Passenger rights in case of overbooking: what to do

Volunteers or forced denied boarding

Before denying boarding to anyone, the airline must seek volunteers willing to give up their seat in exchange for negotiated benefits: if you volunteer, get the agreement in writing. If you are instead denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to compensation regardless, plus a choice between full ticket reimbursement or rebooking on the first available flight.

Compensation amount and assistance owed

Compensation follows the same brackets as flight delays and cancellations: 250 euros for flights up to 1,500 km, 400 euros for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km or non-EU flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, 600 euros for flights over 3,500 km. While waiting for your new flight, you also have the right to free assistance: meals, beverages, and if departure is delayed to the next day, hotel accommodation with transfers included. If the denial is not due to overbooking, other cases are explained in the guide on denied boarding: causes other than overbooking.

The proof you need

If you are forcibly denied boarding, immediately ask the airline counter for a written certificate of denied boarding: it is the document that proves what happened and is essential for any subsequent claim.

Don't just make a verbal request: always insist on a written certificate of denied boarding at the very moment it happens, because without that document your claim becomes much harder to prove.