Denied Boarding Compensation

Why Are People Denied Boarding?

There is a whole raft of different reasons why an airline might deny someone the chance to board a plane. While some are the passenger’s fault, the overwhelming majority can be blamed on the airline themselves – meaning that being compensated for your inconvenience is often a very real prospect. Some of the more commonly seen reasons for denying boarding include:

• Identity theft
• Reservations lost by the airline
• Lost/stolen boarding passes
• Unsubstantiated accusations of contraband
• Airline overbooking

If you’ve ever been denied boarding, you’ll know that it is exceedingly frustrating, especially if it’s simply down to the airline’s incompetence or policies. Many don’t know that up to £500 can be claimed in compensation when this happens though, so isn’t it worth getting the process started by filling in the form on this site today? There are no initial fees, and you can be sure that you’ll be working with an expert in the field of airline compensation.

Why Does Flight Overbooking Occur?

Overbooking is by far the most common reason for someone being denied a seat on the plane. From a passenger’s point of view, it is an entirely unfair procedure, whereby the airline books more people onto the flight than they can accommodate. They do this so that the flight is always full, and so that passengers who don’t show up are replaced. The problem is this though: when everyone turns up, some are going to be the unlucky ones without a seat. This is why it always pays to get to the airport early, so you aren’t the last one trying to check in.

The Repercussions of Being Denied Boarding

Being denied a seat on a plane isn’t just an inconvenience – in some instances, it can really affect your plans. For example, you could find yourself missing an important meeting, or being unable to attend a family gathering. Even if the airline manages to get you on a flight a few hours later, you might then miss your next flight, adding more delays and headaches to your journey.

It's not just the way in which denied boarding affects a person’s plans that upsets people though – it’s also the way that it hits their wallets. Airlines are supposed to offer food, drink and accommodation to those who have not been allowed to board, however many simply leave it up to the passengers to organise this, and then repay them later. But what if you only have a limited amount of money, or can’t afford to pay for accommodation at all? Denied boarding is clearly a massive problem for many, so isn’t it right that those affected should be compensated by the airlines? So, if you’ve had problems with denied boarding before, why not fill out the form at the top of this page, and get the compensation you deserve?

What Are The Laws Surrounding Denied Boarding?

There certainly are, although they were only introduced in 2004. Before that, airlines were not obligated to compensate those who were denied a seat, even when it was 100% the airline’s fault. The EU recognised this problem and created EU Rule 261/2004, which forces compensation to be paid when certain criteria are met. It should be mentioned that this rule only comes into effect if you’ve waited for more than three hours – often an airline will find another seat for you within this time period.

Just because there’s a law in place, it doesn’t mean that the airlines automatically hand out compensation though. They often make passengers jump through hoops before they release any funds – unless the passenger engages the services of a professional. We’ll do all of the hoop jumping for you, making the process as stress-free as possible. Why try to take on an airline alone, when you could get expert help?

When Can't Compensation Be Claimed?

There are a few situations where compensation is not given, and the first of these is when the denied flight is not the fault of the airline, but instead due to external factors. This could include a mistake made by a travel agent when booking, or someone stealing the passenger’s passport. Of course, you can still complain to the airline though, in the hope that they give you something back, however they certainly don’t have to.

Compensation also can’t be claimed when the fault lies at the feet of the passenger. If you can’t board due to problems with your luggage, or due to bad behaviour or contraband goods, the airline has no choice but to deny you a seat. 99% of passengers are well-behaved and do everything properly though, so this situation doesn’t come up too often.

Finally, there’s no law surrounding the payment of compensation by airlines registered outside of the EU, that are taking off from a non-EU airport – even if the end destination is within the EU. So, for example, if you are flying with American Airlines from New York to Heathrow, you won’t be able to claim compensation using the EU law. You would if the airline was registered in the EU though, and you can always claim compensation when taking off from the EU, regardless of where the airline is registered.

How to Claim Compensation When Denied Boarding

Claiming compensation is really easy when using the service provided on this site – far easier than going through a solicitor or even taking on the airline yourself. All you need to do is spend 60 seconds filling in the details, and we’ll do the rest. With a 98% success rate, we certainly know how to get the airlines to pay up, and we’ll only ever charge should the compensation claim be a successful one.

In order to help with your claim, we’ll need to know some details about your flight. If you can’t remember them, don’t worry though, as we’ll do our best to find the relevant information on your behalf. It should also be noted that we can only handle claims relating to denied boarding in the last six years, as this is the limit set out in the EU regulations. This should be more than enough time for the vast majority of people to make a claim though.

How Much Can Be Claimed?

There are three levels of compensation available to those who have been denied boarding, and they are calculated by the distance that the journey was supposed to be. The lowest level of compensation is for those whose journey was supposed to be less than 1,500km; the middle level is for journeys between 1,500km and 3,500km; and the highest level is for long-haul flights of a distance of 3,500km or more. As the rules are from the EU, the maximum payouts are in Euros, with the highest someone can receive being €600.

There are many different factors that can also be analysed when deciding how much compensation someone should receive for a denied boarding, and airlines will try to batter down the price using various excuses. That’s where we come in use: we can counteract the airlines’ arguments and ensure that you receive the maximum amount possible – which could be hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

Advantages Of Our Service?

There are a couple of reasons why people choose to use our service. The first is cost, as we don’t charge anything to get the process started, and instead only charge after the compensation payment has been made. This means that if we don’t deliver, we don’t get paid – so we fight harder than anyone to get you compensation for being denied boarding. You’ll also find that our rates are incredibly reasonable, which is yet another reason why so many people use our service every year.

Convenience also plays a massive part in why people use our service. If you were to take on an airline yourself, the amount of work would be crippling, as you constantly went back and forth, arguing against the airline’s many different excuses and reasons for not paying. Once you’ve submitted the form above though, you won’t have any contact with the airline – until they pay your compensation, that is. Instead, we’ll handle all of the negotiations with them, making the experience stress-free for you.

Questions Answered

Additional Resources & Links

While we try to provide as much information on denied boarding claims as we can, we recognise that there are many other sites online that provide great information and advice on the subject. That’s why we urge everyone to take a look at the following sites, so that they understand the compensation process better…

• Money Saving Expert - Money Saving Expert has a huge section on claiming compensation from airlines, and everything they say can be trusted completely, as they’re completely impartial.
• Citizen Advice - This is another impartial site, and it will really help you to understand the legalities surrounding denied boarding compensation, as well as subjects like cancelled flight compensation and missed connection compensation
• Civil Aviation Authority - Of all the sites out there, the CAA has perhaps the most comprehensive set of information surrounding airline compensation, including information on denied boarding.

Claim Your Denied Boarding Compensation Now!

Now all you need to do is fill out the form on this page, and you’ll get the whole process of claiming for your boarding denial moving. Remember: there is absolutely no upfront cost and we have a 98% success rate, so you can feel completely confident when you choose to work with us here at Compensate My Flight.