Thousands of travellers hit with flight cancellations to and from Turkey this summer amid terror fears

Airlines are cutting back on flights to some destinations in Turkey so they can switch aircraft to more lucrative destinations, especially in Spain

Any airline is at liberty to cancel flights without compensation, so long as they give at least two weeks’ notice (GETTY)

Thousands of passengers who have paid in full for summer trips to Turkey are being told "Your flight is cancelled” - but are not always being properly advised about their options.

Demand for holidays in Turkey has slumped because of fears of terrorist attacks on tourist resorts and the largest city, Istanbul. As a result, airlines are cutting back on flights to Bodrum, Dalaman and Antalya so they can switch aircraft to more lucrative destinations, especially in Spain.

Thomas Cook Airlines has cut about one-third of its planned capacity to Turkey. Last November, Lisa Winter from Northfleet in Kent booked a return flight with the airline from Gatwick to Bodrum for her family in August. The outbound flight is still going ahead, but the return leg has been cancelled - with the family invited to give up the last two days of their holiday in order to come back on an earlier Thomas Cook flight.

Ms Winter told The Independent: “To book any alternative flights is going to increase my cost by £310, as flights this many months later have increased in price. What recourse do we have?”

Any airline is at liberty to cancel flights without compensation, so long as they give at least two weeks’ notice. They are obliged to offer a full refund, or switch passengers to alternative departures.

Some carriers have insisted that these new flights must be on their own services. But the law for any EU airline entitles passengers whose flights are cancelled to “re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity”. They must offer passengers the most appropriate alternative flight even if that means buying a seat with a rival carrier.

The Independent told Ms Winter of her rights, and advised her to contact Thomas Cook Airlines so that they could arrange seats on an alternative easyJet flight on the original date. She kept detailed notes of the conversation with the company.

“I stated that there was an alternative easyJet flight which was a closer replacement than the one I had been moved to, and said they should book me on it at their expense.

"I was put on hold, then told they cannot book flights with other airlines.”

Ms Winter was offered a full refund and told that she could book the easyJet flights herself - which would have cost her over £300.

“I restated their obligation and asked her to speak to a supervisor."

After consulting colleagues, the Thomas Cook representative said Ms Winter had been been misinformed about the airline's obligations. "She said that, within their terms and conditions, they can only re-book an alternative Thomas Cook flight.”

When The Independent contacted Thomas Cook Airlines, a spokesperson said: “We’re extremely sorry for the frustration caused to Ms Winter and we will be making contact to rectify the situation.

“We’ve used this case to improve how we handle similar requests in future, so that our customers can still go on their well-deserved holidays.”