# Bumped from a US flight: 200% or 400% of fare, up to $2,150

Source: https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/bumped-flight-compensation/

> Bumped against your will on a US departure: 200% of your one-way fare (max $1,075)

# Bumped from an oversold flight in the US: denied boarding compensation

Involuntary denied boarding means an airline refuses you a seat you hold on an oversold US flight, against your will. 14 CFR Part 250 then sets the payout at 200% or 400% of your one-way fare, capped at $1,075 and $2,150 since 22 Jan 2025. On domestic trips, it is the only disruption federal law compensates.

Volunteering is different. You strike your own deal with the airline, and the formula does not apply. This page covers bumped from flight compensation on flights departing the US: which flights and fares count, when the airline owes nothing, and when the caps can change. Delays and canceled flights follow other rules, set out on the [US DOT hub](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/).

## How much do you get if you are bumped from a domestic flight?

$1,075 is the most you can get when the airline's substitute flight arrives more than 1 hour but less than 2 hours after your original flight's arrival time: 200% of your one-way fare. Arrive 2 hours or more late, or get no substitute at all, and the rate doubles to 400%, capped at $2,150.

| Substitute flight arrives | Domestic compensation |
|---|---|
| 1 hour or less after original time | None |
| More than 1h, less than 2h late | 200% of one-way fare, capped at $1,075 |
| 2h or more late, or no substitute offered | 400% of one-way fare, capped at $2,150 |

Source: 14 CFR 250.5(a) - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

The table turns on one comparison: the substitute flight's arrival time against your original flight's arrival time, not the hours you spend at the gate.

A domestic trip here means a flight within the US. Rebooked onto a flight arriving 90 minutes after your original one, you fall in the 200% band. Rebooked onto one arriving 3 hours later, or left with no seat at all, you fall in the 400% band.

The percentage sets the amount, and the cap limits it. On an illustrative $400 one-way fare, 200% is $800, below the $1,075 cap, so $800 is owed. On a $700 fare, 200% would be $1,400, and the cap cuts the payment to $1,075. The headline figures are ceilings, not payments: a cheaper fare earns less than the cap.

Fare means the one-way price to your destination or first stopover, including mandatory taxes and fees; the section on covered flights and fares sets out what counts. Check your own figures with the [compensation calculator](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/). Save your booking confirmation before the airline rebooks you, because its arrival time is the baseline for both bands.

## How much for an international flight departing the US?

$1,075 still caps the lower band, but the time line moves. On a flight departing the US for a foreign destination, 200% of your one-way fare applies while the substitute flight arrives more than 1 hour but less than 4 hours late. From 4 hours late, or with no substitute, you get 400%, capped at $2,150.

| Substitute flight arrives | International compensation |
|---|---|
| 1 hour or less after original time | None |
| More than 1h, less than 4h late | 200% of one-way fare, capped at $1,075 |
| 4h or more late, or no substitute offered | 400% of one-way fare, capped at $2,150 |

Source: 14 CFR 250.5(b) - ecfr.gov, checked 2026-09-15.

The dollar caps match the domestic table; only the upper time line moves, from 2 hours to 4 hours.

International here means a flight leaving a US airport for a destination outside the country, whichever continent it serves. The rule does not reach the flight home. A flight departing an airport abroad falls outside 14 CFR Part 250, as the next section explains.

Compare the same delay on both tables. A substitute arriving 3 hours late earns 400% on a domestic trip but 200% on an international one. On a $900 one-way fare, both percentages exceed their limits, so the domestic payment would be $2,150 and the international one $1,075.

Fare carries the same definition as on domestic trips: the one-way price to your destination or first stopover, with mandatory taxes and fees. Note the scheduled arrival time of your original flight before the airline reroutes you, since that single figure decides which band applies.

## Which flights and fares are covered?

30 or more passenger seats is the floor. 14 CFR 250.2 applies denied boarding compensation to scheduled nonstop flight segments originating in the US, in interstate or foreign air transportation, on aircraft of that size or larger. A smaller aircraft, or a segment departing from an airport abroad, falls outside the rule.

Coverage follows the nonstop segment, not the whole ticket. On a [trip from Denver](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/denver/) to Paris via Chicago, both flights leave US airports. On the way home, the Paris to Chicago flight departs abroad and is not covered.

Fare matters most, because it is the number the 200% and 400% multiply. Under 14 CFR 250.1 and 250.5(d), fare means the price you paid for the one-way trip to your destination or first stopover. It includes mandatory taxes and fees and excludes optional ancillary fees.

A zero-fare ticket gets a substitute figure. The airline uses the lowest cash, check or card fare in the same class on that flight, not $0. Without that rule, 200% or 400% of nothing would still be nothing, and a passenger bumped on a zero-fare ticket would be owed no money at all.

If you hold a zero-fare ticket and are bumped, ask the agent in writing for the fare figure used in the calculation. The whole payment is built on that one number, so check it against the fares shown for your class on that flight.

## When does the airline not have to pay?

4 exceptions in 14 CFR 250.6 remove the payment. You did not comply with ticketing or check-in rules. A smaller aircraft was substituted for operational or safety reasons, or weight and balance limits applied on an aircraft of 60 or fewer seats. You were seated elsewhere at no extra charge. The substitute flight arrived 1 hour late or less.

The equipment ground covers 2 different situations. A swap to a smaller aircraft for operational or safety reasons can apply to any covered flight. The list names weight and balance limits only for aircraft with 60 or fewer seats, so on a larger aircraft that second situation is not in the exception.

The seating ground covers a passenger seated elsewhere at no extra charge. The timing ground is the first row of both tables: a substitute arriving 1 hour late or less earns nothing.

