You have a valid ticket, you arrive at the departure gate on time, and yet you are not allowed on the plane. This is not a booking error, but most likely a case of overbooking.

The airline has sold more tickets than there are seats on the plane, and this time more passengers turned up than it had anticipated.

The good news is that, unless you voluntarily give up your seat, under European regulations you’re usually entitled not only to a replacement flight and refreshments, but also to financial compensation of up to €600.

What to do in the event of overbooking – in a nutshell

• The airline must first look for volunteers who are willing to give up their seat.
• If you do not wish to volunteer, make this clear.
• If you are denied boarding against your will, you have the right to choose between a refund or alternative transport.
• Whilst you are waiting, you are entitled to meals, accommodation if necessary, and transport between the hotel and the airport.
• In addition, you may be entitled to financial compensation of €250, €400 or €600.
• Make sure you get everything confirmed in writing and keep your receipts.

What is overbooking?

Overbooking means that an airline sells more tickets than it can actually carry passengers.

They do not do this by mistake. Airlines know from statistics that some passengers will not turn up for their flight.

By selling a few extra tickets, they reduce the likelihood that the plane will depart with empty seats.

Most of the time, this system works and passengers are none the wiser. The problem arises when more people turn up for departure than there are seats available.

A similar situation can also arise if the original aircraft is replaced with a smaller model.

From the passenger’s perspective, the outcome is what matters: they had a confirmed booking, met the boarding requirements, but the airline refused to carry them against their will.

Legally, therefore, the broader term ‘denied boarding’ is used.

What to do at the airport

When under stress at the departure gate, the most important thing is not to agree to anything you do not fully understand.

1. Make it clear that you are not giving up your seat voluntarily

The airline must first seek volunteers. It may offer money, a voucher, air miles, a hotel stay or a seat on a later flight.

If you do not wish to accept the offer, state clearly that you are not giving up your seat and ask for written confirmation of the denied boarding.

This distinction is crucial. A volunteer is not automatically entitled to the statutory compensation of €250, €400 or €600.

They will receive whatever they agree with the airline.

2. Request written confirmation

The confirmation should state:

• the flight number and date,
• your name,
• the reason for being denied boarding,
• information that you did not voluntarily give up your seat,
• the alternative flight offered,
• refreshments, hotel accommodation or other arrangements provided.

The airline must also provide you with written information about your rights.

3. Ask to be shown all available alternative transport options

Do not automatically accept a refund of the ticket price if you still need to reach your destination. Accepting a refund may mean you lose your right to free re-routing.

Ask to be transported to your final destination at the earliest possible opportunity. If the airline’s own flights do not depart for several days, also ask about:

• flights operated by other airlines,
• a connecting flight,
• a flight from a nearby airport,
• arrival at another airport serving the same area,
• a train or other reasonable means of transport.

You can check available flights yourself using a flight search engine, such as skyscanner.com.

However, do not go straight ahead and buy an expensive ticket at your own expense without first trying to reach an agreement.

If the airline refuses to arrange reasonable re-routing, ask for written confirmation of their refusal. This will significantly increase your chances of being reimbursed for your out-of-pocket expenses later on.

4. Request meals and, if necessary, hotel accommodation

If you are waiting for alternative transport, the airline must look after you.

Depending on the length of the wait, you are entitled to:

• adequate meals and refreshments,
• the means to communicate,
• accommodation, if an overnight stay is necessary,
• transport from the airport to the hotel and back.

If the airline does not arrange anything for you, only purchase reasonable services and keep all receipts. A luxury hotel, alcohol or an expensive dinner will be much harder to justify than a standard airport hotel and a normal meal.

You’ll find options for overnight accommodation right next to the terminals in our airport guides. For large airports, we also describe hotels within walking distance, sleeping in the terminal and transport to the surrounding area.

What you are entitled to in the event of overbooking

In the event of involuntary denied boarding, three separate sets of rights apply. One does not replace the other.

