Why your confirmed seat can vanish
Airlines routinely sell more tickets than there are seats, betting on a statistical share of passengers who will not show up. When that bet fails, someone has to stay on the ground. If you hold a valid reservation and are turned away, you have been denied boarding — a situation tightly regulated by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Overbooking is not the only trigger. A last-minute aircraft swap to a smaller plane, a cabin reconfiguration, or operational crew being placed on your flight produce exactly the same legal consequence: an involuntary denied boarding, with compensation attached.
Three conditions to be covered
- You hold a confirmed reservation on the flight (ticket, booking confirmation or boarding pass).
- You checked in on time — by the deadline set by the airline, or failing any indication, no later than 45 minutes before departure.
- Your flight is within scope: any flight departing from an EU airport, whatever the carrier; or any flight arriving in the EU operated by an EU carrier. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are included; the UK applies a mirror regime (UK261).
Step one: the call for volunteers
Before bumping anyone, the airline must first ask for volunteers willing to give up their seat in exchange for negotiated benefits — vouchers, miles, a hotel night or a cash offer. If you volunteer, you generally waive the fixed compensation, so negotiate before signing anything and check the arrival time of the replacement flight. Volunteers still keep the right to a refund or rerouting, plus care at the airport.
Step two: involuntary denied boarding triggers three cumulative rights
- Fixed compensation, payable immediately, based on flight distance.
- A choice between a full ticket refund within 7 days (with a return flight to your initial departure point if relevant) and rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or at a later date that suits you.
- Right to care: meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time, two phone calls or messages, and hotel accommodation with transfers if an overnight stay becomes necessary.
How much compensation?
- €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less.
- €400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.
- €600 for flights over 3,500 km outside the EU.
The airline may cut these amounts by 50% if the rerouting it offers gets you to your final destination no more than 2 hours late (flights up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (intra-EU over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km) or 4 hours (flights over 3,500 km) compared with the original schedule. What counts is the actual arrival time at your final destination, connections included — not the departure time of the substitute flight.
No "extraordinary circumstances" defence
Unlike delays and cancellations, denied boarding cannot be excused by extraordinary circumstances. The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed that an airline cannot invoke a strike or an earlier operational disruption to bump a passenger and escape compensation. Only reasonable grounds related to the passenger justify a non-compensable refusal: invalid travel documents or visa, health conditions incompatible with flying, security or safety concerns, disruptive behaviour, or late arrival at check-in or the gate.
What to do straight away at the airport
- Ask for written confirmation of the denied boarding and its stated reason — at the desk or by email.
- Do not sign any document waiving your right to compensation or describing a voucher as a "full and final settlement".
- Keep the evidence: booking, boarding pass, photos of the departure screens, names and messages exchanged with staff.
- Insist on care. If meals or a hotel are not provided, spend reasonably and keep every receipt — these costs are reimbursable on top of the fixed compensation.
- Record your real arrival time at destination: it determines whether the 50% reduction can legitimately apply.
You have up to three years to claim
Claim windows depend on national limitation rules, but in practice we handle amicable claims going back up to 3 years, the timeframe accepted by most carriers and European enforcement bodies. A denied boarding experienced in 2024 is therefore very often still claimable today.
Remember two key points: EC 261 compensation is independent of the ticket price — a €60 fare can generate €400 — and it is separate from the refund or rerouting the airline must provide anyway. A voucher offered at the gate does not replace it unless you have explicitly and knowingly accepted it as such.
Check your eligibility in minutes
Airlines Quick Refund handles the amicable claim with the airline on your behalf, with no upfront cost: our 35% fee applies only if you are paid. To find out whether your denied boarding qualifies for €250, €400 or €600, run your flight through our compensation calculator.