Denied boarding: when the airline pays 250-600 € and how to get the money

Your flight has been overbooked, and you are left at the gate with a boarding pass in hand. Airlines sell more tickets than there are seats in the cabin because some passengers do not show up for the flight. When all passengers show up at once, someone does not get a seat, and the flight leaves without them.

If a passenger was denied boarding against their will, arrived on time, and has a valid ticket, Regulation (EC) 261/2004 applies. Compensation is 250, 400, or 600 € depending on the distance (as of 09/2026). Below, step by step: what to say at the airport, when a denial is lawful, how the amount is calculated, and what to do with a package tour.

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Denied boarding: what to do at the airport

💡 In short:

• Ask the airline representative for the reason and request written confirmation.
• Keep receipts for drinks, food, taxis, and the hotel.
• Get contact details from fellow passengers; they can confirm you were at the gate on time.
• For a package tour, also contact the tour operator.
• Compensation amounts and rules: 09/2026, verified on the official EU portal.

The first minutes at the gate matter more than all subsequent correspondence. Ask the staff member to state the reason for the denial and record it in a document. Most often in this situation the word "overbooking" appears. Without a paper trail, the dispute turns into a he-said-she-said situation, and the airline easily responds with a template rejection.

Gather evidence right on the spot while you are still at the airport. Your boarding pass, booking number, and receipts for water, food, taxis, and a hotel night will all be useful. Under the duty of care rules, the carrier is required to reimburse these expenses (Art. 9, passenger care rules). Keep all receipts, even if the airline employee promises to reimburse expenses immediately.

What counts as denied boarding

Denied boarding is a situation where the airline does not take a passenger on a flight without a valid reason and against their will. The formal conditions are: the passenger checked in on time and has a valid ticket (Art. 2(j), definitions in the regulation).

The regulation considers health problems, flight safety, and incomplete travel documents as valid reasons. If your visa was revoked or your passport expired, the denial is lawful and there will be no compensation. Everything else, including overbooking, is considered a denial against the passenger's will.

Overbooked flight: who stays on the ground

Overbooking is common practice: the airline sells more seats than there are in the cabin and counts on some passengers not showing up. The calculation usually works out, but sometimes there are more passengers than seats, and then the flight leaves without one of them.

Who the airline leaves on the ground

The decision about who flies is made by the carrier, not the passenger. Usually priority goes to families with small children, unaccompanied minors, and groups. Those who checked in earlier and those with a connection often make the flight.

There is no single priority list in the regulation, so there are many disputed situations. That is exactly why confirmation of the reason for denial is important. If the flight was overbooked, the question of passenger fault is no longer relevant.

Should you agree to voluntary denial

When seats are short, the carrier first looks for volunteers. Passengers are offered a voucher, cash, or a business class seat on the next flight. For those who are not in a hurry and not late for a connection, this can be advantageous.

But think calmly and without pressure from the gate agent: voluntary denial closes the right to fixed compensation, and the voucher is often worth less than 250-600 €. However, ticket refund or flight rebooking remains available to the passenger.

When the airline has the right to deny boarding

There are reasons why the carrier has the right not to let you board. In these cases, no compensation is paid.

• Late arrival at the gate. Check the boarding time on your pass. If you did not arrive by the end of boarding, the carrier is not obliged to wait for you. No compensation is paid here.
• Documents and visas. An expired passport, a missing visa, or a typo in the ticket are grounds for denial. Check your details in advance, especially on flights to third countries.
• Alcohol and aggression. A passenger who threatens others or is clearly drunk is not taken on board for safety reasons. This is about risk to others, not overbooking.

In all three cases, no compensation is due. Overbooking is not one of them: the passenger is not taken due to the airline's decision, and payment is due. A tip at check-in: the airline is required to give you time to check in. If the line is too long, approach a staff member and let them know. Silently waiting at the back of the line will not help you.

How much is paid for denied boarding

The amount depends on the route distance, not the ticket price. Class, fare, and carrier do not affect the payment.

Source: Article 7 of the regulation (as of 09/2026).

The regulation covers a flight departing from the EU, as well as a flight into the EU operated by a European carrier. Check your route against both conditions before calculating the amount.

The airline can cut the payment in half if the offered alternative flight arrives almost on schedule: with a deviation of up to two, three, or four hours depending on the distance (Art. 7(2), text of Article 7). Even in this case, half of the amount remains with the passenger.

