Denied Flight Boarding

What are my passenger rights if I am denied boarding a flight?

What are your air passenger rights if you are denied boarding a flight in the EU, Norway or Iceland? What are you entitled to if something goes wrong? Where to direct your complaint if you are having trouble dealing with the airline company? Get the answers to your questions here.

EU regulation 261/2004

As an air passenger, you have certain rights in case of denied boarding. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 setting out common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding.

Denied flight boarding

    It is common practice among airlines to overbook their flights. They often sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane. If they do not find enough volunteers to give up their reservations, they may deny boarding to air passengers against their will. That is just one example of denied boarding.

  • The airline may deny you boarding:

    • For safety, security, or health reasons (for example, if you did not inform the airline company of any severe infectious diseases or allergies in advance)
    • If you don't have the correct travel documents (read more about documents you need for travel in Europe.
    • If you didn't take the outbound flight of a reservation that includes a return flight
    • If you have made a reservation with consecutive flights and didn't take (one of) the other flight(s)
    • If you are travelling with a pet and don't have the required documentation. 

    Are you present for check in at the required time? Have you brought a valid flight reservation and the right travel documentation? Are you denied boarding the flight by the airline — either due to overbooking or for operational reasons — and do you refuse to voluntarily give up your seat? Read on to find out what you’re entitled to.

    #denied-boarding-grounds

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  • When a flight is overbooked, the airline must first ask if there are volunteers who want to surrender their reservation. If you voluntarily agree to give up your seat on the airplane, you are entitled to the following:

    • A reimbursement for your ticket, and if necessary, a return flight to your departure airport (which the airline should provide)
    • Meals, drinks, and refreshments as you wait for the alternative flight
    • Compensation to be agreed upon with the airline

    If you don’t volunteer to give up your seat and the carrier denies you boarding against your will, or if you are a victim of unjustified boarding — e.g. you are wrongly told by the airline that you do not have the required identity papers or other necessary documents — you are entitled to the following:

    • Either an alternative flight to your final destination or a refund of your ticket, and if necessary, a return flight to your departure airport
    • Meals, drinks, refreshments, 2 emails, telex, fax messages or phone calls, and if needed, an accommodation and transport from the airport to the accommodation and back
    • A compensation of
      €250 for flights up to 1,500 km
      €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km
      €600 for flights beyond 3,500 km, provided you are at least 4 hours late (€300 for a delay between 3 and 4 hours)

    #overbooked-flight

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  • You may be denied boarding because the airline company operating the connecting flight decided you would arrive too late to board the flight (as your first flight was delayed). In that case, compensation is due.

    If the airline company has offered to reroute you and you reach your final destination with a 2-, 3-, or 4-hour delay, the compensation may be reduced by 50%.

    #denied-boarding-connecting-flight

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  • In the case of justified denied boarding — particularly if it is due to health, safety, or security reasons or inadequate travel documents (e.g. you present a residence permit instead of an identity card) — you are not entitled to the abovementioned assistance and compensation.

    #rights-justified-denied-boarding

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  • If you are denied boarding due to overbooking, you are entitled to reimbursement, rerouting, or rebooking. The airline company must offer you — on a one-off basis — a choice between:

    • A reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to your departure airport at the earliest opportunity
    • Rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity
    • Rerouting at a later date — at your convenience — under comparable transport conditions, subject to the availability of seats
       

    Once you have chosen one of these 3 options, you are no longer entitled to (anything related to) the other 2 options. However, the airline company may still have to provide compensation depending on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay past your original planned arrival time.

    If the airline company does not comply with its obligation to offer rerouting or return under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity, it has to reimburse your flight costs.

    If the airline company does not offer you a choice between reimbursement and rerouting but decides unilaterally to reimburse your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional reimbursement of the price difference between the old and new tickets (if booked under comparable transport conditions).

    If you booked your outbound and return flights separately and with different airlines and the outbound flight gets cancelled, reimbursement is only due for the cancelled flight.

    However, if the outbound and return flights are operated by different airlines but were part of a single reservation and the outbound flight gets cancelled, you are entitled to:

    • Compensation
    • A choice between reimbursement for your entire ticket (outbound and return flights) or rerouting of the outbound flight

    #rights-overbooked-flight

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  • If you arrive on time for check in and you are denied boarding the flight, you should always receive compensation. The only exception is if there are reasonable grounds to deny you boarding, such as safety, security, or health concerns or your inability to present the required travel documents.

    Even when such grounds exist, an airline company might offer you compensation depending on the specific terms and conditions of your ticket.

    #on-time-but-denied-boarding

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  • Airline companies should provide assistance free of charge while you wait. In the event of travel disruption, you should make yourself known to the airline to avoid having to make your own arrangements. Airline companies should also ensure accommodation is accessible to people with disabilities and their service dogs — if necessary. The assistance to be provided includes:

    If the airline company does not offer assistance and you have to incur costs for any of the above, the airline company should reimburse you, provided the expenses were necessary, reasonable, and appropriate. Therefore, you should keep all receipts. You are only entitled to assistance as you wait for your rerouted flight (the flight should be rerouted to your final destination at the earliest opportunity — under comparable transport conditions) or your return flight.

    In exceptional cases, the airline company may decide to limit or decline assistance — for example, if it would cause further delay to passengers who wait for an alternative or a delayed flight.

    Unless the terms and conditions of your ticket specify otherwise, you are not entitled to assistance if:

    • You are denied boarding on reasonable safety, security, or health grounds
    • You do not have the required travel documents.

    #right-to-assistance-airline

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How can I quickly find out whether I can get compensation — and if so, how much?

Were you denied boarding a flight and do you want to know if you are entitled to compensation? Use the flight calculator below. Complete a few simple steps to discover whether you can get compensation — and if so, how much.

Where can I get assistance and advice?

The European Consumer Centres Network provides free legal advice and support on cross-border purchasing issues. It can also help consumers deal with disputes relating to travelling in the EU, Norway, and Iceland. If you have tried to resolve a dispute with a business to no avail, click here to contact your local ECC and submit an enquiry.

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