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Overbooked flight and denied boarding
If you are turned away from a flight against your will because the airline sold more seats than it had, you are owed immediate help and fixed compensation of up to £520 (UK261) or €600 (EU261) per passenger.
How involuntary denied boarding works
When a flight is overbooked, the airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seat in return for benefits agreed with the airline. Volunteers also keep their right to a refund or re-routing. If too few people volunteer and you are refused boarding against your will, it is called involuntary denied boarding, and it triggers your rights straight away.
1. Compensation
Fixed by distance and paid per passenger: £220 / €250 up to 1,500 km, £350 / €400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, £520 / €600 over 3,500 km. It can be halved if the airline gets you to your destination within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original arrival time, depending on distance.
2. Refund or alternative transport
You choose between a full refund of the unused ticket (plus a flight back to your first departure point where relevant) and re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or a later date that suits you.
3. Care while you wait
Meals and refreshments, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel and transport if you have to stay overnight.
When denied boarding is allowed
An airline may refuse boarding without owing compensation only for reasonable grounds, such as health, safety or security, or inadequate travel documents. To be covered you need a confirmed reservation and must have turned up for check-in at the time stated by the airline, or if none was stated, at least 45 minutes before departure. Overbooking is a commercial decision by the airline and is not an extraordinary circumstance.
What to do at the airport
- Ask the airline for a written explanation of why you were refused boarding.
- Keep your booking confirmation, boarding pass if you had one, and proof you checked in on time.
- Note any offers made and keep receipts for what you pay.
Related guides
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This page is general information about UK261 and EU261. It is not legal advice. FlightPayout is not a law firm and cannot guarantee that an airline will pay. The amounts and time limits shown are those in force when this page was written; both regulations are under political review, so check the latest position before you rely on them.