Turkish Airlines flight delay and refusal to compensate (page 1 of 3)

We bought round-trip tickets from Mulhouse/Basel to Maun (Botswana) in January 2023 through Option Way.

Turkish Airlines issued the entire round-trip tickets. The flight plan was:

31 August 2023: TK 926 from Basel/Mulhouse to Istanbul and TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg 1 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)300 from Johannesburg to Maun. 11 September 2023: Airlink (4Z)301 from Maun to Johannesburg and TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul 12 September 2023: TK1923 from Istanbul to Basel/Mulhouse.

On 1 September, on the outbound trip, Turkish Airlines flight TK38 from Istanbul to Johannesburg arrived 1 hour and 30 minutes late due to airport congestion. As a result, we missed our connection with Airlink flight (4Z) 300 from Johannesburg to Botswana (even though the initial layover time was sufficient for the connection). Upon arrival at Johannesburg Airport, a Turkish Airlines agent greeted us, booked us a room near the airport, and rebooked us on the same flight for the following day, 2 September. On 2 September, after numerous difficulties checking in at the Airlink counter in Johannesburg, we finally reached our final destination with a 24-hour delay. We lost our first day of vacation in Botswana, including the activities that were planned for that day. On 11 September, during our return trip and almost certainly due to the rescheduling of the outbound flight, the Airlink check-in counter in Maun did not recognize our tickets issued by Turkish Airlines. After many searches and phone calls, we had to buy new tickets for the Maun/Johannesburg flight 4Z301. This cost us 9,306 Botswana pula (643 €). Upon arrival in Johannesburg, the Turkish Airlines check-in counter again had trouble identifying us for flight TK43 from Johannesburg to Istanbul. It’s clear that the root of our check-in problems stemmed from the renumbering of our tickets when the Turkish Airlines representative rebooked us on the Airlink (4Z)300 flight for 2 September. During this process, all subsequent flight tickets must have been canceled. Since our return, I’ve requested the following from Turkish Airlines: · Compensation under the European Regulation EC 261/2004 of 11 February 2004 for flight delays, amounting to 600 € per passenger. We meet all the conditions: departure from a Franco/Swiss airport, arrival at the final destination more than 4 hours late, and a distance greater than 3,500 kilometers. Turkish Airlines has not provided evidence that they did everything possible to avoid this delay. · Reimbursement for the Airlink Maun/Johannesburg tickets on 11 September, which we had to pay again to Airlink even though we had already paid for them through our agent, Option Way. Turkish Airlines refuses compensation on the grounds that they complied with all regulations. Turkish Airlines and Airlink are passing the buck when it comes to reimbursing the tickets we paid for twice. For Turkish Airlines, claims can only be made through their website, and each time a different agent responds. I’ve contacted our insurance, legal protection, the travel ombudsman... without success. Currently, the case is with a lawyer working for "Air Indemnité," but I have little hope. Obviously, I won’t be flying with Turkish Airlines again—they seem to have a habit of not respecting schedules or customer satisfaction. A good lesson for planning very long layovers.

Hello,

Your case isn’t straightforward, first because you bought a flight through a third-party site with two airlines that are indeed partners on certain routes but aren’t really closely aligned.

Turkish issued the ticket, put you up when there was a delay on the outbound flight—so far, that seems pretty decent. Then came the issue with the ticket no longer being recognized, right? And you didn’t notice when you checked your booking? I always keep an eye on my reservations like a hawk in these situations. In fact, the Turkish Airlines app usually suggests options for follow-up flights if you miss one and indicates any additional payments required.

Indeed, if the ticket number was changed, they won’t be able to find you, and that’s a serious mistake—not on Turkish’s part, but on Airlink’s. For this kind of destination, it’s often more sensible to book separate flights, allowing for a buffer night on the way there and back—or at least, say, 8 to 10 hours—rather than trying to piece together mismatched connections.

Obviously, I won’t be flying with Turkish Airlines again, as they seem to have a habit of not respecting schedules or customer satisfaction.

