• If there are legitimate grounds to deny boarding, such as health or safety concerns, or if you do not possess valid travel documents.
• If you are traveling with a pet and do not have the required documentation for the animal.

This represents a key distinction compared to delayed or cancelled flights. In cases of denied boarding, airlines cannot invoke ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to avoid paying financial compensation. Compensation must be provided if you are denied boarding against your will and your claim is justified.

If you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to immediate standardized compensation.

Compensation levels

The compensation amount is determined by the distance of the flight.

• €250: Flights up to 1,500 km.
• €400: Flights within the EU exceeding 1,500 km, as well as other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.
• €600: Flights outside the EU exceeding 3,500 km.

Note: The compensation may be reduced by 50% if the airline rebooks you so that you arrive with only a minor delay (2, 3, or 4 hours depending on the flight distance).

In addition to the compensation, the airline must offer you a choice between the following options:

1. Refund: A refund of the ticket price (for the unused portion of the journey, or the full amount if the trip no longer serves its intended purpose), along with a return flight to the original point of departure at the earliest opportunity if you are stranded at a connecting airport.
2. Rebooking at the earliest opportunity: Transportation to your final destination under comparable conditions at the earliest available opportunity.
3. Rebooking for a later date: Transportation at a later time that suits you, subject to seat availability

While you wait for your new flight (if you have chosen rebooking), you are entitled to complimentary services:

• Meals and refreshments: In proportion to the waiting time.
• Hotel accommodation.: If rebooking requires an overnight wait, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transportation between the airport and the hotel.
• Communication: The ability to make phone calls or send messages.

Before the airline denies boarding to a passenger against their will, it must first ask whether there are volunteers willing to give up their seat in exchange for benefits.

• Volunteers: If you volunteer, you and the airline will agree on compensation (e.g., money, vouchers, upgrades), and you will also have the right to choose rebooking or a refund.
• Involuntary: If no or too few volunteers come forward and you are denied boarding against your will, the right to full compensation applies.

• No-show on the outbound flight: If you miss the outbound flight and the airline automatically cancels your return journey, this may violate contractual terms or consumer legislation, but it is not automatically classified as denied boarding under Regulation 261/2004.
• Arrival time:If you are denied boarding but rebooked and the new flight is also delayed or cancelled, additional rights may apply.

If you do not receive compensation directly at the airport:

1. Request a written certificate confirming that you were denied boarding.
2. Keep all receipts if you had to pay for meals or hotel expenses.
3. Contact us at Flygkompensation, and we will assist you with your claim