An improvement of the Blanco-Koldobsky-Turn\v{s}ek characterization of isometries
We present an improvement of the Blanco-Koldobsky-Turn\v{s}ek characterization of isometries in normed linear spaces by using the concept of level vectors of an operator. In this context, we characterize level vectors entirely through directional preservation of Birkhoff-James orthogonality and analyze the associated geometric and structural phenomena that they induce. Furthermore, in spaces whose unit balls possess the \textit{Krein-Milman property}, we derive an additional refinement of the Blanco-Koldobsky-Turn\v{s}ek characterization of isometries.