WHY THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT
Can an airline refuse to pay for denied boarding?
Not legally. Article 4 has no extraordinary-circumstances defence at all; the regulation simply doesn’t offer one. The airline owes the money whether it oversold the flight, swapped to a smaller aircraft, or needed your seat for crew. Weather, strikes, and "operational reasons" are irrelevant here, which makes this the one claim where the refusal letter has nothing to stand on.
It’s also the one claim that’s supposed to be paid on the spot. Article 4(3) says compensation is due immediately, along with the choice of 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?
Don’t volunteer unless the deal is good
When the gate asks for volunteers, whoever raises a hand takes whatever package is offered instead of the legal compensation. That’s fine if the package is better. It usually isn’t: a €150 voucher against €600 in cash is the airline’s good day, not yours.
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. Airline records tend to say "rebooked," which tells no one what happened.
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 for the new flight. Neither replaces the compensation; you get all of it.
Ask for the compensation there and then
It’s due immediately. You’ll probably be sent to a form anyway, but asking at the desk and being refused is worth having in your notes.
THE MONEY
How much is denied boarding compensation?
The full band, no delay reduction: €250 under 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, €600 beyond (£220, £350, £520 under UK261), per person. The airline can halve it only if the new flight gets you in within a narrow window of the original, and it has to prove that, so insist on the full amount first.
WATCH OUT
A documentation refusal is not a bump
If you were turned away because your passport or visa genuinely didn’t meet the rules for the route, that isn’t denied boarding in the legal sense and there’s no compensation. It matters most on low-cost carriers, where document checks are strict and refusals are common. Establish which kind of refusal it was before you file; a claim built on the wrong one gets bounced.
See exactly what your flight owes you — free, no signup. The live rights page tells you what applies to your exact flight and prepares the claim when you\u2019re ready.
Check my flight →COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions people ask
The flight was oversold. Isn’t that extraordinary circumstances?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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Yes. They’re separate rights and both are owed.
I was downgraded instead of bumped.
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Different remedy. Downgrades are reimbursed under Article 10, at 30 to 75% of the fare for that leg, depending on distance.
General information, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims for a flat fee and never takes a percentage of what you are owed.