Denied boarding compensation: your rights
If you were refused a seat on board despite holding a valid booking, often because the flight was overbooked, you may be entitled to compensation under EU261. The decisive question is whether you gave up your seat voluntarily or were denied it against your will.
Voluntary or involuntary: the heart of it
When a flight is overbooked, the airline will often ask whether anyone is willing to give up their seat in exchange for a benefit: a voucher, say, or a seat on a later departure. If you accept, that is a voluntary arrangement: what you receive is governed by the terms you agreed, not by the fixed compensation under EU261.
It is a different matter if you are denied a seat against your will, despite having a valid booking and arriving on time. In that case you are normally entitled to the fixed compensation and, on top of that, to a choice between rebooking and a refund of your ticket, plus assistance at the airport.
When denied boarding may qualify
Overbooking is the most common cause of involuntary denied boarding, but it is not the only one. Here is how common situations typically differ:
- The flight was overbooked and you were denied a seat against your will
- You held a confirmed booking, checked in and reached the gate on time, yet were still refused
- You were involuntarily denied boarding for another reason on the airline's side
- You volunteered to give up your seat in exchange for a benefit
- You missed check-in or arrived at the gate too late
- You were refused for reasons relating to travel documents, health or safety
What strengthens your claim
- You held a confirmed booking on the flight.
- You checked in and were at the gate on time.
- You were not refused for reasons relating to travel documents, health or safety.
- You did not give up your seat voluntarily in exchange for a benefit.
Think before accepting an offer at the gate
Fixed amounts under EU261
For involuntary denied boarding, EU261 uses the same three fixed levels as for delays and cancellations, scaled by flight distance. Unlike a delay, there is no three-hour threshold to wait out: the entitlement may arise as soon as you are refused a seat. The ladder below shows the regulation's starting point, not a decision on your case.
€250
€400
€600
Flights up to 1,500 km
1,500–3,500 km (and longer intra-EU flights)
Flights over 3,500 km
Per passenger · The fixed amounts under Article 7 of EU261. Which amount applies always depends on your specific journey (for example, a reduction by half under Article 7(2)).
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is decisive. If you agreed to give up your seat in exchange for a benefit the airline offered, that is a voluntary arrangement and the fixed EU261 compensation normally does not apply. If you were denied boarding involuntarily despite a valid booking and arriving on time, you may be entitled to compensation.
You normally need to have held a confirmed booking, checked in and presented yourself at the gate on time, and not have been refused for reasons relating to travel documents, health or safety. If those conditions are met and you were still denied a seat, you are in a strong position.
Overbooking is the most common cause of involuntary denied boarding, but not the only one. Whatever the cause, it is your situation, involuntarily denied a seat despite a valid booking, that determines the entitlement, not what the airline calls it.
No. The three-hour threshold applies to delays. Involuntary denied boarding is treated differently: the entitlement to compensation may arise as soon as you are refused a seat: you do not need to wait out a delay. The amount that applies still depends on your specific journey.
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Denied a seat on board? Check where you stand.
Answer a few questions about what happened and we will give you a preliminary assessment under the applicable rules.