Involuntary Denied Boarding: Why It Happens and How to Claim Compensation

Reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Last Updated: October 02, 2024

Have you ever shown up at the gate on-time, boarding pass in hand, all set to begin your journey when suddenly you’re refused boarding at the gate? It’s frustrating and potentially humiliating, right? 

Well, if you’ve been denied boarding, you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, roughly 333,000 travellers in the U.S were prevented from boarding their flight in 2023. The good news is that you could get airline compensation for the inconvenience, so keep reading. We’ll explain which situations qualify, how much compensation you can get, and the steps you need to take to get it.

If you want to skip the read and start the compensation claim process, fair enough. All you have to do is enter your flight information in the link below, and you’ll see how much money you’re owed. It’s fast, free, and easy! Click below to begin.

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What is Denied Boarding: The Basics

Denied boarding happens when passengers arrive at the gate and are prevented from boarding their flight. This can happen for many reasons, but in certain circumstances, you can get compensated for the inconvenience.

The most common cause of denied boarding happens when airlines sell more tickets than seats on a plane in order to improve the profitability of a flight. This is known as overbooking or overselling a flight, and passengers could be eligible for cash compensation.

Voluntary and Involuntary Denied Boarding: What's the difference?

When airlines oversell a flight, they will first make a call for passengers to give up their seat in exchange for an agreed-upon package that can be anything from cash, to points and miles, or even free flights. The passengers who accept the offer and give up their seat have been voluntarily denied boarding.

In other cases, the airline will choose to prevent certain passengers from boarding. This can happen in oversold flight situations if no one steps forward to volunteer their seat, but it can also happen for several other reasons which may or may not be eligible for compensation. Let’s look more closely.

Why Passengers Are Denied Boarding

As we mentioned, many situations can lead to passengers being prevented from boarding their flight, but only some of them are eligible for compensation.

1. Documentation Issues - Not eligible for compensation

In most countries, passengers are required to have the proper documentation to board a flight. Specifically, this means that you must have a valid passport that will remain valid for a minimum of 6 months past your departure date. So, if your passport has already expired or is about to, you may be denied boarding.

If you have a missing or incorrect visa, you may also be denied boarding because airlines will be fined for allowing passengers who do not meet the entry requirements to fly. This is usually caused by discrepancies with dates or misspelt names.

Similarly, if your ticket information doesn’t match your identification documents you may also be involuntarily denied boarding. So, before you head to the airport, be sure that all your travel documents are current and correct. Not only could you be prevented from boarding your flight, but you also won’t put on another flight or be eligible for compensation.

2. Safety and Security Concerns - Not eligible for compensation

Passengers denied boarding because of safety or security concerns were typically prevent from flying because:

• They are on an airline watchlist or no-fly list, 
• They were caught with a gun, explosives, or similarly dangerous items, or 
• They were acting suspiciously by making threats or being aggressive towards airline staff or other passengers.

Depending on the specifics of the situation, passengers who are denied boarding for these reasons may also have charges pressed against them.

Denied Boarding?You might have a right to compensation - up to €600.Check Your Flight

3. Health Issues - Not eligible for compensation

Each country has their own rules surrounding passenger health, but generally speaking, you could be denied boarding if you show signs of having one of the more dangerous contagious diseases like Tuberculosis, Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox, and others.

Why does this happen? Both airlines and health authorities in various countries have regulations to prevent the spread of severe contagious diseases. So, if you’re denied boarding for health reasons, it is seen as an extraordinary circumstance and therefore ineligible for compensation.

Pregnant passengers may also be denied boarding, particularly those who are close to term. It’s very important to check the policies of specific airlines as some will require a doctor’s letter confirming that it is safe to travel during the later months of pregnancy.

If you are denied boarding because of pregnancy, you might be eligible for compensation if the airline didn’t convey its policies and rules clearly to you, but this can be very different depending on your situation, the airline, and the country where you’re travelling. So, again pay close attention to the airline regulations, and check to see if you need a medical certificate before you book your ticket.

4. Restrictions and Travel Bans - Not eligible

All airlines must follow the rules and regulations surrounding national and international restrictions or travel bans. So, if you’re denied boarding because of nationality restrictions then you will not be able to receive compensation as this is something the airline is unable to control.

