Denied boarding compensation: UK261, EU261 and APPR compared

Checked 15 Sep 2026·12 min read

Bumped flight compensation is set by law in all four regimes below when you are refused boarding against your will. UK261 and EU261 pay by flight distance. Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations pay by how late you arrive, and US rules multiply your one-way fare.

Denied boarding compensation by regime

Source: EU261 and UK261 arts. 3, 4, 7; APPR ss. 12, 20, 21; 14 CFR 250.2, 250.5 — eur-lex.europa.eu, legislation.gov.uk, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

Where two rows cover the same bump, the double-payment section below shows which claim falls away.

#What counts as denied boarding?

Article 4 of UK261 and EU261 applies when an airline refuses to carry you against your will. The airline must first call for volunteers. A passenger still refused is owed immediate article 7 compensation, plus re-routing or a refund under article 8 and care under article 9.

Source: UK261 and EU261 art. 4(1)-(3) — legislation.gov.uk, eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

Overbooking is not a condition. In Finnair (C-22/11, 2012), the Court of Justice of the European Union held that denied boarding applies even without overbooking. The judgment predates 2021, so it binds UK courts as assimilated case law.

Volunteers sit outside the fixed amounts. Under UK261 article 4(1), a volunteer gives up the seat for benefits agreed with the airline and still gets re-routing or a refund under article 8.

A cancelled flight falls under article 5 instead. On FlyerTalk in January 2025, the member irishguy28 replied to a passenger: “For denied boarding to occur, at least two things must happen: 1) the flight in question must actually operate; and 2) you were not allowed to depart with the flight.” One forum post, not a ruling.

Ask the gate agent whether the flight is still operating before you accept any offer.

#UK261 £How much does UK261 pay if you are bumped?

£220, £350 or £520 per passenger is what UK261 article 7(1) pays for involuntary denied boarding, on flights up to 1,500 km, 1,500 to 3,500 km, and over 3,500 km. The airline must pay immediately, and article 7(2) lets it halve the amount after a close re-routing.

Source: UK261 arts. 2(n), 3(1), 4(3), 7(1)-(3) — legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Cancellations — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

UK261 covers bumps at UK airports on any airline, flights into the UK on UK or EU airlines, and flights into EU member states on UK airlines.

Article 7(2) lets the airline pay £110, £175 or £260 when the re-routed flight arrives no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, by band. It says “may”: the cut is the airline’s option. The legal text allows it at exactly 2, 3 or 4 hours; the CAA’s table for cancelled flights cuts only below the line.

On a flight of 1,500 to 3,500 km, a replacement whose doors open 2 hours 30 minutes late lets the airline pay £175. At 3 hours 1 minute, the full £350 is owed. Arrival is the time passengers are permitted to leave the aircraft.

Check your band in the compensation calculator or on the UK261 hub, and write down when the replacement’s doors open.

#EU261 €How much does EU261 pay if you are bumped?

EU261 article 7(1) pays €250, €400 or €600 per passenger for involuntary denied boarding. €250 covers flights up to 1,500 km. €400 covers flights within the EU over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and €600 covers all other flights.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3(1), 7(1)-(3) — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

EU261 covers a bump at any EU airport, on any airline. A flight into the EU from outside is covered only when a Community carrier, licensed by an EU member state, operates it. A US airline’s inbound flight is not covered.

A flight between two EU airports longer than 3,500 km still pays €400, because article 7(1)(b) puts every intra-Community flight over 1,500 km in the middle band. UK261 deleted those words.

Article 7(2) lets the airline pay €125, €200 or €300 when the re-routed flight arrives no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, by band. On a 2,000 km flight from an EU airport to a city outside the EU, a replacement arriving exactly 3 hours late allows €200. At 3 hours 1 minute, €400 is due.

Check whether both airports are inside the EU before you pick a band, then see the EU261 hub.

#APPR C$How much does APPR pay for denied boarding in Canada?

C$900, C$1,800 or C$2,400 is what section 20(1) of Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations pays for denied boarding, by how late you reach your destination: under 6 hours, 6 to under 9 hours, or 9 hours or more. The denial must be within the carrier’s control and not required for safety. Carrier size does not change the amount.

