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Passenger Rights

Overbooked Flight Compensation: Up to €600 Under EU261

Flight oversold? First establish whether you are volunteering or being refused a seat against your will. Then check your route, request travel arrangements and care, and keep the offer in writing.

Check My Flight Denied boarding guide

When overbooking can qualify for compensation

Overbooking is a seat-capacity problem; denied boarding is the legal question about refusing to carry you. For a covered EU261 flight, qualifying involuntary refusal can trigger compensation without a three-hour arrival delay. Reasonable health, safety, security or travel-document grounds need a different assessment. Use the denied-boarding eligibility guide for disputed reasons or advance refusal.

Facts supporting a claim
  • The route and operating carrier fall within the relevant rules.
  • You held a confirmed booking and met check-in and gate requirements.
  • The airline selected you against your will because it lacked seats.
  • You can document the refusal and the alternative offered.
Needs a different assessment
  • You genuinely volunteered under agreed terms.
  • You missed a required deadline or lacked necessary documents.
  • A reasonable safety, security or health ground was given.
  • The airline refused in advance or disputed otherwise valid documents: preserve its explanation and seek review.

Voluntary vs involuntary bumping

A genuine EU261 volunteer negotiates benefits instead of the fixed involuntary-denied-boarding award, but retains Article 8 refund or rerouting rights. A meal voucher or necessary replacement flight is not, by itself, agreement to volunteer. Ask the agent to record your status clearly.

Before accepting a voucher

Confirm a seat, not just standby; payment amount and method; voucher expiry and restrictions; and meals, hotel and transport. Article 15 limits contractual waivers of EU261 duties. Do not assume that signing any form ends every right. See the volunteer-offer checklist.

What to do at the airport

  1. Ask for the reason in writing

    Request the refusal reason and written rights notice. Record whether you volunteered, were selected against your will, or were told your booking had been removed.

  2. Keep proof you were ready to fly

    Save your booking, boarding pass, check-in and gate times. If the airline refused you in advance, keep that message too; special rules can apply.

  3. Choose travel arrangements and request care

    Compare refund, earliest rerouting and later travel before choosing. For covered involuntary EU denied boarding, request reasonable care while awaiting earliest rerouting; there is no two-hour waiting threshold.

  4. Record the offer and follow up separately

    Keep voucher terms, replacement timings, actual arrival and itemised receipts. Compensation can be reduced after qualifying rerouting; it is separate from the ticket choice and care claim.

Which regional rules apply?

EU and UK

EU departures generally fall under EU261 regardless of airline; inbound flights from outside the EU normally require an EU operator. EU amounts are EUR 250, 400 or 600 before eligible rerouting reductions, with a separate intra-EU band. UK261 has its own route scope and sterling amounts. See the EU amount table and UK261 guide.

US and Balkan routes

US oversales rules generally concern eligible scheduled flights departing the US and use fare-based amounts, arrival timing and exceptions. They are not the EU flat-rate system. Balkan departures require operating-carrier and local-law checks; ECAA does not make every route identical. Use the regional comparison and ECAA guide.

Keep separate requests separate

Ask the airline for compensation, your Article 8 ticket choice and any reasonable care expenses. EU261 calls for immediate compensation for qualifying involuntary denied boarding; a later written claim is a follow-up, not permission to withhold payment. If refused, keep the reason and choose a competent complaint or dispute route. Build your evidence file.

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Frequently asked questions

Is overbooking legal?
Overselling is permitted in many markets, but the airline still has passenger-rights duties. Check the route and rules rather than assuming every airline oversells or every refusal qualifies.
Can I claim if I accepted a voucher?
A volunteer agreement, a meal voucher and a voucher used to pay compensation are different. Under EU261, travel vouchers as compensation require signed agreement; accepting care does not itself mean you volunteered. Keep the exact terms and obtain advice about a disputed waiver.
What documents help most?
Keep the booking and boarding pass, check-in and gate timing, refusal reason, rights notice, written offer, replacement itinerary, actual arrival and itemised expenses. Missing one document does not automatically end every claim.
Must I arrive three hours late to claim for EU overbooking?
No. Qualifying involuntary denied boarding has its own compensation rule, not the three-hour delay test. An eligible rerouting offer can reduce the amount by half under the relevant two-, three- or four-hour arrival window.
Can I claim directly with the airline?
Yes. Ask the operating airline to address compensation, ticket arrangements and care expenses separately. Keep its reference and response. A claims company is optional and may charge fees.

Official sources and next steps

Sources checked September 8, 2026. General information, not individual legal advice. Check the rule applicable to your flight date; a newly approved reform is not automatically already in force for your journey.

Were you bumped from a flight? Start with route, timing, and whether you volunteered or were refused boarding against your will.

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