Denied boarding compensation - when it is due and what rights you have

If you are denied boarding against your will - for example, because more tickets have been sold than there are seats (overbooking) or because the flight has been operated by a smaller aircraft - you may be entitled to compensation of €250, €400 or €600 per passenger in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. This is subject to you having a confirmed booking and having presented yourself at the airport on time with all the necessary and valid travel documents. Compensation is not payable if you voluntarily gave up your seat or if the airline has a valid reason to deny you boarding - for example, health reasons, safety, security or invalid travel documents.

Denied boarding does not only mean overbooking. It can also occur for other operational reasons, where the airline fails to carry a passenger with a confirmed booking who has met the boarding requirements, without a valid reason for doing so.

In brief:

Denied boarding occurs not only in the event of overbooking, but also for other operational reasons - for example, when switching to a smaller aircraft.
If you are denied boarding against your will without a valid reason, you may claim compensation of €250, €400 or €600 depending on the flight distance.
Before refusing to allow a passenger to board against their will, the airline must first seek volunteers.
If you voluntarily give up your seat in return for agreed benefits, you are not entitled to the €250, €400 or €600 compensation, but you retain the right to choose between a refund and re-routing.
If you are denied boarding against your will, you are also entitled to choose between a refund and re-routing, as well as care - food, drinks and, if necessary, hotel accommodation.
If, following the denied boarding, you are re-routed and arrive at your final destination within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the originally scheduled time (depending on the flight distance), the compensation may be reduced by 50%.

When are you entitled to compensation if you are denied boarding?

You can claim compensation for denied boarding under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 when all of the following conditions are met:

you have a confirmed booking for the flight and presented yourself at the airport on time;
the airline denied you boarding against your will and without a valid reason;
the flight departs from an EU airport (with any airline) or lands in the EU with an EU airline.

If the airline has informed you in advance that you will be denied boarding against your will, you do not need to go to the airport to be entitled to compensation. Compensation is also payable where the notification was given more than two weeks before the flight (judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in Case C-238/22).

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 also applies in Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. Similar protection is provided by national rules in countries outside the EU, such as the United Kingdom (UK261) and Turkey (SHY-YOLCU). Compensation is €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, depending on the flight distance.

A typical example is overbooking - the airline has sold more tickets than there are seats on the aircraft. This is a commercial decision taken by the airline itself and is not a ground for it to refuse compensation.

You may also be denied boarding on connecting flights. If the flights are on a single booking, the first flight is delayed and the airline, mistakenly assuming that you will not arrive in time for the second flight, cancels your boarding pass for it in advance and refuses to allow you to board, even though you arrived at the boarding gate on time - this is also denied boarding (judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in Case C-321/11). See also what your rights are in the event of a missed connection.

Important: keep your boarding pass and ask the airline for a document stating the reason for the denied boarding. Also keep any messages you have received from the airline.

If the airline asks you to give up your seat on the flight voluntarily

Before refusing to allow anyone to board against their will, the airline is obliged first to seek volunteers who are willing to give up their seat in return for an agreed benefit - for example, money or a voucher. The decision as to whether to accept this is entirely yours - no one can force you to do so.

If you refuse and are nevertheless not allowed on board, the refusal is against your will and you may be entitled to compensation.

If you agree to become a volunteer, you are not entitled to the €250, €400 or €600 compensation, but you retain the right to choose between a refund of the ticket price and re-routing to your final destination. Under the Regulation, the airline is obliged to provide meals, drinks and hotel accommodation only if you were denied boarding against your will. Therefore, before accepting, ask whether the offer includes these as well.

Consent given in advance - for example, during online check-in or via a message from the airline - does not make you a volunteer. You are only a volunteer once you accept the airline’s offer to give up your seat at the airport. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 prohibits passengers’ rights from being restricted or waived in advance, including through a clause in the contract of carriage.

If you are offered a voucher or credit, check its value, expiry date and terms of use, and compare them with the compensation you could claim if you were denied boarding against your will.

When is an airline not liable to pay compensation for denied boarding?

Compensation is not payable if:

you have voluntarily relinquished your place in return for an agreed benefit;
you did not arrive in time for check-in or boarding, unless the airline informed you in advance that you would be denied boarding;
the airline has good reason to deny you boarding - for example, due to irregular travel documents (an invalid identity document, a missing visa), health reasons, or safety or security considerations.

