Turkish Airlines said no to your compensation claim

Updated 15 October 2026
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.

Your Turkish Airlines flight from Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki or Gothenburg to Istanbul, or onward from there, was hours late or cancelled, and Turkish Airlines said no. First check which direction you flew. With Turkish Airlines that decides whether EU rules apply at all.

We are not affiliated with Turkish Airlines and do not act for it.

Which flights are covered, and which are not

Turkish Airlines (Türk Hava Yolları A.O.) is licensed in Türkiye, so it is not an EU airline. Under Article 3(1) of Regulation 261/2004, that means:

• Nordic airport to Istanbul: covered. Every flight departing an EU or EEA airport is covered, whatever the airline. Norway and Iceland apply the regulation too.
• Istanbul to a Nordic airport: not covered. A flight into the EU is covered only if an EU airline operates it. Türkiye has its own passenger rules (SHY-YOLCU) for Turkish carriers, which we do not handle.
• One booking via Istanbul, outbound: covered all the way. Oslo–Istanbul–Bangkok on one booking counts as one journey from the EU, even with the change of plane outside the EU (Wegener C-537/17). The delay counts at the final destination (Air France v Folkerts C-11/11).
• The way home: not covered, even on the same booking. Bangkok–Istanbul–Oslo on Turkish Airlines falls outside EU261 (Emirates C-173/07). See missed connection.

On a covered flight, compensation is €250, €400 or €600 per passenger for an arrival 3 hours or more late, depending on distance.

What Turkish Airlines says, and what the decisions say back

A technical fault. On Oslo–Istanbul–Amman a tyre problem and then crew out of hours delayed two passengers. Norway's Transportklagenemnda said a technical fault is normally not extraordinary and awarded €1,200 plus €600 (flysmart24, 23 February 2022). See technical fault.

"Only one compensation per journey." In the same case Turkish Airlines paid the €1,200 but refused the second award (flysmart24, 14 March 2022). Decisions are recommendations, so the next step was court.

"Your passport was not valid." On Oslo–Tunis the board found Turkish Airlines could not document that a passport was a problem, and awarded ticket costs plus €400 each for denied boarding. Turkish Airlines rejected the decision and told the family to ask their travel agency (flysmart24, 15 October 2023). But in a 2025 case where a child's passport clearly broke Türkiye's six-month rule, the airline won (flysmart24, 1 August 2025). Check the rule before you argue.

"You claimed too late." In Sweden, Turkish Airlines took a late-notice defence to the Supreme Court. A claim made within two months of the trip is always in time (NJA 2018 s. 127, a case against Turkish Airlines). Passengers who waited more than two years lost. Claim fast.

How to claim from Turkish Airlines

• Where: the feedback form: "Create new feedback", "Feedback and complaints", then "Flight disruptions", where you pick cancellation, delay, missed connection or denied boarding. You can continue without logging in.
• Who can file: yourself, or a relative only for a child under 18 or a parent over 65. Other adults file for themselves or give written authority.
• What Turkish says about EU261: nothing. Its passenger-rights pages have no EU261 notice, amounts or answer time. In a reply on a Belgian consumer site in January 2024, Turkish said it aims to answer within 7 business days; that complaint had waited 7 weeks.
• Vouchers: compensation is paid in money unless you agree in writing to something else. See voucher instead of compensation.

Does Turkish Airlines follow the boards?

Often not. On Råd & Rön's black list of companies that ignore Sweden's ARN, Turkish Airlines had the most cases of all in August 2025 (21). In November 2025 it had 53 cases, worth SEK 627,310, second only to Ryanair. It had 18 in February 2026 and 11 in August 2026. In Norway, Turkish had 6 of the 115 decisions on Transportklagenemnda's list of decisions not followed in October 2023. Build your file as if a judge will read it.

Step by step

1. Check the direction. Only flights departing the Nordics, or a one-booking journey that started there, are covered.
2. Claim in writing within two months if you can, through the feedback form. Claim the amount per passenger in money, and ask for the delay code, the timeline and the evidence.
3. Wait for the answer: about 4 weeks in Sweden and Norway, 6 weeks in Denmark. See airline not responding.
4. Go to the board for the country you flew from. In Sweden, ARN. In Denmark, Trafikstyrelsen with MitID. In Norway, Transportklagenemnda via www.reiselivsforum.no. In Finland, KRIL; Turkish Airlines is not an EU airline, so ask the Consumer Advisory Service which first step it wants. See the Nordic complaint boards and EU261 time limits.
5. Court if Turkish Airlines ignores the decision, which happens.

When it is worth it, and when not

Strong: a technical fault or crew problem on a flight from the Nordics, a missed connection in Istanbul on an outbound one-booking journey, and a passport refusal Turkish Airlines cannot document.

Not covered: a delayed flight from Istanbul to the Nordics, or the return leg of a long-haul trip. Weak: a passport that clearly broke the destination's rules. Not sure? Try the rejection checker.

Appeal My Flight writes the reply to Turkish Airlines and the board complaint for €29 per booking, however many passengers. You send it yourself and keep the payout. We cannot promise an outcome.

FAQ

Our flight from Istanbul to Oslo was 5 hours late. Can we claim under EU261?

No. Turkish Airlines is not an EU airline, and the flight left from outside the EU. Türkiye's own rules may apply, but that is outside what we do.

We flew Stockholm–Istanbul–Bangkok on one ticket and arrived 6 hours late. Are we covered?

Yes. The journey started in the EU on one booking, so it is covered as a whole, and the delay counts in Bangkok. The distance is measured from Stockholm.

Turkish Airlines rejected my claim and now says it was late. Can it do that?

In Sweden, yes: a court held it could still plead late notice after first rejecting the claim (RH 2019:20). A claim within two months is always in time.

Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what EU court rulings say about their excuse.