayor Adams has not been reading my blog. Had he done so, he could have avoided this headache. Like the mayor, I have flown Turkish more times than I can count. Like the mayor, I too have enjoyed the mezze on the flight. Unlike the mayor, I am not enthralled with the Turkish Lounge (see Why I Still Don’t Like the Turkish Lounge in IST). Unlike the mayor, I know that Turkish doesn’t route through Instanbul (sic) on the way to Easter Island, though I applaud his creativity and desire to increase his Country Count (see Where I’ve Been). Critically, unlike the mayor, I know that points, not an alleged quid-pro-quo arrangement, is the best way to enjoy the benefits of business.
My favorite part of the NYT article reads as follows:
Cenk Öcal, who as general manager of Turkish Airlines in New York was said in the indictment to have served as the point person for Mr. Adams’s numerous seat-upgrade requests, seems to have understood this all too well, dangling business-class seats in front of the mayor as both carrot and stick. After Mr. Adams was elected mayor, Mr. Öcal began angling for a spot on his transition committee:
“It would suit me well to be lead Or Senior Advisor,” Mr. Öcal wrote in a text to an Adams staffer, according to the indictment. “Lead Plz :).” He later texted, and then added — deploying perhaps the most horrifying generic threat imaginable to someone terrified of being relegated to the back of the plane — “Otherwise seat number 52 is empty.”
As an attorney, I find these texts to be incriminating. As a travel blogger, I empathize with the mayor by quoting Kamala Harris, “We’re not going back . . . to peasant class.”
The following is not legal advice:
If you’re going to be busted over airline upgrades, make the charge worth it by flying Emirates, SQ, or Cathay. The latter comes with this prison jumpsuit:
Call the Fashion Police! The mayor of New York has committed a major faux pas. Given Adams is determined to wear orange, he should have color coordinated all his flights with Easy Jet.
This blog post is an absolute gem! The way it captures the complexity of the situation with Mayor Adams is both insightful and engaging. The author does an excellent job of highlighting the stark contrast between the mayor’s luxurious travels—enjoying first-class flights and stays at high-end hotels—and the serious corruption charges now looming over him. It’s a compelling read that really draws you into the story, making you appreciate the nuances of power, privilege, and the consequences of overstepping. I love how the post not only presents the facts but also weaves in the broader implications of political influence, making it both informative and thought-provoking. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in how luxury and politics can collide.
The feds going after Adams over an alleged piddly $100k worth of upgrades…feels like some serious “reaching” is going on here. Payback for him not staying quiet about NYC’s migrant issues? Setting a “precedent” before they go after their “big fish”? What say you, TPOL?
Best. TPOL. Evah.
Yes!