Separately, there is denial before departure: if the carrier announced it in advance, it still pays compensation, even when the passenger did not show up for check-in. This was decided by the EU Court of Justice in case C-238/22 of 26.10.2023; a case analysis is available from ADAC. The trigger was mundane: a passenger was rebooked to another day and her return flight was closed.

Flight rebooking or refund

Compensation does not cancel two other rights: you can fly later or refuse the flight and get your money back.

If you still need to fly, demand an equivalent replacement flight. Were you offered a bad option or nothing at all? Then book a new ticket yourself and present the expenses to the carrier. Keep your boarding passes and the receipt for the new ticket.

The catch with this route: you first pay for the new ticket out of your own pocket, and the money comes back later and not always in full.

If you do not want to fly, you have the right to terminate the contract and demand a refund of the ticket price (Art. 8, refund rules). This often happens after a connection: the first flight took place, but you were denied boarding on the second. Then the carrier is obliged to return you to the departure airport.

How to get compensation: claim and deadlines

Write to the airline in writing and be specific: state the flight, date, booking number, reason for denial, and the amount. Attach your boarding pass, booking confirmation, and receipts. The more precise the letter, the fewer reasons for a template rejection.

The limitation period in Germany is three years, the standard period under § 195 BGB. Do not delay: the more time passes, the harder it is to gather evidence and responses from the carrier.

If the airline stays silent or refuses, complain to the national passenger rights authority. Addresses and complaint procedures are collected on the EU portal. Compensation under Regulation 261/2004 is paid only by the airline. Insurance and the tour operator are not responsible for this payment.

Do not want to deal with correspondence? Check your eligibility for compensation with AirHelp.

Package tour: can you reduce the price

With a package tour, you also contact the tour operator. If you arrived at the hotel later due to a flight change, this is a deficiency in the tour. The traveler has the right to demand a proportionate price reduction.

Arrived three days later? Then termination of the contract may be on the table. In case of a significant breach, compensation for wasted vacation time is added. The amount is determined by the circumstances; there are no fixed rates here.

Keep correspondence with the tour operator separate from correspondence with the airline. These are two different respondents and two different claims. Compensation for denied boarding does not depend on the tour operator.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Do they pay compensation if I voluntarily agreed to a voucher?

No. Voluntary denial closes the right to the fixed payment of 250, 400, or 600 €. Airlines often offer vouchers precisely for this reason. However, a refund of the ticket price or an equivalent flight remains available to you, and you can demand them in writing. If the voucher is worth more than the possible compensation, the exchange can be advantageous, but the decision is yours, not the gate agent's.

What should I do if the flight was overbooked and I was already denied boarding?

Gather evidence on the spot: written reason for denial, boarding pass, receipts for food, taxis, and hotel. Get contact details from fellow passengers who were at the gate on time. Then send the airline a written claim with the amount and attachments. If there is no response, contact the national passenger rights authority or hand the case to a claims service.

How long is the limitation period for such claims?

In Germany, the standard limitation period of three years applies, as described in § 195 BGB. The countdown starts from the end of the year in which the claim arose. That sounds relaxed, but it is better not to lose evidence: confirmation of the reason and receipts are hard to find after two years. The sooner you send the claim, the higher the chance of a quick response from the carrier.

Is compensation due if the airline announced the denial in advance?

Yes, and the EU Court of Justice confirmed this in case C-238/22 of 26.10.2023. The carrier pays compensation even when the passenger did not show up for check-in. One condition applies: the denial was announced in advance and against the passenger's will. If you yourself agreed to another flight and received a benefit for it, there will be no fixed payment.

What should I do with a package tour if we arrived a day later?

Contact the tour operator with a demand to reduce the tour price: a late check-in is a deficiency in the service. In case of significant delay, for example three days, you can raise the question of contract termination and compensation for the ruined vacation. In parallel, demand compensation from the airline. This is a separate claim and a separate respondent.

In short: what is worth booking

Denied boarding is paid under the EU regulation: 250 € on short flights, 400 € in the medium range, and 600 € on long-haul flights (as of 09/2026). The main piece of evidence is one thing: written confirmation of the reason for denial. Without it, the dispute is almost always lost.

If you are already left at the gate, write to the airline and file a claim through AirHelp. If your trip is still ahead, compare insurance options for flight cancellation coverage.