Entitlement	What is included
Refund or alternative transport	You may choose one of the three options described below
Care whilst waiting	Meals, refreshments, and, where applicable, accommodation and transport
Financial compensation	€250, €400 or €600 depending on the distance

Financial compensation is therefore not a refund for your flight ticket, hotel or refreshments. It is a separate entitlement.

Refund or alternative flight

The airline must offer you a choice between three options:

1. A refund of the price of the unused ticket. If you have already completed part of your journey and the remainder is no longer necessary, a return to your original point of departure.
2. Rerouting to your final destination at the earliest possible opportunity.
3. Re-routing on a different date that suits you, provided there is availability on that date.

Once you have accepted one option, you cannot request another.

For example, if you need to get to a holiday, a wedding or a business meeting, ask to be shown the options for alternative flights before accepting a refund.

Financial compensation for overbooking

The amount of compensation depends on the flight distance.

Distance	Compensation	Example
Up to 1,500 km	250 eur	Prague – Paris
More than 1,500 km within the EU or other flights up to 3,500 km	400 eur	Prague – Lisbon
Other flights longer than 3,500 km	600 eur	Prague – New York

For flights entirely within the EU, the maximum compensation is €400, even if the flight is longer than 3,500 km.

We provide detailed information in the article ‘How to claim compensation for a cancelled flight’.

Get your compensation claim assessed for free

Be wary of ‘voluntary’ offers

Accepting a voluntary offer may be advantageous. However, you must know exactly what you are getting.

The statutory compensation of €250, €400 or €600 does not automatically apply to volunteers. The compensation depends on the agreement with the airline.

Before accepting the offer, ask for written confirmation of:

• the exact amount of the compensation,
• whether you will receive cash or a voucher,
• the validity and restrictions of the voucher,
• a confirmed seat on the replacement flight,
• meals, accommodation and transport,
• how your checked-in luggage will be transported.

Be particularly careful with standby alternative flights. This is not a confirmed seat, and you may be left at the airport even after the next flight has departed.

Volunteering makes sense mainly if you have a flexible schedule and the reward on offer is more valuable to you than the time you’ll lose.

A voucher worth €500 may not be worth the same as €500 in cash if it can only be used for expensive tickets with a single airline and is due to expire soon.

Do I have to accept the voucher?

No. Statutory financial compensation must be paid in cash, by bank transfer or by another authorised method of payment.

The airline may only use a voucher with your consent. Therefore, do not accept an offer via the app or at the check-in desk if you do not understand the terms and conditions.

The situation is different for volunteers. In such cases, a voucher may form part of an individually agreed remuneration package.

Which flights are covered by the European rules?

The rights under Regulation 261/2004 do not depend on the passenger’s nationality, but primarily on the place of departure, arrival and the registered office of the operating airline.

Route	Do the European rules apply?
Departure from the EU on any airline	Yes
Flight entirely within the EU	Yes
Arrival in the EU from a third country with a European airline	Yes
Arrival in the EU from a third country on a non-European airline	No
Flight between two countries outside the EU	No

The same rules also apply to flights from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

The regulation also applies to standard charter flights and tickets obtained through a public loyalty programme.

Different rules may apply outside Europe. The United States and the United Kingdom, for example, have their own passenger protection schemes.

When you are not entitled to compensation

You cannot claim compensation every time an airline refuses to let you board a flight.

As a rule, you are not entitled to compensation if:

• you have voluntarily given up your seat,
• you do not have valid travel documents or a visa,
• you arrived late for check-in or at the departure gate,
• you did not meet security or health requirements,
• the airline refused to allow you to board for legitimate security reasons.

Can overbooking be prevented?

There is no foolproof way. Airlines use their own rules for selecting passengers, and there is no universal public system.

However, by following a few steps, you can minimise the most common risks and, above all, strengthen your case.

Check in online as soon as possible

Ideally, check in online as soon as check-in opens. You’ll receive your boarding pass and proof that you’ve registered for the flight.

However, it is not always the case that the last passenger to check in will automatically be the first to be removed from the flight. The selection depends on the specific airline and the situation.

