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Denied boarding

Held at the gate?

It’s a common nightmare. You’ve made it to your flight, but the airline won’t let you board. But don’t worry, you could be owed hundreds.

Up to £520 compensation

Expert support when you need it

Instant claim checks

100% no win, no fee

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What Is Denied Boarding?

If a passenger is at the gate with a valid ticket and the airline refuses to let them fly for no justifiable reason, this is what’s known as denied boarding.

Some reasons this may happen include:

The plane has been overbooked

You’ve been rebooked onto another flight

The airline outright refuses to let you board, even though the flight is setting off

Whatever the reason, to be due compensation, all of this must happen against your will. And, for all intended purposes, you checked in on time, had your documents in order and didn’t pose any safety or health risks to yourself or fellow travellers.

Were you denied?

There are two types of denied boarding — voluntary and involuntary — and a big difference between the two.

Voluntary denied boarding

As the name suggests, this is when the airline finds passengers on a flight who are willing to either take a later flight or to give up their seat for other perks. If you volunteer, you’re not entitled to any compensation under the EU regulation.

Involuntary denied boarding

If the airline does not find volunteers, they then randomly deny a select number of passengers boarding. If you’re picked, you have involuntarily denied and will be due compensation in line with the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation. You’ll probably also be entitled to benefits and to re-routing or reimbursement of the ticket price.

Your flight, your rights

If you are denied boarding, you have a number of options. You can request a replacement flight or refund.

Or you can claim compensation which, regardless of your ticket price and depending on the length of your flight, could range from €250 - €600.

Airmiles have never been more valuable

If you’ve flown in the EU, or with an EU airline in the past 6 years and meet the regulation criteria, you could land hundreds in compensation.

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Up to

£220

for flights up to 1,500 km

eg. London to Edinburgh

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Up to

£350

for flights 1,500km to 3,500km

eg. London to Athens

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Up to

£520

for flights over 3,500km

eg. London to Tokyo

These amounts can be reduced by 50% if your airline offers an alternative flight which meets specific time criteria relative to the original schedule.

Get out of the gate early

If you do volunteer to take a different flight, and the airline doesn’t provide you with a suitable alternative, you’re also well within your rights to book it yourself.

Safe in the knowledge, you can then charge the cost back to the airline at a later date.

If you are denied boarding, don’t deny yourself the following.

They might come in handy when you claim.

1

Keep hold of all relevant travel documents. Boarding cards, parking tickets, receipts…

2

Ask the airline for written confirmation for the cause of the delays

3

Help yourself to complimentary food and drinks at the airport

4

Submit your claim to FlightReclaim247

There’s no denying facts

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FREE check of compensation amount

Flights leaving and arriving in the UK/EU

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