The airline may deny you boarding:
-
- For safety, security or health reasons (for example, if you have not informed the airline in advance about possible infectious diseases or severe allergies) or if you do not have the correct travel documents.
- If you have not used the outbound ticket on a booking that included a return flight.
- If you have not boarded the previous flight or flights included in a booking with consecutive flights.
- If you do not have the necessary documentation for the pet you are traveling with.
If you have checked in on time with a valid reservation and the necessary travel documentation, and the airline denies you boarding due to overbooking or operational reasons and you do not wish to voluntarily give up your seat, you have:
-
- The right to compensation¹
- The right to choose between refund, rebooking or another booking at a later date² and
- The right to support³
The right to compensation¹
Compensation – denied boarding
| Amount in EURO | Distance |
| 250 € | Up to 1,500 km |
| 400 € | Over 1,500 km within the EU and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km |
| 600 € | Over 3,500 km |
If you have checked in on time, you should always receive compensation if you are denied boarding. The exception is if there are reasonable grounds for being denied boarding, such as health, safety or security concerns or failure to present the necessary travel documents.
Even in cases where such reasons exist, airlines may offer you compensation depending on the specific terms and conditions associated with the ticket.
Connecting flight – one booking, one check-in
You are entitled to compensation if you are denied boarding because the airline considers you to have arrived too late to board (because the first flight was delayed).
If the airline has offered you the option of re-routing and you arrive at your final destination late, your compensation may be reduced by 50%, as shown in the table below.
Compensation in case of flight rerouting
| Amount in EURO | Flight distance | Delay at final destination |
| 125 € | Up to 1,500 km | At most 2 hours |
| 200 € | Over 1,500 km within the EU and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km | At most 3 hours |
| 300 € | Over 3,500 km | At most 4 hours |
The right to choose between refund, rebooking or another booking at a later date²
Denied boarding – refund, rerouting, finding an alternative flight
The airline must offer you the option of choosing one of the following options:
- reimbursement of the ticket price and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight, at the first opportunity, to the airport of departure
- redirection to the final destination at the first opportunity or
- rerouting to a later date agreed upon by you, under comparable transport conditions (a new booking), subject to available seats
Once you have chosen one of these options, you no longer have any rights in relation to the other two. However, the airline may offer you compensation depending on the distance of the flight and the delay in relation to the originally scheduled arrival time.
- If the airline fails to fulfil its obligation to offer you re-routing or a return flight to the place of departure at the earliest opportunity and under comparable transport conditions, it must reimburse you for the cost of the ticket.
- If the airline does not give you the choice between refund and re-routing, but unilaterally decides to refund the price of your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional refund of the price difference between the new and original ticket (under comparable transport conditions).
- If the outbound flight and the return flight were booked separately and are operated by different companies, and the outbound flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a refund only for the cancelled flight.
However, if the two flights are operated by different companies, but are included in the same reservation, if the outbound flight is canceled you have the following rights:
- The right to compensation¹
- Possibility of choosing between a full refund of the ticket price (round trip) and rerouting to the outbound flight
Unless the ticket terms and conditions specify otherwise, you are not entitled to a refund or re-routing if:
- you were denied boarding for health, safety or security reasons
- you did not have the necessary travel documents
The right to support³
Assistance in case of denied boarding
While you are waiting, airlines must provide you with free assistance. If you have any problems with your journey, let the airline know so that you don’t have to find solutions yourself. Airlines should also ensure, where possible, that they provide accessible accommodation for people with disabilities and service dogs. The assistance provided should include:
- soft drinks
- STARTERS
- accommodation (if you have been booked for the next day)
- transportation to the accommodation and back to the airport
- 2 phone calls, telex, fax, e-mail
If you are not provided with assistance and you have paid for any of the above yourself, the airline should refund your money, as long as the expenses you incurred were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. Keep your receipts for settlement. You are only entitled to assistance while waiting for re-routing, under comparable transport conditions and as soon as possible, to your final destination or until your return flight to the airport from which you originally departed.
In exceptional cases, the airline may decide to limit assistance or not provide it at all if this would lead to further delays for passengers waiting for an alternative or delayed flight.
Unless the ticket terms and conditions specify otherwise, you are not entitled to assistance if:
- you were denied boarding for health, safety or security reasons
- you did not have the necessary travel documents
Know your rights as a passenger and claim what is rightfully yours
The application is free of charge. ZERO commission if you are not indemnified.