Source: APPR (SOR/2019-150) ss. 10(3), 12, 20, 21; Canada Transportation Act s. 85.07(2) — laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

A denial outside the carrier’s control, such as a security threat or a medical emergency, brings alternate travel arrangements but no compensation. In a Canadian Transportation Agency complaint, the denial is presumed within the carrier’s control and not required for safety unless the carrier proves otherwise.

The carrier must pay no later than 48 hours after the denial. If it has not paid before you board, it owes you written confirmation of the amount, adjusted if you arrive later than expected. Payment is in money, unless another form has greater monetary value, is disclosed in writing, does not expire and you confirm it in writing.

Ask the carrier to state in writing why you were refused, and note when the door opens at your destination; see the APPR hub.

#What must you have done to qualify: check-in and boarding time?

45 minutes before the published departure time is the latest you can present yourself for check-in under EU261 article 3(2) when no time has been indicated. Where a time is indicated, you must present yourself for check-in as stipulated. Either way, you need a confirmed reservation, or to have been transferred to the flight.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, art. 3(2)-(3) — eur-lex.europa.eu; 14 CFR 250.6 — ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

Miss the deadline and EU261 does not apply to the refusal. The fare matters too. Passengers travelling free or on a reduced fare not available to the public are excluded, but frequent-flyer tickets are covered.

In the US, 14 CFR 250.6 removes compensation if you did not comply with the airline’s ticketing or check-in rules.

Proof of timing counts. On the MoneySavingExpert forum in March 2025, the passenger Madthinker wrote that “other airport staff later accepted that I’d been in the queue early enough, following the text message evidence”. One passenger report, not a rule.

Screenshot the check-in deadline in your booking, and keep a time-stamped message showing when you reached the desk.

#What else are you owed after being bumped: re-routing, refund and care?

7 days is the refund deadline if you choose one: article 8(1) of UK261 and EU261 lets a bumped passenger pick reimbursement of the full ticket cost within seven days, re-routing at the earliest opportunity, or re-routing at a later date that suits you. The fixed compensation is owed on top.

Source: UK261 arts. 8, 9, 10(2) — legislation.gov.uk; Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 8, 9 — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15; Mennens, C-255/15 (2016), operative pts 1-2 — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-18.

Refund and re-routing are alternatives. A refund covers the full ticket cost, plus a return flight to your first point of departure where relevant.

While you wait, the right to care in article 9 requires free meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time. It also covers a hotel when you need to stay one or more nights, transport between the airport and the hotel, and two telephone calls or e-mails.

If the airline downgrades you to a lower class than the one you paid for, UK261 article 10(2) requires a refund within seven days: 30% up to 1,500 km, 50% for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and 75% beyond. Take the percentage from the fare for the downgraded flight on its own, taxes and charges excluded, rather than from the whole ticket — the reading in Mennens (C-255/15, 2016), decided in time to carry over into UK law. Our downgrade refund guide works a through-fare split through.

Put your choice of refund or re-routing in writing, and keep every receipt.

#How much do airlines pay if you are bumped on a flight departing the US?

200% of your one-way fare, capped at $1,075, or 400%, capped at $2,150: 14 CFR 250.5 sets US denied boarding compensation by how late the substitute flight arrives. Domestic trips reach 400% at 2 hours late, international flights departing the US at 4 hours; 1 hour late or less earns nothing.

Source: 14 CFR 250.2, 250.2b, 250.5, 250.6 — ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

The rule covers nonstop segments originating in the US on aircraft with 30 or more seats. The airline must ask for volunteers first and offer compensation without being asked; a voucher replaces cash only if worth at least the cash amount and you are told of the cash option.

Volunteers negotiate. On FlyerTalk in September 2024, the member Antarius wrote: “Each passenger can offer up whatever they’re willing to accept. The airline will work their way up until they have sufficient space opened up. In the Case of IDB, theres defined compensation.” One forum post, not airline policy; IDB means involuntary denied boarding.