Extraordinary circumstances are not a ground for refusing you compensation. If the airline cancels another of its flights due to an extraordinary circumstance and gives your seat to a passenger from the cancelled flight, even though you have a ticket for your flight and arrived on time, this is denied boarding. The airline is liable to pay you compensation, even though the rebooking was caused by an extraordinary circumstance (judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in Case C-22/11).

How much is the compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004?

The amount of compensation depends on the distance between the first and the final airport of the journey and does not depend on the ticket price:

€250 - for flights of up to 1,500 km;
€400 - for flights over 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km, and for all flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km;
€600 - for flights of more than 3,500 km that are not entirely within the EU.

In certain cases, the compensation amount may be reduced by 50%, depending on the arrival delay and the conditions of re-routing.

Compensation amount by flight distance - €250, €400 or €600

€250 ≤ 1,500 km

€400 1,500 - 3,500 km

€600 > 3,500 km (not entirely within the EU)

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How long do you have to claim compensation if you are denied boarding?

At present, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 does not specify a single European deadline for submitting a claim for compensation to an airline. The deadline by which you can pursue your claim through the courts is determined by the applicable national law. In Bulgaria, the limitation period for bringing a legal claim is three years. The time limits in other countries are summarised in the table on the delayed flight page.

From 23 October 2027, claims against the airline must be submitted within 9 months (see all changes).

What other rights do you have if you are denied boarding?

If you are denied boarding against your will, you are also entitled to choose between a refund of the ticket price and re-routing, as well as care from the airline. These rights are in addition to any compensation.

What should the airline offer you if you are denied boarding?

If you are denied boarding against your will, the airline is obliged to offer you a choice of three options under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004:

refund of the ticket price within 7 days - for the unused parts of the journey, and for the parts already used, if the journey has become pointless, together with a return flight to the original point of departure at the earliest opportunity, where applicable;
re-routing to the final destination under comparable conditions at the earliest opportunity;
re-routing under comparable conditions at a later date of your choice, subject to availability.

A refund and compensation are two separate rights - choosing to have the ticket price refunded does not deprive you of your right to claim compensation.

If you accept a re-routing and arrive at your final destination no later than 2, 3 or 4 hours after the original arrival time (depending on the flight distance), the airline may reduce the compensation by half.

What care does the airline owe you if you are denied boarding?

If you are denied boarding against your will, the airline must provide you with:

meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time;
hotel accommodation and free transport between the airport and the place of accommodation, where a stay of one or more nights is required;
two free telephone calls, faxes or emails.

The right to care continues whilst you are waiting to be re-routed at the earliest opportunity or, where applicable, to take a return flight to your original point of departure. If you choose simply to be refunded the cost of your ticket, without waiting for a return flight, or to be re-routed on a later date of your choice, the airline is no longer obliged to provide you with care.

If the airline fails to provide the necessary care and you have to pay for food, drinks, accommodation or transport yourself, you can request a refund of necessary, appropriate and reasonable expenses. Keep your receipts and invoices as proof of the expenses incurred.

Will the airline reimburse you for a new ticket you bought yourself after being denied boarding?

If the airline does not offer you re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity and on comparable terms, and you have to organise your own journey, you may request a reimbursement of the costs of suitable alternative transport to your final destination. The airline may refuse to reimburse the additional costs if it can prove that it offered you the necessary re-routing, but you nevertheless organised your journey yourself.

A refund for the cost of a new ticket does not preclude the right to compensation, provided the conditions for such compensation are met.

What information must the airline provide you with if you are denied boarding?

If boarding is denied, the airline is obliged to provide each affected passenger with written notification setting out the rules on compensation and care under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, as well as the contact details of the competent national authority. Keep this notice together with your boarding pass and other travel documents.

What changes under the new EU Regulation in the event of denied boarding?

Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 has now been adopted, but will apply from 23 October 2027.

