Which Passenger Rights Law Applies to My Flight?
Start with your departure airport, destination and the airline that actually operated the flight. Those facts usually matter more than your nationality, where you bought the ticket or the logo on your booking confirmation.
Use these four checks in order
This page decides the likely framework. Our comparison guide explains how the frameworks differ.
Where did the affected journey depart?
An EU/EEA/Swiss departure is the strongest EU261 trigger. A UK departure is a strong UK261 trigger. A departure from Türkiye brings SHY-YOLCU into scope for both Turkish and foreign carriers, subject to its conditions.
Where was the flight going?
Inbound protection can depend on the destination and carrier. A flight arriving in the EU from outside generally needs an EU operating carrier for EU261. UK inbound coverage similarly depends on the carrier category.
Who actually operated the flight?
Look for “operated by” on the booking, boarding pass or flight details. A codeshare marketing airline and the operating airline can be different, and that distinction can change the applicable regime. See our codeshare and operating-carrier guide.
Was it one booking with connections?
For a protected connecting itinerary, the legal analysis can follow the journey and final destination rather than treating every segment as an isolated ticket. Separate tickets can produce a different result.
Common route patterns
These examples identify the first framework to investigate; exact entitlement still depends on the disruption and facts.
The flight departs the EU, so EU261 can apply even though the operating airline is not EU-based. Turkish rules may also be relevant to a Turkish carrier serving Türkiye.
An arrival into the EU from outside on an EU carrier falls within the standard EU261 scope. SHY-YOLCU can also be relevant because the flight departs Türkiye.
The flight departs Türkiye, so SHY-YOLCU is the first passenger-rights framework to check. EU261 and UK261 ordinarily have no route connection here.
A UK departure is covered by UK261 regardless of airline nationality. Türkiye-related rules may also need checking depending on the carrier and itinerary.
For an inbound UK flight, operating carrier identity matters. UK CAA guidance covers arrivals into the UK on UK or EU airlines, but not the same inbound route on a non-UK/non-EU carrier.
EU261, UK261 and SHY-YOLCU may not be the primary regimes. Check the departure/destination jurisdiction and our Global Air Passenger Rights guide.
Go to the right authority page
Once you identify the likely regime, use its dedicated guide for compensation, care, cancellation and claim details.
Start here for EU/EEA/Swiss departures and qualifying inbound flights.
Open the EU261 guide →Start here for UK departures and qualifying UK/EU inbound routes.
Open the UK261 guide →Start here for Turkish-carrier flights to/from Türkiye and foreign-carrier departures from Türkiye.
Open the Türkiye rights guide →Why a simple airport-to-airport rule can fail
Connections are where route coverage becomes fact-sensitive.
If all sectors are on one reservation, a missed connection or long arrival delay may be assessed at the final destination under the applicable regime. Under EU guidance, a connecting journey originating in the EU can remain protected even where a later segment is operated by a non-EU carrier. That does not mean every itinerary worldwide becomes EU261-covered.
This is not the same as comparing EU261, UK261 and Turkish rights
The two resources answer different questions.
Answers: Which framework is likely to apply to my actual itinerary? It is route-, carrier- and connection-first.
Answers: How do EU261, UK261 and Turkish passenger-rights systems compare? Use it after or alongside this decision process.
Compare the three frameworks →What to collect before checking a claim
A few itinerary details resolve most scope questions quickly.
Departure airport, destination and every connection.
The airline that actually operated each affected flight.
One reservation/PNR or separate tickets, plus the disruption and final arrival time.
Questions passengers commonly ask
Does my nationality decide which passenger-rights law applies?
If I bought my ticket from an EU airline, does EU261 automatically apply?
Can EU261 and UK261 both be relevant?
What if none of these frameworks applies?
Sources used for this decision guide
Coverage rules were checked against current official sources in August 2026.
European Commission / Your Europe — Air passenger rights
EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 3
UK Civil Aviation Authority — UK261 coverage
Türkiye SHGM — SHY-YOLCU
Know the route before you judge the claim
Once you know the likely framework, the next question is whether your delay, cancellation, denied boarding or missed connection meets that framework's conditions.
Check your flight with Airdelay →