The caps took effect on January 22, 2025. As of September 15, 2026, no 2026 adjustment had been published.

Ask for the cash figure in writing before you accept a voucher; the US denied boarding guide has the band tables.

#Can you be paid twice for one bump on a flight into the UK or EU?

2 rules stop a second payment for the same bump. Article 3(1)(b) of UK261 and EU261 excludes an inbound flight if you received benefits or compensation and were given assistance in the country you departed from. Canada’s APPR withholds its compensation once you have received compensation for the same event under another regime.

One bump, two regimes: what blocks a second payment

Source: EU261 and UK261 art. 3(1)(b); APPR s. 3(3); Canada Transportation Act s. 86.11(3); 14 CFR 250.2 — eur-lex.europa.eu, legislation.gov.uk, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

Every UK261 or EU261 claim in the table survives unless you received both at departure: benefits or compensation, and assistance. Bumped at a US gate from an EU-licensed airline’s flight to the EU, paid under 14 CFR Part 250 and given assistance there, you have no EU261 claim.

Canada’s rule looks only at compensation. A carrier must not refuse APPR compensation because another regime also covers you, but it pays nothing once you have received compensation for the same event under that regime.

Keep the payment receipt and a note of any assistance you got at departure, and check your route in the which-law-covers-my-flight guide.

#How do you claim and escalate denied boarding compensation?

8 weeks without a reply from the airline lets you take a UK261 claim to its approved ADR body. A Canadian claim unresolved after 30 days can go to the Canadian Transportation Agency. EU261 complaints go to a national enforcement body; US complaints go to the Department of Transportation.

Source: CAA ADR page — caa.co.uk; Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 — legislation.gov.uk; EU261 art. 16 — eur-lex.europa.eu; Canada Transportation Act, ss. 85.04, 85.05 — laws-lois.justice.gc.ca; 14 CFR 259.7 — ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

UK261 ADR is free, must start within 12 months of the airline’s final response, and binds the airline if you accept the decision. For an airline outside ADR, the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team can help but cannot impose a solution; the UK261 ADR scheme guide maps both routes. Court claims run 6 years in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland. Scotland’s 5-year rule in the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 is untested for UK261 claims. File within 5 years.

EU261 complaints go to the enforcement body of the departure state, or of the arrival state for a flight from outside the EU. Time limits to sue follow national law.

In Canada, write to the carrier if the 48-hour payment does not arrive. The Agency starts mediation by the 30th day after a complaint is filed; see the CTA complaint guide.

Under 14 CFR 259.7, airlines must acknowledge a complaint within 30 days and respond in writing within 60 days.

Send your claim with the flight number, the time you were refused and the replacement’s arrival time.

General information on denied boarding compensation, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, the European Consumer Centre in your country, the Canadian Transportation Agency or a solicitor.

#Sources

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 16 - eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 3 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 4 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 7 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 8 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 9 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 10 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Civil Aviation Authority, Cancellations - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Civil Aviation Authority, Alternative Dispute Resolution - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Civil Aviation Authority, How the CAA can help - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Limitation Act 1980, s.9 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, art. 4 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.
• Canada Transportation Act - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.
• 14 CFR Part 250, Oversales - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.
• 14 CFR 259.7, Response to consumer problems - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.
• Finnair, C-22/11 (2012), CJEU - eur-lex.europa.eu.
• Mennens, C-255/15 (2016), CJEU - eur-lex.europa.eu.

#FAQ

Do I get compensation if my flight is overbooked?

£220 to £520 under UK261, or €250 to €600 under EU261, is owed only if you are refused boarding against your will. Article 4 requires the airline to ask for volunteers first, and volunteers take the benefits they agree instead. Overbooking itself is not a condition: in Finnair (C-22/11, 2012) the CJEU held that denied boarding applies without it.

What are the rules for being bumped in the US?

200% of the one-way fare, capped at $1,075, or 400%, capped at $2,150, is owed under 14 CFR 250.5 on nonstop flights departing the US on aircraft of 30 or more seats. The airline must ask for volunteers first. A voucher replaces cash only if worth at least the cash amount and you are told of the cash option.