Compensation for a delayed or cancelled Turkish Airlines flight

Compensation for a delayed Turkish Airlines flight

Passengers can claim compensation of €250 to €600 for a delayed Turkish Airlines flight if they reach their final destination 3 hours or more late. The arrival delay is counted until at least one of the aircraft doors is opened and passengers can leave the aircraft, not until the moment of landing.

Which rules apply depends on the direction: flights from Sofia and Varna to Istanbul and journeys with a connection in Istanbul that start in Bulgaria are covered by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, and flights departing from Türkiye by SHY-PASSENGER. The two regimes differ in some details - see what applies to flights from, to and via Türkiye.

What are your rights when your Turkish Airlines flight is delayed?

The table summarises the main rights under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. On flights covered by the Turkish SHY-PASSENGER regulation, the thresholds for care also depend on the distance, but the conditions for financial compensation for delays are different. If the delay is 5 hours or more, under both regimes you can give up the trip and ask for a refund of the ticket price.

Under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Turkish Airlines may be released from paying compensation in extraordinary circumstances - for example, severe weather, air traffic restrictions or certain airport problems - if it proves that the particular circumstance caused the delay of the flight and that the delay could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Ordinary technical faults are, as a rule, not extraordinary circumstances. For flights covered by SHY-PASSENGER, the conditions for compensation for delays are set separately by the Turkish regulation.

Missed a connection in Istanbul with Turkish Airlines?

If you travel from Sofia or Varna with a connection in Istanbul and both flights are on a single booking, they are treated as one journey to your final destination. If the delay of the flight to Istanbul makes you miss your next flight and you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late, you can claim compensation, even if the flight to Istanbul itself was delayed by less than 3 hours.

The amount of compensation is based on the distance between your departure airport in Bulgaria and your final destination, calculated using the great circle method (the shortest distance between the two airports over the Earth's surface), not on the sum of the two flights. That is why, with a connection in Istanbul to a long-haul destination, the compensation is often €600, even though the flight to Istanbul is short.

If the flights are on separate bookings, they are, as a rule, treated as separate journeys for the purposes of compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. You can claim compensation for the first flight if it reached its own destination 3 hours or more late and the other legal conditions are met.

On the return journey to Bulgaria - for example, Bangkok - Istanbul - Sofia, booked as one journey - Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 does not apply, because the journey starts outside the EU and is operated by a Turkish carrier. For flights covered by the Turkish SHY-PASSENGER regulation, rights to compensation may arise under its rules - see what applies when travelling to Bulgaria via Istanbul.

Compensation for flights with a connection in Istanbul - from Sofia and Varna

The table shows the possible compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 for journeys with a connection in Istanbul that start in Bulgaria, by final destination. The distance is calculated between the departure airport and the final destination, so for the same destination the amount from Sofia and from Varna may differ.

Distances are calculated using the great circle method, as required by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and the Turkish SHY-PASSENGER regulation. The amount shown is the possible compensation - your entitlement depends on the other conditions of the Regulation, and in certain cases the compensation may be reduced.

Compensation for a cancelled Turkish Airlines flight

If a Turkish Airlines flight covered by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 is cancelled, passengers can claim compensation of €250 to €600 if they were told less than 14 days before the scheduled departure, unless the airline proves that an extraordinary circumstance caused the cancellation of that particular flight and that the cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, or it offered re-routing that meets the conditions of the Regulation. Besides financial compensation, the Regulation also gives you the right to choose between a refund of the ticket price and re-routing to your final destination, as well as the right to care - meals, refreshments and, if needed, accommodation. Care is owed even when the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances.

If you travel with a connection in Istanbul on a single booking and the second flight - from Istanbul to your final destination - is cancelled, the compensation is also based on the distance from your departure airport in Bulgaria to your final destination.

How much compensation does Turkish Airlines have to pay?

When Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies, the amount of compensation depends on the flight distance:

On flights covered by the Turkish SHY-PASSENGER regulation, the amounts for international flights are also €250, €400 or €600 depending on the distance, and for domestic flights within Türkiye the compensation is €100. The detailed conditions are described on the page on flights from, to and via Türkiye.

If you are re-routed, the airline may, under certain conditions, reduce the compensation by 50%.

Check how much compensation you can get for your Turkish Airlines flight

Refund of the ticket price and other expenses

If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding, the airline must offer you a choice between re-routing to your final destination and a refund of the ticket price. The choice is yours - Turkish Airlines cannot force an alternative flight on you instead of a refund. If your flight is delayed by 5 hours or more, you have the right to give up the trip and ask for a refund of the ticket price.

When can you ask Turkish Airlines for a refund of your ticket?

• your flight was cancelled and you chose a refund instead of re-routing;
• your flight was delayed by 5 hours or more and you decided not to travel;
• you were denied boarding and chose a refund instead of re-routing.

The refund covers the price of the unused parts of the ticket and is due within 7 days. It is paid in cash or by bank transfer, and a voucher can only be given with your written agreement.

A ticket refund is not compensation. These are two separate rights, and getting one does not cancel the other. If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding, you do not lose your right to compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 just because you accepted a refund of your ticket or re-routing.

What other expenses can you claim from Turkish Airlines?

• the cost of meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and transport if you waited for the delayed or replacement flight, including in Istanbul after a missed connection, and Turkish Airlines did not provide them;
• the costs you incurred to reach your final destination if you were not offered a choice between re-routing and a refund and had to arrange the journey yourself.

How does the process of collecting your compensation work?

You can follow the progress of your claim in your personal account, and we email you whenever there is a change in your case. If you have any questions, you can always contact us by phone too.

Did the airline refuse to pay you?

The airline’s refusal does not necessarily mean that you are not entitled to compensation. The reason given in the refusal is not always sufficient to release the airline from liability.

See why airlines refuse to pay compensation and how you can proceed.