Well, you won’t be traveling much at all then. TK isn’t great with customer service, and as a global airline, their agents struggle to handle the particular and complex cases that come up. We think our situation is the center of the universe, but between misunderstandings, language barriers, and complexity, they really do have a hard time keeping up—and simply understanding requests, just as we struggle to explain them clearly. Try reaching out on Facebook publicly; often, their customer service will take notice. But to say they’re more delayed than others is simply untrue. You’d be in for some real disappointments if you switched to, say, Lufthansa, especially with connections in Frankfurt. Personally, I’m probably going to have a tough time getting the 250 € Lot Polish owes me after a cancellation the other day. As for delays, there are plenty of studies and rankings out there. Here’s one from *La Dépêche*, based on last summer’s data, I think: https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/09/05/quelles-compagnies-ont-connu-le-plus-de-retards-et-dannulations-de-vols-cet-ete-12178684.php

The title of your post is a bit misleading: the issue isn’t a “flight delay” but a mishandling of the ticket during the first layover.

Michel

Hello and thank you for your reply. We arrived in Botswana and headed into the bush, where we had no internet access. The Turkish Airlines agent gave us a sheet with writing we couldn’t understand, which we handed over to the Airlink counter. The agent who managed to get us on the Airlink flight on September 2nd kept that sheet. We left feeling confident, but it still ruined our trip because we had a bad feeling about it. Maybe there was a change in ticket numbering (we never actually had the tickets in hand!), but Turkish didn’t notify anyone—neither Option Way, Airlink, nor even their own staff. I should also mention that a few days before our departure, Turkish changed the schedule, and our layover in Johannesburg was reduced by an hour. And it was impossible to change the flight because everything was either fully booked or incompatible. You’re making me nervous because I’m planning a trip to Namibia for 2025, and our flight plan would be Luxembourg/Frankfurt/Windhoek operated by Lufthansa. I’ve also seen negative comments about this airline—staff go on strike regularly, which doesn’t reassure me. It’s true that I’m thinking of booking directly with the airlines instead of using a broker next time. If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it!

Hello,

To ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible, it's best not to dive straight into your full itinerary right after arrival—plan for a 24-hour buffer instead. Same goes for connections: allow plenty of time! And don’t stack too many of them. One layover is fine, but more than that can quickly turn into a nightmare.

And of course, book directly on the airline’s website.

All airlines face delays or rerouting issues. I’ve had problems with AF, Lufthansa, Iberia, EasyJet...

It’s easier to communicate with Air France, but that doesn’t mean compensation will be paid out any faster...

Traditional airlines generally have better rebooking services. With low-cost carriers, it’s every traveler for themselves...

For Namibia, there aren’t many options.

Yes...

For Luxembourg to Windhoek, what are you looking at? There are Cityline, Air Dolomiti flights, and for the long-haul part, I don’t think it’s Lufthansa but Discover.

Then it’s via Frankfurt or Munich; Munich is a better airport, easier, smoother, and in Frankfurt, I’d say you should allow at least 3 hours.

Of course, buy on the airline’s website, but check if it’s cheaper on Lufthansa’s site when the flight is operated by another airline—sometimes it’s less expensive on the other airline’s site. For example, I recently bought an Air Baltic flight and was able to fly business class by booking on Air Baltic’s site for almost the price of an economy ticket on Lufthansa’s site.

Maybe there was a change in ticket numbering (we never actually had the tickets in hand!), but Turkish didn’t notify anyone—neither Option Way, Airlink, nor even their own staff.

From what you’re describing, I think Airlink, not having control over the TK ticket, issued a new one and broke the itinerary, which led to the cancellation of the rest. You can find the ticket number on your boarding passes.

Michel

We’ve already transited through Frankfurt when coming from Luxembourg. Generally, Luxair is on time, and they have several flights a day to Frankfurt. The advantage with Lufthansa is that the Frankfurt/Windhoek flights are direct. From what I remember, check-in at Frankfurt is a bit chaotic, but the connections are quicker.

Luxembourg works well for us. We live in Lorraine. We’d be traveling outside of school holidays, probably in May, so the airports might be less crowded.

Of course, we’re never safe from a surprise strike!

I don’t get the impression there are Luxembourg–Frankfurt flights on Luxair, and on Lufthansa’s site, in May, I did see Luxair connections but with another layover—I think Vienna. Munich, on the other hand, yes. There are direct Luxembourg–Frankfurt flights on LH, though.

Frankfurt is always packed, and in terms of delays, it’s probably the worst airport in Europe.

Michel

Hello,

First and foremost: always buy your **flight tickets directly from the airline** using a single booking. And always single booking, even for multi-destination trips. Does your reservation have a SINGLE PNR number?

