Freebird Airlines compensation: which flights qualify
Freebird Airlines is a Turkish leisure airline that has been flying holidaymakers to Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman since 2001. We have received more than 100 Freebird claims. If your flight landed 3 hours or more late, was cancelled at short notice or left without you, you may be owed €250, €400 or €600 per person.
The key point is where your flight took off. Freebird Airlines is based in Istanbul and holds a Turkish licence, so Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 only covers its flights departing from an EU airport, or from Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Flights leaving the UK fall under the UK's own version of the rules. A Freebird flight home from Antalya, operated by the Turkish company, is not covered by either.
Long delay
Your outbound Freebird flight reaches its final destination 3 or more hours behind schedule.
3 hours or moreCancellation
Your holiday flight is scrapped with under two weeks' warning and no close alternative is offered.
Less than 14 days' noticeBumped off the flight
You checked in on time with valid documents but there was no seat for you.
Owed on the spotNot covered
Return legs from Turkey with the Turkish company, and disruption caused by genuinely extraordinary events.
Non-EU departure or extraordinary eventNot sure which rules apply? Check your Freebird flight with just the airports and date.
How much Freebird Airlines pays
It makes no difference whether you booked a seat-only fare or a package holiday. The amount is fixed and depends on the distance between your departure airport and final destination; from northern Europe to the Turkish coast it is almost always €400.
| Distance | Freebird examples from the EU | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Short routes are rare in the Freebird schedule | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Düsseldorf–Antalya, Berlin–Antalya, Munich–Antalya, Cologne/Bonn–Heraklion | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Only with a connecting flight on one booking that started in the EU | €600 |
Each passenger has a separate claim, and children with their own seat count in full. A family of four on a Berlin–Antalya flight that touched down 5 hours late could claim €1,600 in total.
Freebird flight delayed? What to do at the airport
Almost 9 in 10 of the Freebird claims we handle are about delays, often knock-on delays from an A320 flying several rotations a day. The delay is measured when the aircraft door opens at your destination, not at take-off. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass and your tour operator's booking confirmation.
- Ask the holiday rep or check-in desk what caused the delay, and note the time they told you.
- Photograph the departures board showing the revised time.
- Keep receipts for food and drinks if no vouchers were handed out.
- Turn down holiday vouchers offered instead of cash until you know what you're owed.
Meals and hotels while you wait
On flights covered by the Regulation, Freebird must provide refreshments and, for an overnight delay, a hotel and transfers, even when the cause is extraordinary.
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (e.g. Munich–Antalya) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can cancel the trip and get the fare back |
Missed connections
If you were on a single booking that started in the EU and a late first leg made you miss the next one, what counts is your arrival time at the final destination, and compensation is based on the full journey distance. Separate tickets are treated as separate flights. More on our page about Freebird delay compensation.
Freebird flight cancelled: refund plus compensation
Always available after a cancellation: you choose between your money back and re-routing.
Paid on top if the flight left from the EU and you heard about the cancellation less than 14 days before.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | None, but refund or re-routing still apply |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours late |
Departure time moved by many hours? A big schedule change announced shortly before travel can count as a cancellation. Read more about Freebird cancellation compensation.
Freebird overbooking and denied boarding
Being bumped is rare with Freebird, around 1 in 100 of our claims. If it happens on a flight from the EU because the plane is full, compensation is due straight away, together with a new flight or a refund. An expired passport or a missed gate closure doesn't count. Our guide to Freebird overbooking explains the details.
Freebird strikes and compensation
If Freebird pilots or cabin crew walk out, the airline normally still has to pay: the Court of Justice of the EU treats a strike by an airline's own staff as part of its normal business (case C-28/20). Air traffic control strikes over France or elsewhere are a different matter: no compensation, though meals, hotels and the choice of refund or re-routing still apply.
Freebird turned down your claim? Common reasons
Faults found during operation are part of running an airline. The exception is a hidden manufacturing defect reported by the maker or the authorities.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-549/07Correct that EU law doesn't apply, but UK rules do. We check which ones fit your journey.
True for the Turkish company. We first check whether Freebird Airlines Europe operated it.
Freebird Airlines or Freebird Airlines Europe?
There are two companies in the group. Freebird Airlines, code FH, is Turkish with its main base in Antalya. Freebird Airlines Europe was set up in Malta and started flying in 2019, with bases in Germany such as Cologne/Bonn: it is an EU airline. The operator's name appears on your booking or boarding pass. With the Maltese company, return flights from Turkey to an EU airport are covered too.
Freebird flights from the UK
Many of the Freebird claims we see are on routes between Antalya and London Gatwick, Birmingham, Glasgow, Bristol or Exeter. Here is how they work:
- flights departing the UK follow UK passenger rights law, which mirrors the EU rules with amounts in pounds
- return flights from Antalya with the Turkish company are not covered by EU or UK compensation rules
- outbound flights to Turkey from Germany or another EU country are covered by the EU Regulation
How to claim from Freebird: on your own or with us
You can contact Freebird through the official website, quoting your flight number, date and passenger names.
Free, but you deal with a foreign airline, answer its objections and, if it won't pay, go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or to court.
Two minutes to fill in the form and sign online. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. You pay only if you win: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Freebird has already said no
Forward us its reply. Outbound flights are sometimes rejected with a reason that only applies to returns from Turkey; if so, we start again with a formal demand.
What you'll need
- Booking or boarding passYour tour operator confirmation with the flight number is fine.
- Passport or IDFor each traveller, children included.
- Evidence of the disruptionTexts from the rep or airline, photos, receipts.
How long you have to claim
The Regulation sets no deadline; it depends on the law of the country where you bring the claim, as the Court of Justice of the EU confirmed in case C-139/11. A Turkish holiday from a few summers ago may still qualify: enter the date and we'll tell you.
How long Freebird compensation takes
If Freebird accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it disputes it, a formal demand and possibly court action add a few months. We email you at each stage and transfer your share as soon as the money reaches us.
Lost or damaged luggage on a Freebird flight
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention, not the delay rules. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then send a written claim within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
Freebird Airlines contact details and flight information
- Head office
- Freebird Airlines, Istanbul, Turkey; Freebird Airlines Europe, Malta
- Complaints
- Contact section of the official website freebirdairlines.com
- Flight information
- Freebird Airlines website or your tour operator
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling