The rules of the Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation are actually quite simple. In most cases, everything comes down to two key factors:

1. Where your flight departs from
2. And which airline operates it

If your flight departs from Turkey, SHY usually applies. If it does not, the country of the airline becomes the deciding factor. There are only a few exceptions, and once you understand them, it becomes easy to tell whether you are protected under Turkish passenger rights law or not.

If you are flying with an airline registered in Turkey, SHY applies.

If it’s a different airline, it depends.

When Does Turkish SHY Regulation Apply?

The Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation applies in the following situations:

1. All flights departing from Turkey. You are protected under SHY if your flight departs from any airport in Turkey, regardless of your destination or the airline operating the flight. All airlines. All flights.
2. All domestic flights within Turkey. All domestic flights between Turkish airports are fully covered by the SHY Passenger Regulation. In most situations, these are flights operated by Turkish airlines.
3. All flights operated by Turkish airlines. All flights operated by all commercial airlines that are registered in Turkey. Not only Turkish Airlines, but all. You are protected when flying with a Turkish airline on international routes, even when the flight departs from outside Turkey.

The rules are the same for all tickets.

No matter how cheap or expensive the flight.

If you bought a flight, and there was a problem (delay, cancellation, or overbooking), you are protected and may be entitled to flight compensation, care, or a refund.

What is the Turkish SHY Regulation? The Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation (often called SHY-Passenger) is Turkey’s official air passenger rights law. Its main purpose is to protect air passengers whenever their flight is delayed, cancelled, overbooked, or otherwise disrupted.

Are You Protected on Charter Flights in Turkey?

Yes, you are protected as an air passenger also on charter flights in Turkey, to Turkey, and from Turkey. The SHY Regulation applies to both scheduled and charter flights, provided the eligibility conditions are met.

Does Turkish SHY Regulation Apply to Cheap, Promo, or Package Tickets?

Yes, the Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation applies regardless of how you booked your ticket or how much you paid for it. Your passenger rights do not depend on whether your flight was cheap, discounted, or part of a travel package.

You are protected under SHY if you:

• Bought a low-cost or promotional ticket
• Booked your flight as part of a package holiday
• Purchased your ticket through a travel agency or tour operator
• Used frequent flyer miles or loyalty points

As long as your ticket was available to the general public and the flight itself meets SHY eligibility rules, your rights remain the same.

For example:

• A €29 promotional flight departing from Istanbul is covered by SHY
• A package holiday flight to Antalya booked through a tour operator is also covered
• A reward flight operated by a Turkish airline still qualifies for SHY protection

The only situations where SHY usually does not apply are tickets that were:

• Completely free
• Not available to the general public

In all other cases, a delayed or cancelled flight may still entitle you to compensation, care, or a refund, regardless of how little you paid for the ticket.

Does Turkish SHY Regulation Apply to Connecting Flights?

Yes, Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation can apply to connecting flights, but only in specific situations. As with all SHY cases, the rules are straightforward and depend mainly on where the journey starts and which airline operates the flight.

You are generally protected under SHY on a connecting journey if at least one of the following is true:

1. Your first flight departs from Turkey
2. The entire journey is operated by a Turkish airline (an airline registered in Turkey, not only Turkish Airlines)
3. The connection in Turkey is part of one booking (a single ticket)

In these cases, the journey is treated as one flight for passenger rights purposes, even if it includes multiple segments.

For example:

• Istanbul → Frankfurt → New York on one ticket is covered by SHY because the journey departs from Turkey
• Paris → Istanbul → Ankara, operated by a Turkish airline, is covered by SHY
• A domestic connection within Turkey is always covered

SHY does not apply to connecting flights if:

• The journey starts outside Turkey, AND the flight is operated by a non-Turkish airline.

Remember this! Separately booked tickets are mostly treated as separate flights. If the first flight is delayed, and you miss another flight, you may get compensation, but only for that first flight and only if the delay is serious enough for you to be entitled to Turkish flight delay compensation.

Does Turkish SHY Regulation Apply to Codeshare Flights?

Yes, Turkish SHY Passenger Regulation can apply to codeshare flights, but the key factor is which airline actually operates the flight, not which airline sold you the ticket.

For SHY purposes, passenger rights are determined by the operating carrier — the airline whose aircraft and crew operate the flight — even if your ticket shows a different airline’s flight number.

You are generally protected under SHY on a codeshare flight if:

• The operating airline is registered in Turkey, or
• The flight departs from Turkey, regardless of the airline code on your ticket

This applies even if you booked your ticket through a foreign airline or your booking shows a different airline’s flight number.

For example:

• A flight sold by a European airline but operated by Turkish Airlines is covered by SHY
• A codeshare flight departing from Istanbul is covered by SHY, even if it carries a foreign airline’s flight number
• A domestic codeshare flight within Turkey is fully covered

In all the other cases, other passenger rights regulations, such as EU261, may apply instead.

When Does Turkish SHY Regulation NOT Apply?

While SHY Passenger Regulation covers most flights connected to Turkey, there are a few clear situations where it does not apply.

SHY does NOT apply only when BOTH of the following are true at the same time:

1. The flight does not depart from Turkey
2. The flight is operated by a non-Turkish airline

If your flight does not start in Turkey and is not operated by a Turkish airline, SHY usually does not apply.

What if you are not protected by the Turkish SHY Regulation?

You may be protected by the EU261.

Or, the UK261 (almost identical to EU261).

Make sure to check these flight compensation regulations.

Or try filing a flight compensation claim online.