Assuming it was indeed a single booking:

- Connecting flight from Mulhouse to Maun. This is considered ONE connecting flight departing from the European Union (multiple stops, as per the Court of Justice of the European Union). Note that the entire airport is in France. The "Swiss zone" of the airport is only a customs and police agreement, so it has no impact on the application of EU Regulation 261/2004. This is important because, while Regulation 261/2004 applies to Switzerland, it does not provide compensation for delays since the right to compensation for "3 hours or more" delays only comes from CJEU case law, not the regulation itself. And CJEU case law does not apply to Switzerland. Since you arrived at your final destination with a delay of "3 hours or more" exceeding 4 hours, you are entitled to 600 € per paying passenger, unless the airline can PROVE (mere claims are not enough) that the issue was due to (quoting) "extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken." See here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/force-majeure-circonstances-exceptionnelles-circonstances-extraordinaires-quest-ce-que-cest-definition-refus-dindemnisation/

See the procedure to follow here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2022/04/18/retard-premier-vol-correspondance-manquee/

"We lost our first day of vacation in Botswana, including the activities that were planned for that day." This has no legal bearing and doesn’t even need to be mentioned. By bringing it up, you’re only showing your lack of legal knowledge, which can only work against you.

Connecting flight on September 11th: Don’t get bogged down in multiple explanations, and even less in assumptions. Note that this flight is not covered by EU Regulation 261/2004 since it’s a flight departing from a non-EU country operated by a non-European airline. However, Turkey has adopted a law that is almost a copy of EU Regulation 261/2004. See here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/ First flight segment: Same as before: Don’t get bogged down in multiple explanations or assumptions. File a claim for denied boarding since you had a confirmed reservation and presented yourself at the airport on time. Since this was ONE connecting flight, with one segment operated by Turkish Airlines, the claim must be made to Turkish under Turkish law, not EU Regulation 261/2004. Plus, of course, reimbursement for the ticket you had to rebook.

Regarding the return connecting flight, since neither EU Regulation 261/2004 nor CJEU case law applies, you’ll need to rely on the exact wording of Turkish law to define what constitutes a "connecting flight" and what "final destination" implies.

Finally, while the outbound flight shouldn’t be too difficult to handle (the local court with jurisdiction over Mulhouse Airport is competent), the same isn’t true for the return flight—unless Turkish Airlines is cooperative—since you’d need to take legal action in Turkey.

"For Turkish Airlines, claims can only be made through their website." An airline (or anyone else) cannot impose conditions that don’t exist in the law for its application.

However, you’ve entrusted your case to one of those agencies that take "25 or 30%" (excluding taxes). All these agencies include in their terms and conditions (which you accept with a single click) that if you eventually get compensation on your own, their commission is still due. Plus, you’d have to be pretty naive to believe that for 25% of 600 €, 400 €, or 250 € (150 €, 100 €, or 62.50 €), the agency will do anything more than send a letter you could’ve sent yourself. We’re light-years away from a lawyer’s fees... unless the agency has gathered a large number of cases for the same flight. If that works, it’s a win, and if not, the investment wasn’t too heavy.

Best regards,

Hi there,

You might face real disappointments if you turn, for example, to Lufthansa, especially with layovers in Frankfurt

That’s exactly what happened to me. We took a flight from Toulouse to Chennai with a layover in Frankfurt (January 2025). The Toulouse to Frankfurt flight was canceled with no alternative rebooking offered. So how were we supposed to get to Frankfurt? 😕 I called them to find a solution. They proposed rebooking the flights for the day after the original date, which—due to the schedule—meant spending a night in Frankfurt. Not wanting to lose a day of our trip, we asked to leave the day before the originally planned date. Everything was approved with no extra fees, but we’ll have to pay for the hotel, taxi, meals, etc., out of pocket—even though it’s not our fault.

Do you think it’ll be possible to get reimbursed for these additional expenses?

Hello,

You’re entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred during the unexpected overnight stay in Frankfurt. Check this out: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2021/03/02/remboursement-frais-en-attente-du-vol-retarde-ou-de-reacheminement/

The legal basis for this is detailed in an ongoing case here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/

Best regards

Hi there,

Are you really sure about that?

