Boarding denied - What am I entitled to?

If travellers are not allowed to board the plane, the airline does not have to provide any service if the travellers themselves are responsible for the denial. It is justified in the following cases:

• Failed to arrive on time; if travellers have not arrived at the airport in time for check-in. Tour operators, airlines or travel agencies will inform their passengers of check-in deadlines in writing in the travel documents. If no check-in time has been communicated, 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time applies.
• Insufficient travel documents (e.g. no valid ID, no visa,...)
• Safety risk due to the person prevented from boarding (e.g. disruption of operational safety)

Boarding is most frequently denied when a flight is overbooked. Airlines generally sell more flight tickets than there are seats, as some passengers often do not turn up. However, this can lead to too many passengers queuing for boarding. Airlines then try to find enough volunteers among those present to give up their flight in exchange for an alternative offer in order to make up the number of seats available on the aircraft. In practice, the overbooking is announced at the boarding counter or sometimes at check-in.
The alternative offered to volunteers is usually another flight with additional compensation or bonus benefits or vouchers. Those who voluntarily accept this deal have no claims for denied boarding.

If the airline does not find enough volunteers with its local offer, those who have to forego the flight will be drawn at random. If you are drawn at random, you will definitely be entitled to:

1. assistance services
2. monetary compensation
3. alternative transport with travel conditions as similar as possible to those of the denied flight

If you have been denied boarding, you are entitled to free meals or snacks, refreshments and, if necessary, two free telephone calls or emails. The amount of free catering provided must be proportionate to the waiting time for the replacement flight. The airline should inform you of your rights at the check-in counter or gate (e.g. information sheet). In practice, airlines usually hand out vouchers for airport restaurants. Sometimes, however, nothing is offered and passengers waiting are not fully informed about their rights. As a result, those affected often lack the necessary receipts for expenses incurred while waiting for the replacement flight. So keep all receipts for such restaurant, taxi or hotel costs!

If the flight is postponed to the next day, you will be entitled to a free transfer (there & back) to hotel accommodation free of charge.

If boarding is denied, an airline must make a compensation payment per person as it has not honoured its contract of carriage. The amount of compensation is based on the straight line distance between the point of departure and destination; transfer connections are not taken into account.

1. 250 € for short-haul flights distances (1500km)  
2. 400 € for medium-haul flights (3500km) 
3. 600 € for long-haul flights (over 3500 km) but only if they go beyong the EEA

If passengers make use of alternative transport organised by the airline, these compensation payments may be reduced by 50%. However, this alternative transport must not exceed a certain arrival delay to the cancelled flight, otherwise the full compensation payment is due again:

1. 125 € for short-haul flights distances (1500km) - substitute arrival at most 2 hours later
2. 200 € for medium-haul flights (3500km) - substitute arrival at most 3 hours later
3. 300 € for long-haul flights (over 3500 km) - substitute arrival at most 4 hours later

• Weigh up the airline's offer. In the event of an overbooking, it is good to know your own legal rights. Only then can you make an informed decision as to whether the airline's offer to the volunteers who can forego the flight is a good one and makes sense for you personally in the given situation.
  Example: A flight on the following day is offered with hotel costs covered plus a voucher valid for a few years. Do you still have the next day off and don't have to go to work and wouldn't mind another day's holiday? Then a voluntary waiver might make sense.
• At the counter or by calling the airline, inform them of your claims due to the new waiting time for the replacement flight. If boarding is denied, an airline must provide care services even before the usual 2-hour flight delay. Speak to the airline staff and do not forget to claim your entitlement to care for the waiting time until the alternative flight offered or organised by yourself. According to the regulation, the staff should actually approach you and inform you of your rights in writing.
• Document your expenses while waiting for the replacement flight: If you do not receive any care services from the airline, keep receipts for meals or refreshments consumed and, in the case of overnight stays, those from the hotel, taxi or hire car! The latest Supreme Court judgement on flight overbooking confirms your entitlement to these additional costs.
• Falls Sie von der Fluglinie keine Betreuungsleistungen erhalten, heben Sie Belege über konsumierte Mahlzeiten oder Erfrischungen und bei Übernachtung die vom Hotel, und Taxi oder Mietwagen auf! Das aktuellste OGH Urteil zu Flugüberbuchungen bestätigt Ihre Ansprüche auf diese Zusatzkosten.
• Screenshot for online complaints: If you fill in an airline complaint form online, you should take a screenshot before sending your entries to be on the safe side.