Turkish Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

Turkish Airlines compensation: €250, €400 or €600 when you fly from Europe

We have handled more than 300 Turkish Airlines claims, many of them for journeys connecting in Istanbul on the way to the Middle East, Asia and Africa. If your Turkish Airlines flight from the UK or an EU country arrived 3 hours or more late, was cancelled shortly before departure or left without you because it was overbooked, you could be owed €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, depending on the distance to your final destination.

Turkish Airlines is the flag carrier of Turkey, based in Istanbul, so it is not a European airline. Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 it only owes compensation on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland; flights from the UK follow the British version of the rules. London–Istanbul is covered, the return from Istanbul is not.

Had a connection and unsure which leg counts? Enter your departure airport, final destination and date for a free check. Check your Turkish Airlines flight.

How much Turkish Airlines pays: it depends on your final destination

The ticket price is irrelevant. What matters is the straight-line distance between the European airport you left from and the final destination on your booking, not the stop in Istanbul. Here are examples from the Turkish Airlines network, including the routes we see most.

Compensation is paid per passenger: four people on a Madrid–Istanbul–Dubai booking that arrived 5 hours late are owed €2,400 between them, and a child with their own seat gets the same as an adult. For flights from the UK the British rules apply, with amounts in pounds.

Delayed Turkish Airlines flight: what to do

Delays are behind more than 6 in 10 of the Turkish Airlines claims we handle, and many start with a connection missed at Istanbul Airport. What counts is when the first door opens at your final destination. While you wait:

1. Keep every boarding pass, for the first flight and the connection, so the whole journey can be pieced together.
2. Save notifications from the Turkish Airlines app and any emails about the delay and its cause.
3. If you miss your connection in Istanbul, get the new boarding pass from the transfer desk and hold on to it.
4. Keep receipts for meals, transport and hotels: if no care was provided, you can claim them back.
5. Do not accept Miles&Smiles miles or vouchers instead of cash until you know what you are owed.

Meals and hotel: what Turkish Airlines owes you while you wait

On departures from Europe, whatever caused the delay, Turkish Airlines must provide meals and drinks and, if the flight moves to the next day, a hotel and transfers.

Missed connection in Istanbul

This is the classic Turkish Airlines case. If you had a single booking from Europe, say London–Istanbul–Dubai, and the late first flight made you miss the connection, your arrival time in Dubai is what counts: with 3 hours or more delay, compensation is based on the full London–Dubai distance, even though the second flight leaves from Turkey. If the Istanbul–Dubai flight was on a separate ticket, it is not covered. Read more about compensation for a delayed Turkish Airlines flight.

Cancelled Turkish Airlines flight: refund and compensation

Around 1 in 4 of the Turkish Airlines claims we handle involves a cancellation. Accepting the replacement flight does not rule out compensation: they are two different rights.

Retimed flights. If Turkish Airlines moved your departure from London or Madrid by several hours just days before you flew, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Already refunded? See whether compensation is owed as well. Full details on refunds for a cancelled Turkish Airlines flight.

Turkish Airlines overbooking: denied boarding

Denied boarding is unusually common with Turkish Airlines: it accounts for about 1 in 10 of the claims we handle. If you are turned away at a European gate because the flight is full, despite a valid ticket and arriving on time, Turkish Airlines owes you compensation immediately, plus a new flight or a refund. If boarding was refused in Istanbul on the onward leg of a trip that began in Europe, the case needs a closer look: check it with us.

No compensation is due if the refusal was down to you, such as missing visas or invalid travel documents, or reaching the gate after it closed. More in our guide to Turkish Airlines overbooking and denied boarding.

Turkish Airlines strikes and compensation

If your flight was cancelled or delayed by a strike of Turkish Airlines' own staff, such as pilots or cabin crew, compensation is normally owed: the EU Court of Justice treats industrial action by an airline's employees as part of its normal activity (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or staff at a European airport is an outside cause: no compensation, but care and a refund or rerouting are still owed.

Turkish Airlines rejected your claim? The usual replies

Turkish Airlines often turns claims down citing extraordinary circumstances or saying the flight is not covered. Here is how the most common answers stand up.

Turkish Airlines flights from Turkey: what EU rules do not cover

From its hub at Istanbul Airport, Turkish Airlines flies to more than 120 countries, so many requests involve flights that do not start in Europe. In short:

• covered: Turkish Airlines flights from EU countries, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland
• covered under UK rules: flights from London and other UK airports
• covered: connections in Istanbul on a single booking that began in Europe or the UK
• not covered: flights from Turkey to Europe, including the return leg of the same ticket, and stand-alone non-EU flights such as Istanbul–Dubai

AJet and codeshare flights. AJet, the group's low-cost airline, is based at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen and is also Turkish, so the same rules apply. If a flight with a TK number is operated by a European Star Alliance partner, the claim goes to that airline and flights into the EU are covered too.

How to claim from Turkish Airlines: on your own or with us

You can contact Turkish Airlines yourself through the feedback form in the Customer Relations section of its website, giving your booking code, flight number and passenger details.

If Turkish Airlines has already refused

You can pass us the case after a first rejection: if the reason is unfounded, we send the airline a formal letter before action.

Documents to have ready

• Booking and boarding passesFor every flight on the trip, including the connection.
• Passport or IDFor each passenger, children included.
• Messages from Turkish AirlinesEmails, texts or app notifications, plus expense receipts.

Time limit for a Turkish Airlines claim

The Regulation sets no deadline: the law of the country where you bring the claim decides, as the EU Court of Justice made clear in case C-139/11. A flight from a few years back may still be claimable: enter the date and we will check.

How long Turkish Airlines takes to pay

If Turkish Airlines accepts the claim, payment usually follows within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal letter and sometimes court action are needed, adding a few months. We update you by email and, once the airline pays, send your share by bank transfer: from €250 you receive €173.75, from €400 you receive €278.

Lost or damaged luggage with Turkish Airlines

Luggage is covered by the Montreal Convention, not Regulation 261/2004. If your case does not arrive after the Istanbul connection or comes back damaged, complete a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before leaving the airport and write to Turkish Airlines within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for a delay.

Turkish Airlines contact details and flight status

Head office

Türk Hava Yolları (Turkish Airlines), Yeşilköy, Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey

Hub

Istanbul Airport; low-cost AJet flies from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen

Claims

Feedback form in the Customer Relations section of turkishairlines.com

Flight status

Turkish Airlines app or the official website