Austrian Airlines Denied Boarding: Your Expert Guide on Overbooked Flights
Getting bumped from an Austrian Airlines flight can seem like the ultimate act of unfairness. After all, you have a confirmed ticket and you showed up on time, but if you’re flying with Austrian and departing from an airport in the US, then you can at least count on the fact you’ll be compensated for the inconvenience.
In this guide, we’ll explain how you can get as much as $2,150 if you were denied boarding an overbooked Austrian flight, your rights as a passenger, and what to do immediately if you’re bumped.
What Happens When Austrian Overbooks Flights
Overbooking happens when a flight has been oversold, but all ticketed passengers arrive for boarding. The airline won’t start to bump passengers right away. Instead, they will seek people willing to give up their seat in exchange for a later flight and a compensation package.
Sometimes the compensation offered to volunteers can be substantial - and it’s meant to be. In fact many travelers are surprised by how much they can get for simply giving up their seat for a later flight. For example, you could get upgraded to business or first class on your new flight, lounge access, cash, and other perks.
As the flight gets closer to departure, Austrian will begin selecting passengers to bump if they were unable to get enough volunteers. Usually, the passengers they choose are the last to check-in and have purchased the least expensive seat.
How Austrian Will Help You if You’re Denied Boarding
Denied boarding can happen for any number of reasons, but if Austrian Airlines bumps you because the flight was overbooked then you are entitled to cash compensation as well as:
- A replacement flight to your destination at no additional cost
- A refund, if you don’t want to continue with your journey, that must be given to you within 7 days for flights purchased with a credit card, and 20 days if you paid for your ticket another way.
How Much Compensation Can You Get from Austrian Airlines?
Cash compensation amounts depend on where you’re traveling. So, if you’re departing from an airport in the United States, the amounts are set by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which protects all US passenger rights.
If you were denied boarding against your will because your flight was oversold, then the cash payout will be based on when you arrive at your final destination, as you can see in the following table.
Length of the Delay | Compensation Payout |
Arrive within an hour of your original arrival time | None |
Arrive between 1-4 hours of your original arrival time | 200% of one-way fare or up to $1,075, whichever is lower |
Arrive over 4 hours later than your original arrival time | 400% of one-way fare or up to $2,150 whichever is lower |
What to Do if You’re Denied Boarding by Austrian Airlines
Now, to ensure you’re treated fairly by the airline, it’s important to take the following steps immediately once you’ve been bumped.
- Get written confirmation explaining why you were denied boarding.
- Request a replacement flight or a refund.
- Ask for care and assistance if you are forced to wait for hours at the airport for your flight. In the US, Austrian isn’t required to help with meals and accommodation, but they might provide these things if you request them.
- Document everything. Keep all correspondence with the airline as well as boarding passes, receipts for essential purchases, and any other documents to prove that you were denied boarding an overbooked flight.
Why Austrian Airlines Overbooks Flights?
Overbooking is legal and many airlines do it to increase profits. They realize that some passengers won’t make it to the airport in time, will cancel at the last minute, or miss their flight because of earlier flight cancellations or delays.
To offset this, they sell more tickets than available seats in order to ensure every flight is full. Most of the time, Austrian will oversell flights and no one is denied boarding because of it, but if all ticketed passengers arrive for the flight, then someone will have to be bumped - whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
When You Won’t be Compensated for Denied Boarding
Not every denied boarding situation will be eligible for compensation. The following list provides a few instances when Austrian Airlines will not compensate you for involuntary denied boarding.
- Interfering with the duties of the flight crew
- Posing a security or safety concern
- Engaging in unruly behavior towards the crew and other passengers. An example is physically assaulting a passenger or threatening airline staff.
- Intoxication or acting under the influence of illegal drugs
- Presenting communicable health issues
- Failure to have the correct travel documents
How to Avoid Denied Boarding from Overbooked Flights
You might not be able to avoid oversold flights completely, but there are a few things you can do to minimize your chances of it happening.
- Always check in as early as possible. Austrian will select passengers for involuntary denied boarding based on their check-in time.
- Get a seat assignment when you check-in or earlier! Those passengers without a seat are also more likely to be denied boarding.
- Choose flights operating on off-peak days and times like during the middle of the week.
- Stay away from buying discounted or basic economy seats.
- Join Austrian Airlines’ loyalty program. Frequent flyers are usually not chosen for involuntary denied boarding.
Need Help with a Claim?
If you’ve been bumped from a flight and need help getting compensated, AirAdvisor is happy to assist. We’ve been protecting air passengers’ rights since 2017, and our legal team has a 98% win rate for airline compensation claims. See if your flight is eligible by entering your basic flight details into our free compensation checker.
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