Flight Delayed or Cancelled at Istanbul Airport: Your Rights

What you may be entitled to

Broadly, air-passenger protections can include one or more of:

• Care — meals, a way to communicate, and accommodation during long or overnight disruptions.
• A refund or re-routing — especially when a flight is cancelled.
• Compensation — in the specific situations the applicable rules define.
• A baggage claim — for luggage lost, delayed or damaged.

Exactly what applies depends on your flight and the governing rules — which is why a single promised figure can mislead.

Which rules apply to your flight?

Passenger rights are not one single law. The right framework depends on the flight:

• SHY-Yolcu — Türkiye's air passenger-rights regulation, relevant to many flights operating in Türkiye.
• Montreal Convention — international carriage, especially baggage and delay-related damages.
• EU261/2004 — where a flight has an EU nexus (for example to/from the EU, or on an EU carrier).

Working out which regime governs your flight is the first real step, because it decides what you can claim.

Long delays

A long delay can trigger a right to care during the wait, and — in defined cases, depending on the length of the delay and the rules — compensation. The reason for the delay can matter: a delay within the airline's control is treated differently from one caused by genuine extraordinary circumstances. Note the scheduled versus actual departure time and keep your boarding pass.

Cancellations

A cancelled flight usually carries a right to a refund or re-routing, and in some situations compensation as well — though whether compensation is due can depend on how much notice you were given and the reason. Do not accept a voucher that quietly waives your rights without checking what you are actually owed.

Denied boarding (overbooking)

If you held a confirmed booking and were refused boarding against your will — often because a flight was overbooked — you may have rights to care, re-routing or a refund, and frequently compensation. Keep your boarding pass and booking, and note what you were told at the gate.

Baggage problems

For luggage lost, delayed or damaged, claims are often handled under the Montreal Convention for international flights. The practical steps matter: ask for a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport before you leave, photograph any damage, keep receipts, and act within the time limit, which can be short.

How to claim

A claim usually runs in stages: gather evidence (booking, boarding pass, the reason given, receipts, any baggage report), put the claim to the airline, and — if it refuses or underpays — escalate to the appropriate consumer or judicial forum. Time limits apply and differ by regime, so it is best not to wait. For how we handle claims, see our flight delays, cancellations & denied boarding page.

What about "extraordinary circumstances"?

Where a disruption is caused by genuine extraordinary circumstances — certain weather or safety events, for example — compensation may not be due. But even then, rights to care and to a refund can still apply. Whether a situation truly qualifies is fact-specific, and airlines do not always apply the label correctly.

How can a lawyer help?

A lawyer can assess your flight and the facts and tell you honestly whether there is a claim worth pursuing, work out which framework applies and what it gives you, put the claim to the airline, and take it to the appropriate forum if refused. We never promise an amount or an outcome — we explain the realistic range. Send us your flight details and we will tell you if there is something to pursue.