From what I understand, the airline offered the next day, probably the same route 24 hours later, but Kate asked instead to move the connecting flight forward to the day before, while keeping the long-haul flight. So it was at the passenger’s request, no extra cost, but also no actual delay in the end.

In spirit, it’s eligible, but what about the letter of the law?

Michel

Hello,

"So it's at the passenger's initiative, free of charge, but also without any final delay."

No. You need to reread: - Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and more specifically its paragraph 1, "In the event of cancellation of a flight, the passengers concerned" (we are indeed in this situation), then under a (rerouting), and under b (right to care). Then Articles 8 and 9.

"In spirit, it's eligible, but in the letter of the law?"

The law is about the exact wording, down to the comma. Nothing in the wording of Articles 5, 8, and 9 allows the right to care to be dismissed—quite the opposite. Reread the two links I already shared!

Best regards,

Thanks for your replies.

If I understood the story correctly, the airline offered the following day, probably the same route 24 hours later, but Kate asked instead to move the connecting flight forward to the day before, while keeping the long-haul flight.

If I had chosen Lufthansa’s solution, we would have still been forced to spend a night in Frankfurt. The flight to Chennai from Frankfurt is at 10 AM, so you have to arrive the day before. The original early morning flight from Toulouse has been completely canceled every day. So, whether a day before or a day after, the night in Frankfurt became unavoidable. (Which adds an extra cost of around 300 € for the four of us: hotel, taxi, meals...)

Since Lufthansa is the champion of resisting passenger rights (https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/10/23/lufthansa-championne-du-refus-des-droits-des-passagers/), the only question is: are you ready to file a "European small claims procedure" with the local court that has jurisdiction over Toulouse airport if Lufthansa doesn’t respond favorably within two months after sending a registered letter? Best regards,

When was the flight canceled?

"You are not entitled to compensation if the airline notifies you of the cancellation under the following conditions:

- At least 2 weeks before departure

- Between 7 days and 2 weeks before departure by offering you a replacement flight departing no earlier than 2 hours before the scheduled departure time and arriving less than 4 hours later than planned

- Less than 7 days before departure by offering you a replacement flight departing no earlier than 1 hour before the scheduled departure time and arriving less than 2 hours later than planned"

In short, if Lufthansa notified you well in advance, you’re not entitled to anything.

I’ve noticed that Lufthansa no longer has the network it used to. I’m planning to go to Thailand from Lyon. Lufthansa was one of the options...

Okay, I’ll try sending a letter with the invoices attached, but I won’t start a "European small claims procedure" like Elviajeropar mentioned.

In short, if Lufthansa informed you well in advance, you're not entitled to anything.

Hello,

Here, you're confusing the right to compensation under Article 7 of EU Regulation 261/2004 (250, 400, or 600 € depending on the distance) with the right to re-routing and care under Articles 8 and 9 of the same regulation, within the framework of Articles 5 (cancellations), 4 (denied boarding), or 6 (delays).

As you mentioned, there’s no right to compensation if the passenger is informed more than 14 days in advance.

But this has nothing to do with the right to re-routing and care (Articles 8 and 9), which is available without any prior notice requirement. The same goes for the right to a refund if the passenger chooses that instead of re-routing.

Best regards,

Unless I'm mistaken, if a passenger is notified that their flight is canceled more than 14 days before departure, they're not entitled to anything. They can accept a re-routing (if the airline offers it) or a refund for their ticket. If the re-routing causes them to lose or gain days or incur additional expenses, that's on them.

Kate didn’t mention when her flight was canceled. (I think)

Good evening! 🙂🤪...

When you're not really into legal stuff, it's a bit hard to follow.

So, I’m sharing my recent case. I had a flight with LOT Polish – Vienna VIE to Warsaw WAW to Riga RIX, to be honest, on October 24th. On October 17th, LOT announced the cancellation of the VIE-WAW leg and only offered me a rebooking 48 hours later, on the 26th. I refused and asked for a refund. They did it in less than 7 days, so contract fulfilled. Am I also entitled to ask them for 250 €? It’s a European flight under 1500 km, right? I filled out the form to request it, and for now, I’m just waiting to see what happens.

Michel

Yes.

EasyJet canceled my flight 4 hours before (so less than 14 days before departure). Refund for the flight + compensation.

No fuss, either.

(And they even refunded all the expenses I incurred to get back to the departure airport!)