Denied boarding: causes other than overbooking

Documents not in order

The most common case, distinct from overbooking, involves travel documents: expired passport, missing visa, or passenger data not matching the ticket. Airlines are required by law to verify these before boarding because they risk fines and the obligation to repatriate a passenger at their own expense if they lack the requirements set by the destination country: this is why checks, especially on flights outside the EU, are strict and without exceptions.

Safety, behavior, and undeclared health conditions

A passenger who is visibly intoxicated or displaying aggressive behavior at the airport can be legitimately excluded from the flight: the captain has the authority to refuse boarding for safety reasons, a power also recognized by the Tokyo Convention of 1963 on aircraft offenses. The same applies to undeclared health conditions in advance, when the airline requires a certificate of fitness to fly (for example for advanced pregnancies or recent surgery) and this is not provided before departure.

Why there is no compensation in these cases

Article 2 of EC Regulation 261/2004 excludes from compensation those cases where denied boarding depends on "reasonable grounds" related to health, safety, or documents: economic compensation remains reserved for cases of involuntary overbooking. A reform of the regulation was agreed between the European Parliament and the EU Council on June 15, 2026 and definitively approved on July 7, 2026, with entry into force expected in the second half of 2027: it addresses delay thresholds and exceptional circumstances, but does not change this fundamental distinction.

Checking in time the validity of your passport, visa, and any required medical certificates is the only way to avoid denied boarding which, in these cases, is not covered by any compensation under the regulations.