TURKISH AIRLINES PENALIZED FOR FAILING TO PROVIDE TIMELY REFUNDS
February 10, 2025
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On January 16, 2025, DOT fined Turkish Airlines $1,300,000 for failing to provide timely refunds to passengers and for violating the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (“Montreal Convention”). Between March 2020 and September 2021, DOT’s investigation determined that Turkish Airlines routinely failed to provide refunds to passengers for flights that the carrier cancelled or significantly changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. In some instances, Turkish Airlines took more than 100 days to process refunds which DOT considered extreme. Furthermore, since Turkey and the United States are signatories of the Montreal Convention, DOT noted that Turkish Airlines was governed by the proscribed liability restrictions for mishandled checked baggage. By arbitrarily limiting reimbursements for delayed or lost baggage to an amount far less than required by the Montreal Convention, DOT concluded that Turkish Airlines was unfairly deceptive and adversely affected thousands of passengers.
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