The check-in ground refers to the airline's ticketing and check-in rules, such as a check-in deadline. It is the one exception that turns on what you did rather than on the aircraft or the substitute flight.

When an agent says no compensation is due, ask which of the 4 grounds in 14 CFR 250.6 applies. Write down the answer and the time you were told.

## Must the airline pay in cash and ask for volunteers first?

2 duties come first. 14 CFR 250.2b requires the airline to ask for volunteers before it denies anyone boarding against their will, and 250.5(c) makes cash the default: a travel voucher can replace it only if its value is at least the cash amount owed and you are told about the cash option.

The rules also require the airline to offer compensation proactively. You do not have to ask for it. Under 250.5(f), unused ancillary fees are refunded.

Voluntary bumping works differently. If you volunteer, the amount comes from your deal with the airline, not from the 200% and 400% formula. The passenger who started a FlyerTalk thread in September 2024 described an app-based request for volunteers: "I had indicated willingness to take a $350 voucher via the app, and one other passenger was needed and subsequently volunteered. In a later conversation, she told me she was offered $500."

That is one passenger report from one flight, not airline policy. It shows why a volunteer offer and an involuntary payment are different things. The first is negotiated. The second follows the fixed tables above.

Ask for the written statement too. Under 14 CFR 250.9(a), the airline must give every passenger it bumps involuntarily a written statement immediately after the bump, explaining the terms, conditions and limits of denied boarding compensation and describing its boarding priority rules.

If an agent offers a voucher without stating the cash amount, or offers cash below 200% or 400% of your fare within the cap, ask for the cash figure before you leave the airport. If the airline still refuses, file through the [DOT complaint process](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/airline-complaint/).

## When were the caps last raised, and when could they change?

22 Jan 2025 is when the current $1,075 and $2,150 caps took effect, up from $775 and $1,550 (89 FR 84815); enforcement was delayed until 20 Mar 2025 (90 FR 9952). 14 CFR 250.5(e) sets a review of the caps every 2 years using the July Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

The effective date and the enforcement date sit 57 days apart. A separate Federal Register notice set the later enforcement date.

The review ties the compensation cap for each band to the July CPI-U figure. Under 250.5(e), the cap for the 400% band is twice the cap for the 200% band, so a new review moves both numbers together.

The cap change matters on mid-priced fares. On an illustrative $500 one-way fare in the 400% band, the result is $2,000. The old $1,550 cap cut that to $1,550; the current $2,150 cap leaves the full $2,000.

As of 15 Sep 2026, no 2026 adjustment has been published in the Federal Register, so $1,075 and $2,150 remain the caps in force. The figures can change once the next notice is published. Check the current text of 14 CFR 250.5 on ecfr.gov before you calculate a claim.

## What if you were bumped in Europe or the UK instead?

Article 4 of EU261 and of UK261 governs denied boarding on flights departing an EU or UK airport, on any airline, and 14 CFR Part 250 does not apply there. Article 7 sets compensation by distance: €250, €400 or €600 under EU261, and £220, £350 or £520 under UK261.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3(1), 4, 7 - eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 arts. 3(1), 4, 7 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.

Both regulations require the airline to call for volunteers first. A passenger denied boarding against their will is compensated immediately under article 7 and assisted under articles 8 and 9. Under EU261, €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. Article 7(2) of both regulations lets the airline halve the amount when the re-routed flight arrives no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours after the original arrival time, by distance band: the cut is the airline's option.

EU261 covers a flight from the US into the EU only when a Community carrier operates it. UK261 covers a flight into the UK operated by a UK or Community carrier, and a flight into the EU operated by a UK carrier. A US airline's inbound flight is covered by neither.

That inbound cover, under article 3(1)(b) of each regulation, does not apply if you received benefits or compensation and were given assistance in the country you departed from. Bumped at a US airport and given DOT compensation and assistance there, you cannot claim again under EU261 or UK261 for that flight.

The [denied boarding compensation comparison](https://airtravelrights.com/denied-boarding-compensation/) sets the amounts of each regime side by side. For a delayed or canceled transatlantic flight, see [transatlantic flight compensation](https://airtravelrights.com/transatlantic-flight-compensation/). The regime hubs cover [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/), [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/) and [Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/). Check which regime covers your route in the [which-law-covers-my-flight guide](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/) before you file.

General information on denied boarding compensation, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the DOT Office of Aviation Consumer Protection or a consumer protection attorney.

## Sources

- 14 CFR Part 250, Oversales - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250), checked 2026-09-15.
- 14 CFR 250.2, Applicability - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250/section-250.2), checked 2026-09-15.
- 14 CFR 250.5, Amount of DBC - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250/section-250.5), checked 2026-09-15.
- 14 CFR 250.6, Exceptions to DBC eligibility - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250/section-250.6), checked 2026-09-15.
- 14 CFR 250.9, Written explanation of denied boarding compensation and boarding priorities - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250/section-250.9), checked 2026-09-22.
- DOT, Fly Rights - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights), checked 2026-09-15.
- Federal Register, Periodic Revisions to DBC and Domestic Baggage Liability Limits, 2024-23588 (89 FR 84815) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/24/2024-23588/periodic-revisions-to-denied-boarding-compensation-and-domestic-baggage-liability-limits), checked 2026-09-15.
- Federal Register, Periodic Revisions to DBC and Baggage Liability Limits (enforcement date), 2025-02814 (90 FR 9952) - [federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/20/2025-02814/periodic-revisions-to-denied-boarding-compensation-and-domestic-baggage-liability-limits), checked 2026-09-15.
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3, 4, 7 - [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261), checked 2026-09-15.
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 3 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/3), checked 2026-09-15.
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 4 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/4), checked 2026-09-15.
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, art. 7 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/7), checked 2026-09-15.