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THE 60-MINUTE PLAYBOOK · EC261 / UK261

Bumped from your flight? This is the strongest claim you’ll ever have.

By Nathan Zarcaro, founder of MyAirAdvocate · 3 min read · Updated

A passenger with a suitcase watches a plane take off without him

THE SHORT ANSWER

If a UK or EU airline bumps you from a confirmed booking against your will, it owes €250–€600 per person, at the airport, under Article 4. There’s no extraordinary-circumstances excuse. What matters is whether you volunteered.

AT A GLANCE

  • Do: Bumped against your will: €250–€600 each, due immediately
  • Do: Plus a refund or a new flight, and meals and a hotel
  • Don’t: Volunteering means you take their deal instead
  • Don’t: A passport or visa refusal isn’t a bump

Does this apply to my flight?

EC261 · UK261

COVERED

  • ●Any flight departing the UK or an EU country, on any airline (including US carriers)
  • ●Any flight arriving into the UK or EU on a UK or EU airline
  • ●Connecting itineraries on one booking, where the final destination is late

NOT COVERED

  • ●US domestic flights (Boston to Denver): US rules apply instead. If you’re bumped from an oversold US flight, the DOT sets what the airline pays, based on your fare. This guide doesn’t cover it.
  • ●Flights into the EU or UK on a non-European airline (New York to London on Delta or American)
  • ●Anywhere else in the world, unless local law says otherwise

This is EU Regulation 261/2004, called EC261, and its UK copy, UK261. It is the reason a cancelled Paris flight pays €600 and a cancelled Phoenix flight pays nothing.

In this guide · 5 sections
  1. 01Can an airline refuse to pay for denied boarding?
  2. 02What should I do if I’m bumped from a flight?
  3. 03How much is denied boarding compensation?
  4. 04What if I’m bumped from a flight in the UK?
  5. FAQQuestions people ask

WHY THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT

Can an airline refuse to pay for denied boarding?

Not legally. Article 4 has no extraordinary-circumstances defence.

Oversold flight, smaller aircraft, seats needed for crew: the airline owes you either way. Weather, strikes and “operational reasons” don’t matter here.

It’s also meant to be paid on the spot (Article 4(3)), along with a refund or a new flight, and meals and a hotel while you wait.

AT THE GATE

What should I do if I’m bumped from a flight?

  1. Don’t volunteer unless the deal is good

    Whoever raises a hand takes the airline’s package instead of the legal compensation. A €150 voucher against €600 in cash is the airline’s good day, not yours.

  2. If you’re told, not asked, say so in writing

    Ask the agent to confirm in writing that you were denied boarding involuntarily. If they won’t, note the time, the name and the words, and photograph your boarding pass and the gate screen.

  3. Take the rebooking or the refund, then the care

    Article 8 gives you the choice. Article 9 gives you meals and a hotel while you wait. Neither replaces the compensation.

  4. Ask for the compensation there and then

    It’s due immediately. You’ll probably be sent to a form anyway, but a refusal at the desk is worth having in your notes.

See exactly what your flight owes you. Free, no card.

Check my flight →

THE MONEY

How much is denied boarding compensation?

The full amount, per person, by distance:

FLIGHT DISTANCEEC261UK261
Up to 1,500 km€250£220
1,500 to 3,500 km€400£350
Over 3,500 km€600£520

Per person. Flights within the EU stop at €400, however far.

The airline can halve it only if the new flight gets you in close to your original arrival time, and it has to prove that. Ask for the full amount first.

IN THE UK

What if I’m bumped from a flight in the UK?

UK261 covers you if you’re bumped from a flight leaving the UK, or from a flight into the UK on a UK or EU airline.

The airline has to ask for volunteers first. If you’re bumped against your will, it owes you £220, £350 or £520 per person straight away, plus a refund or a new flight, and meals and a hotel while you wait.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions people ask

The flight was oversold. Isn’t that extraordinary circumstances?

No. Overselling is a commercial decision, and Article 4 doesn’t have an extraordinary-circumstances defence anyway.

I took a voucher at the gate. Have I lost the claim?

If you volunteered for a package, you’ve taken that instead. If you were told to stand down and then handed a voucher, that’s involuntary and the cash is still owed.

I checked in late. Can I still claim?

Timely check-in is a condition. Keep whatever shows when you checked in, because the airline will raise this first.

Do I get compensation and a new flight?

Yes. They’re separate rights and both are owed.

I was downgraded instead of bumped.

Different remedy. Downgrades are reimbursed under Article 10, at 30 to 75% of the fare for that leg, depending on distance.

See exactly what your flight owes you — free, no card. We check it against the rules, and if it qualifies and you say go, we file the claim for you.

Check my flight →

The law this guide is written against: EC261 full text (EUR-Lex) · UK261 full text (legislation.gov.uk)

General information, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate files claims for a flat $39, charged only if the airline pays, and never takes a percentage of what you are owed.