5. Behavioural Concerns - Not eligible for compensation

Even if you check in and arrive at the gate in time, you may be denied boarding if you display unruly behaviour. So, passengers who are belligerent, aggressive, intoxicated, or those who refuse to comply with instructions will be denied  boarding because it poses a safety concern.

Anyone who is denied boarding for these reasons will not be eligible for compensation.

6. Weight and Balance  - Possibly eligible

For shorter routes with smaller planes, some passengers may be denied boarding because of weight and balance issues. This is basically another safety issue, so you might get compensation if the underlying cause of the denial was within the airline’s control.

So, if the issue was caused by poor planning on the airline’s part, then you will be able to collect compensation, but if the weight and balance issue was caused by a weather event or other unforeseen cause, then you won’t be eligible.

As you can see, there is a lot of grey area here, so if you have any questions about your eligibility, check your flight details below.Check Your Flight

7. Aircraft Downgrades - Possibly eligible

Similar to weight and balance issues, if your plane is changed for a smaller one and you’re denied boarding as a result, then you will be able to get compensated. Once again, this will boil down to whether or not the airline was able to control, prevent, or avoid this.

8. Crew Shortages - Eligible for compensation

If you’re denied boarding because there weren’t enough crew members to operate your flight, then you will be able to get compensation. In most cases, staffing concerns are considered to be something that the airline is able to control and prevent.

9. Overbooking - Eligible for compensation

As mentioned, airlines frequently oversell flights in order to account for no-shows and cancellations. So when all passengers show up, someone will be denied boarding because there are more passengers than seats available. 

When this happens, you’ll be eligible for airline compensation that can vary depending on where you’re travelling. In addition to the compensation, you can also expect to be rebooked on the next available flight to your destination, and if you’re a passenger in the EU, UK, or Canada, you can also receive care and assistance while you’re awaiting your rebooked flight.

How Much Compensation Can You Get?

Each country or region has its own regulations for compensating bumped passengers. 

In the UK and EU, for example, the amount you get depends on the distance of your flight. You could get £220/€250 for short flights or as much as £520/€600 for flights over 3,500km.

The United States requires airlines to pay bumped passengers as much as $775 for bumped flights that result in a 1-2 hour delay for domestic flights and 1-4 hours on international flights. When the delay extends to more than 2 hours for domestic flights and more than 4 hours on international flights, the amount can be as much as $1,550.

For flights in Canada, you could get anywhere from $900 CAD if you’re bumped and have a delay of less than 6 hours at your destination or as much as $2,400 CAD if you’re delayed by 9 hours or more.

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What To Do If You’re Denied Boarding

If you’re at the gate and volunteers are being called to give up their seat, the first thing you want to do is carefully consider if you have the time to accept a different flight and the package the airline is offering to volunteers. 

1. In most situations, airlines offer pretty sweet deals to passengers willing to volunteer their seats, but if you would rather get the cash compensation, be sure not to volunteer. If you do, you will be ineligible for financial compensation.
2. Next, take a moment to collect all your travel and flight documents like your boarding pass and booking receipts, etc so you can have them handy when you submit your claim. 
3. If you’re bumped from the flight, remember to ask the gate agent why you were denied boarding. You should be given written confirmation of the reason you were bumped.
4. Decide if you would rather have a rebooking or a refund and request this from the airline agent. As we mentioned above, you should receive compensation immediately, but if you’re not, ask for it.
5. If you have to wait until your rebooked flight departs, be sure to ask for coupons for food and refreshment. Or, if you have to wait overnight, request hotel accommodation and transport to the hotel and back.
6. Collect any receipts for purchases you had to make as a result of the denied boarding incident. You can submit these for reimbursement.
7. Check if your denied boarding incident is eligible for airline compensation. You can do this quickly and easily with our compensation calculator.

How to Claim Compensation When Denied Boarding

So, if you’ve been involuntarily denied boarding, and you weren’t given your compensation right away, you might have to file a compensation claim in order to get the airline to comply.

You can do this by submitting a letter to the airline that describes what happened in detail including your departure and arrival times, locations, and basic booking information along with supporting documents like statements from the airline, boarding passes, and booking receipts. Just look for the contact section on your carrier’s website and submit this information either by email or via the web form provided on the site.

You can also let our legal professionals here at AirAdvisor do all the work for you! We take away all the hassle and inconvenience of claims submissions. All you have to do is provide us with your flight details and information, and you can do this by following the link below.

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Denied Boarding Compensation FAQ