Be at the departure gate in good time

A boarding pass alone is not enough. If you arrive after the departure gate has closed, the airline may allocate your seat to someone else, and this will not be considered involuntary denied boarding.

If you’re at an unfamiliar airport, check the terminal, security checkpoint and the actual walking time to the departure gate in advance.

You can find practical information in our guides to over 2,000 airports.

A seat reservation is not a guarantee

Paying for a specific seat may mean that your booking is processed more thoroughly, but it does not protect you from overbooking, either legally or in practice.

Due to a change of aircraft or operational changes, the airline may alter or cancel even a pre-selected seat.

We would therefore not pay extra for a seat reservation solely out of concern about overbooking.

Similarly, priority boarding does not offer protection. The decision on who will be carried may be made even before boarding begins.

For time-sensitive journeys, allow plenty of time

Taking an early morning flight or choosing a major airline does not guarantee that overbooking will not occur. However, early morning flights usually leave more options for alternative transport on the same day.

If you’re heading to a wedding, a cruise, an important meeting or a separately booked connecting flight, the most effective way to protect yourself from the consequences is to arrive a day early.

This isn’t about preventing overbooking. It’s simply about giving yourself some breathing space so that a disruption to one flight doesn’t ruin your entire trip.

How to tell if a flight might be overbooked

The following situations may indicate a potential problem:

• online check-in does not issue a boarding pass,
• your boarding pass does not show a seat number,
• the seat is listed as ‘standby’, ‘seat at gate’ or similar,
• the airline’s app offers a reward for changing your flight,
• staff at the departure gate are looking for volunteers,
• shortly before departure, the aircraft was changed to a smaller one.

None of these signs on their own confirms overbooking.

A missing seat may also be related to standard seat allocation or document checks.

What if you’re denied boarding during a connecting flight?

For connecting flights, it is essential that all flights are on a single booking.

If the airline anticipates that you will miss your connecting flight due to a delay on the first flight and reallocates your seat to someone else in advance, this may constitute denied boarding. This applies particularly if you do eventually arrive at the departure gate on time.

The situation is different for two separately purchased tickets. If, due to a delay on the first flight, you arrive late for check-in for the second flight, the second airline will usually consider you a passenger who failed to arrive on time.

We explain the differences between guaranteed and non-guaranteed connections in detail in the article ‘Connections at the airport: how much time is needed and the most common mistakes’.

How to claim compensation

First, contact the airline that actually operated the flight directly. This may not be the company from which you bought your ticket or whose code was listed on your booking.

In your claim, please state:

• the names of all passengers,
• the booking reference,
• flight number and date,
• the departure airport and destination,
• information stating that this was an involuntary denied boarding,
• the amount of compensation claimed,
• bank details, including the IBAN,
• a separate list of additional expenses.

Please attach your booking confirmation, boarding pass, confirmation from the airline, new flight ticket and all receipts.

Frequently asked questions

Can I be denied boarding even if I have a boarding pass and a seat?

Yes.

An allocated seat reduces uncertainty, but does not guarantee carriage.

If you have met all the conditions and have not voluntarily given up your seat, you are entitled to certain rights if you are denied boarding.

What if the airline claims it wasn’t a case of overbooking?

Your entitlement is not limited solely to classic overbooking.

Denied boarding can also occur when an airline deploys a smaller aircraft and fails to carry some of the passengers who have been duly checked in.

Will I receive compensation even if I’m put on a different flight?

Yes. An alternative flight does not affect your right to compensation. If you arrive at your destination with only a slight delay, the airline may reduce the compensation by half.

Do the same rules apply to hotel overbooking?

No. Hotels may also accept more bookings than they have rooms, but they are not covered by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, nor are they subject to fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600.

This article deals solely with overbooking in air travel.

Related guides

A problem at the airport isn’t necessarily caused by an overbooked flight. You may also find the following articles useful:

• Flight delays: what you’re entitled to and how to claim compensation
• Flight cancellation: what to do and how to claim compensation
• What to do if an airline changes your flight
• Connecting flights: guaranteed and non-guaranteed connections
• Practical information about airports, terminals and hotels