9 months to claim compensation. The claim must be submitted to the airline within 9 months of the flight date shown on the ticket. The time limit for bringing a legal claim continues to be determined by national law.
Payment within 7 days. If you are denied boarding against your will, the airline must pay compensation without undue delay and no later than 7 calendar days from the date of the denial. It must also refund the cost of your ticket within the same timeframe if you choose to be refunded.
Self-arranged re-routing after 3 hours. If you have requested to continue your journey but the airline has not offered you suitable re-routing on comparable terms within 3 hours of your request, you may arrange transport to your final destination and claim reimbursement of your expenses - up to 400 per cent of the full price of the original ticket.
The agreed benefit replaces the compensation only with your express consent. Your consent must be given expressly on a durable medium - for example, on paper or by email. Without such consent, the airline must pay you the compensation without undue delay and no later than 7 calendar days.
Return flight. The airline cannot deny you boarding on your return flight or charge you an additional fee because you did not take the outbound flight under the same air transport contract (usually the outbound and return flights on the same booking).

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We handle the whole process
We communicate with the airline and take the necessary action, including when the airline has refused to pay or the case is more complex.

How does the process of collecting your compensation work?

You register a claim

You enter the flight details and provide the necessary documents.

Aeroisk takes on your case

We contact the airline and pursue the claim on your behalf. If it refuses to pay, we take the necessary administrative and legal action.

You receive up to €600 in compensation

If successful, the airline pays the compensation. A commission is only due if you receive compensation.

You can follow the progress of your claim in your personal account, and we email you whenever there is a change in your case. If you have any questions, you can always contact us by phone too.

Did the airline refuse to pay you?

The airline’s refusal does not necessarily mean that you are not entitled to compensation. The reason given in the refusal is not always sufficient to release the airline from liability.

See why airlines refuse to pay compensation and how you can proceed.

Sources and updates

This information has been compiled by the Aeroisk team, which specialises in protecting passengers’ rights and securing compensation for flight disruptions.

Reneta Yovkova is responsible for ensuring the legal information is up to date.

Legal basis and sources: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and its official summary on EUR-Lex in English; Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 amending Regulation (EC) No 261/2004; Interpretative guidelines from the European Commission C/2024/5687 concerning Regulation (EC) No 261/2004; the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, including the judgments in cases C-321/11 (Rodríguez Cachafeiro and Martínez-Reboredo Varela-Villamor), C-22/11 (Finnair), C-12/11 (McDonagh) and C-238/22 (LATAM Airlines Group); the passenger rights regime in the United Kingdom, known as UK261; the Turkish Regulation on passenger rights SHY-YOLCU (SHY-PASSENGER).

Last updated: 21 October 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

I wasn’t allowed on board because the flight had been changed to a smaller aircraft. Am I entitled to compensation?

Yes, you may claim compensation. The decision to switch to a smaller aircraft is the airline’s decision, not a valid reason to deny you boarding. If you arrived on time for check-in and boarding with all the necessary documents and were denied boarding for this reason, this is denied boarding.

No. The airline may ask you in advance whether you are willing to give up your seat - for example, by ticking a box when booking or checking in. However, ticking such a box does not make you a volunteer. You are only a volunteer once you accept the airline’s offer at the airport. If you refuse on the spot and are nevertheless denied boarding, the refusal is against your will and you may be entitled to compensation.

If I agree to give up my place of my own accord, do I lose all my rights?

Not all of them. You are not entitled to the €250, €400 or €600 compensation and will receive what has been agreed with the airline - for example, a voucher or cash. However, you retain the right to choose between a refund of the ticket price and re-routing to your final destination. This right applies in addition to the agreed benefit and does not reduce it. You are not entitled to meals or accommodation under the Regulation, so agree on them in advance.

I have already accepted a voucher, but I feel that I was not properly informed about my rights. Can I claim compensation?

It depends on whether you accepted the voucher as a volunteer or in lieu of compensation. If you gave up your seat voluntarily in exchange for a voucher, this is the agreed benefit and no compensation is due under the Regulation. However, if you were not allowed to board against your will and accepted a voucher of a lower value because you were not properly informed of your rights, you may claim the difference up to the compensation due.

Nobody called me for boarding. Isn’t it the staff’s duty to keep an eye on the passengers?

No. Passengers must report to the boarding gate on time - at the time stated on their boarding pass or on the information screens - with all the necessary travel documents. If you were at the boarding gate on time but were nevertheless denied boarding without a valid reason, this is denied boarding and you may be entitled to compensation.

I was denied boarding because of my behaviour at the airport. Am I entitled to compensation?

A refusal on security or safety grounds may be justified, in which case no compensation is payable. Examples include refusal on the grounds of aggressive or threatening behaviour, travelling whilst intoxicated in a manner that poses a risk to the flight, or failure to comply with security and safety instructions.