Bumped at the gate? Lead with the number: if you were denied boarding involuntarily, you’re owed €250 to €600 (£220 to £520 under UK 261) — and it’s payable immediately, at the airport. This is bumped flight compensation, and unlike delays, there’s no waiting and no “extraordinary circumstances” excuse.

Act now, before you leave. The steps below get you paid and get you moving.

Want the exact figure for your flight? Check Your Compensation in two minutes.

Bumped flight compensation: how much you’re owed (EU + UK table)

The amount depends on your flight distance. It’s a fixed sum, per passenger — so if your whole family was bumped, multiply it.

This is on top of your right to get where you’re going. And because being bumped is the airline’s choice, there’s no extraordinary-circumstances defence — the airline can’t wriggle out by blaming the weather.

The full detail on denied boarding compensation confirms the amounts and how they apply.

Why you got bumped

Airlines routinely sell more seats than the plane has, betting some passengers won’t show. Usually the gamble pays off. When it doesn’t, someone gets bumped.

They’ll first ask for volunteers to give up their seat in exchange for perks. If not enough people volunteer, the airline involuntarily denies boarding to selected passengers — and that’s when your legal compensation kicks in.

How airlines choose who gets bumped varies — sometimes it’s the last to check in, sometimes those on the cheapest fares, sometimes it’s effectively random. You have little control over being selected, which is exactly why the law puts a fixed price on it. The airline made the commercial decision to oversell; the compensation is how it accounts for that when the bet doesn’t pay off.

Other reasons include an aircraft swap to a smaller plane, or weight and balance limits. Whatever the cause, if you didn’t choose to give up your seat, you were bumped involuntarily.

It’s worth knowing this happens more often at busy times — peak holidays, popular routes, and the first flights out after disruption, when airlines are trying to clear a backlog. None of that changes your rights. If you’re the one left behind against your will, the compensation is owed whatever the reason the airline gives.

Your 5-step action plan at the airport (numbered)

Do these before you leave the gate. This is the checklist that protects your claim.

1. Confirm it’s involuntary. Tell staff clearly you did not volunteer to give up your seat. This is the difference between full compensation and none.
2. Ask for compensation in writing. Request the cash compensation you’re owed and get the reason for denied boarding documented.
3. Demand rerouting or a refund. You choose: the next available flight to your destination, or your money back. Don’t let them decide for you.
4. Claim your care. Meals, drinks, communications, and a hotel plus transfers if you’re stuck overnight — all free.
5. Keep everything. Boarding pass, new tickets, receipts, and the names of staff you dealt with. Photograph the departure board.

Don’t sign anything that mentions “full and final settlement” until you understand what you’re giving up.

Voluntary vs involuntary (don’t sign away rights)

This is the trap. Airlines prefer volunteers because volunteers waive their legal compensation in exchange for a negotiated deal — often a voucher.

• Volunteer: you accept the airline’s offer and give up your right to statutory compensation.
• Involuntary: you’re bumped against your will and keep your full legal entitlement.

If you agree to a voucher at the desk, you may be signing away €250–€600 in cash for something worth less and tied to that airline. The rules on involuntary denied boarding compensation exist precisely because the cash entitlement is stronger than most gate offers.

If in doubt, don’t volunteer. Being bumped involuntarily is worth more.

If you do decide to volunteer, negotiate. The airline needs your seat, which gives you leverage. Ask what’s on offer in cash rather than vouchers, confirm the rebooking details in writing, and don’t accept the first number. And be clear-eyed about the trade: a voucher that expires in a year and only works on one airline is worth far less than its face value suggests.

Beyond compensation (rerouting, refund, care)

Compensation is only one part of what you’re owed. You also get the choice between:

• A full refund within 7 days if you no longer wish to travel, or
• Rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, or at a later date that suits you.

Plus care while you wait — meals, drinks, two free communications, and overnight accommodation with transfers if needed. These stack on top of the cash compensation, not instead of it.

So a bumped passenger can walk away with cash, a seat on the next flight (or their money back), and their meals covered. Don’t let the airline present the rebooking as if it settles everything.

Keep your out-of-pocket costs in mind too. If being bumped forced you into an unplanned taxi, an extra night’s stay, or a missed pre-booked hotel at the other end, hold on to every receipt. Care covers the immediate essentials at the airport, and reasonable additional costs caused by the disruption can often be recovered on top of your compensation. The more clearly you can show what the bump cost you, the stronger your overall claim.

When the airline doesn’t have to pay

Compensation isn’t due in a few narrow cases. You volunteered to give up your seat. You arrived at the gate after check-in closed or too late to board. Or you were refused boarding for legitimate reasons of health, safety or inadequate travel documents.

Outside those, involuntary denied boarding almost always triggers compensation — and, unlike delays and cancellations, the airline cannot claim extraordinary circumstances. That makes bumped claims among the most clear-cut there are.

Note the check-in point in particular, because airlines lean on it. If you were at the gate on time and still got bumped, that’s involuntary denied boarding and the compensation stands. Don’t let staff wave you away by suggesting you were “too late” if you weren’t — your boarding pass and check-in time are your proof, which is exactly why step five of the plan matters.

Already home and unpaid? Claim now

If you were bumped but never paid — maybe the airline fobbed you off with a voucher, or you didn’t realise you were owed anything — you can still claim after the fact. Time limits are generous (commonly 2–3 years, and up to 6 years in England & Wales).

Gather your booking, boarding pass, and any airline messages, then pursue it. A no win, no fee service handles the paperwork and, if the airline refuses, court representation — you pay nothing unless money is recovered. Just upload your ticket and passport, add an e-signature, and the team takes it from there. With 5+ years of experience, they already know the airline’s usual excuses and how to counter them, which tends to get a stalled claim moving again.

The rules on denied boarding compensation uk apply whether you’re mid-journey or already home.

The label the airline uses doesn’t change your rights. If you were told the flight was simply “overbooked flight”, that’s the same situation as being bumped — and you’re likely owed the full amount.

You may be owed flight overbooked compensation even if you thought the moment had passed — the entitlement doesn’t expire the day you land.

Bumped and not paid what you’re owed? Check Your Compensation and claim what’s yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much compensation do I get for being bumped from a flight?

If you were bumped involuntarily, you’re owed a fixed sum by distance: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 for over 3,500 km (£220 / £350 / £520 under UK 261). It’s paid per passenger. This is separate from — and on top of — your right to rerouting or a full refund, plus care while you wait.

Is compensation paid immediately if I’m bumped?

Yes. Unlike delay and cancellation claims, involuntary denied boarding compensation is payable immediately at the airport, and there’s no extraordinary-circumstances defence the airline can use to avoid it. Ask staff for it at the gate and get the reason for denied boarding in writing. If they don’t pay on the spot, keep your evidence and claim afterward — the entitlement doesn’t disappear.

Should I accept the airline’s voucher for volunteering?

Only if the offer clearly beats your legal entitlement. Volunteering waives your statutory compensation of €250–€600 in exchange for whatever the airline offers, often a voucher tied to that airline. If you’re bumped involuntarily, you keep your full cash rights. As a rule, don’t volunteer unless the deal genuinely exceeds the compensation, refund and care you’d otherwise be owed.