Mavi Gök Airlines downgrade: class reimbursement

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Short answer: Establish the class purchased and delivered, flight distance and the ticket-price percentage due under EU261, UK261 or SHY. Law and sources were checked on 1 November 2026.

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The essential answer: travel-class downgrade

Downgrading means carriage in a cabin below the confirmed class, not the loss of one amenity within the same class. Current EU261 and UK261 Article 10 rules require percentage reimbursement within seven days. SHY Article 11 has its own formula combining the class-price difference with an additional percentage of the ticket price. An upgrade cannot trigger a supplement.

Practical example: travel-class downgrade

The traveller bought business class but receives an economy seat at the gate and retains both documents plus the ticket-price breakdown.

A downgrade changes the cabin, not merely one service

Downgrading occurs when the passenger held a confirmed higher class but MGA carried them in a lower class on the affected sector. A missing meal, broken screen or different seat within the same cabin may be a service-quality problem, but it should not automatically be described as an Article 10 EU261 downgrade. Keep the e-ticket, fare, original seat selection, boarding pass and record of the seat actually used. A package's marketing name should be checked against the booked cabin and reservation class.

An involuntary upgrade cannot generate a surcharge

When a carrier places a passenger in a higher class than the one purchased, EU261, UK261 and SHY prevent it from demanding an additional payment for that placement. Do not confuse this with a passenger voluntarily accepting an offer to buy a higher cabin. Record who initiated the change and whether a replacement document was issued. With a downgrade, the position reverses: do not accept only the fare difference before checking the additional percentage remedy under the applicable regime.

Current EU261 still requires reimbursement within seven days

For an event assessed on 1 November 2026, Article 10 of EU261 sets seven days, not the future period under the reform that applies only from 23 October 2027. Reimbursement is 30% for flights of 1,500 km or less, 50% for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other routes over 1,500 km up to 3,500 km, and 75% for the remaining flights over 3,500 km. This is a class-specific remedy and does not depend on a three-hour delay test.

Mennens focuses the calculation on the affected sector

In Case C-255/15, the Court explained that the percentage applies to the price of the flight on which the downgrade occurred, not unconditionally to the entire multi-flight ticket. If that sector price is not stated, a distance-based allocation can be used. Taxes and charges that do not depend on class are excluded from the base in the manner identified by the judgment. This is an EU261 interpretation and should not be transferred mechanically to Turkish Article 11, which has its own wording.

UK261 retains the 30%, 50% and 75% bands

UK Article 10 requires reimbursement within seven days: 30% of the price for a flight of 1,500 km or less, 50% for more than 1,500 km up to 3,500 km, and 75% over 3,500 km. The UK CAA describes the base as the price of the flight affected by the downgrade. An MGA flight starting in the United Kingdom can qualify, but its return from Türkiye does not become a UK261 flight simply by landing there. Use the documented flight price and currency rather than a fixed delay-compensation table.

SHY adds a percentage on top of the class-price difference

Article 11 of SHY requires reimbursement of the difference between the purchased and provided classes and, in addition, 30%, 50% or 75% of the ticket price according to the distance band. Payment is due within seven days, and the class comparison uses prices from the ticket purchase date. This differs from the European Mennens formula, so do not assume an unsupported sector allocation in a Turkish case. Show the original fare, class actually provided and separate calculations for both components.

Ask the seller or carrier for a fare breakdown

A package, through ticket or agent invoice may show one total without pricing each sector. Request the fare calculation, base fare, surcharges, taxes and either the sector price or booking class. Do not apply the percentage to the hotel, transfer or entire package. If MGA disputes the base, ask it to provide its own calculation from the fare document. Preserve purchase-date prices because a later online economy offer may not represent the cabin actually used on the flight date.

A rebooking downgrade may affect only one coupon

On a connecting itinerary, identify the precise sector on which the passenger travelled in a lower class. Another segment performed as ticketed lies outside the percentage reimbursement for that downgrade. A replacement operator may issue its own boarding pass after cancellation, so compare the original and substitute documents. If rerouting also produces a late arrival, address the class remedy and possible cancellation or delay rights in separate sections. Several legal bases can arise without permitting the same price to be recovered twice.

A package can create a parallel service-quality claim

The organiser is responsible for proper performance of all package services, including travel in the promised flight class. The passenger can therefore present the contract and downgrade to the organiser while retaining the specific claim against the operating carrier. That does not create an automatic double repayment of the same fare difference. Disclose amounts returned by MGA, the organiser or agent and allocate each one to the relevant item. Hotel or programme consequences are assessed under the package contract rather than Article 10 percentages.

Show every step of the downgrade calculation

State the purchased and provided classes, route, distance, applicable percentage, price base and components excluded from it. For EU261, show the affected-sector value under Mennens; for UK261, the relevant flight price; and for SHY, the class difference plus the separate Article 11 percentage. State the seven-day payment period and bank account or requested payment method. Attach both carriage documents and proof of purchase so MGA must answer with figures rather than a generic reference to an aircraft change.

Evidence needed for verification: travel-class downgrade

  • For a class downgrade, retain the original ticket and earliest record of the event.
  • In the a class downgrade analysis, build a chronology from material created during travel.
  • When documenting a class downgrade, keep the carrier message that states its position.
  • Link every calculation for a class downgrade to the exhibit supporting that line item.
  • Before submitting a class downgrade, check that names and dates remain legible in every attachment.

Related Mavi Gök Airlines guides

FAQ — frequently asked questions

What refund does EU261 provide when MGA downgrades a passenger?

EU261 requires reimbursement within seven days of 30%, 50% or 75% of the relevant ticket price, according to the flight's distance category. This is a fare-based downgrade remedy, not the fixed compensation table for disruption.

How does the Mennens judgment affect an EU261 downgrade calculation?

CJEU case C-255/15 uses the price of the downgraded flight segment when a ticket covers several sectors. Taxes and charges independent of travel class are excluded from that segment-price calculation.

What are the UK261 rules for an MGA class downgrade?

UK261 likewise uses 30%, 50% and 75% distance-based reimbursement and a seven-day payment period. Apply the UK provision independently rather than importing euro-denominated fixed-compensation amounts.

How is an MGA downgrade calculated under SHY-YOLCU Article 11?

Turkish rules require the fare difference plus 30%, 50% or 75% of the ticket price within seven days, using prices at purchase. Do not substitute the EU Mennens segment formula.

Can MGA charge extra after moving a passenger to a higher class?

No surcharge is due when the carrier places the passenger in a class above that purchased. Preserve the reissued boarding pass in case a later account adjustment incorrectly adds a supplement.

Which evidence proves that an MGA downgrade occurred?

Keep the original fare receipt, cabin and booking-class details, replacement boarding pass and any seat-change message. The calculation should identify the affected sector, governing regime, percentage and exact price basis.

Official sources

The following official materials were used to verify the carrier, legal scope and procedure: