Denied Boarding (Overbooking): Your Rights
You had a valid ticket and a confirmed reservation, you were at the gate on time — and you were told "the flight is full". Airlines sell more seats than the aircraft has, betting on no-shows; when the bet fails, the passenger pays. The law calls this denied boarding and grants you €250–600 compensation payable immediately at the airport, plus carriage and care. And here the airline has no extraordinary-circumstances defence at all.
When is it denied boarding?
Three conditions must be met together:
- You had a confirmed reservation, and
- you checked in and reached the gate within the time stated by the airline (if none was stated, at least 45 minutes before departure), and
- the airline refused to carry you against your will without a reasonable ground.
Reasonable grounds are missing or invalid travel documents, health or security reasons, and breaches of cabin rules. "The flight is full", "we swapped to a smaller aircraft" or "we are short of crew" are not reasonable grounds and pay full compensation.
Volunteer or not?
Before bumping anyone, the airline must call for volunteers. If you give up your seat voluntarily you keep the benefits you negotiate (cash, voucher, upgrade, hotel) plus your right to a refund or re-routing, but you cannot claim the statutory compensation — so do not volunteer if the offer is worth less than the statutory amount. If nobody volunteers, the airline picks passengers, and those passengers are involuntarily denied boarding with every right intact.
Compensation amounts
| Distance | Compensation | Reduced by 50 % if re-routing arrives within* |
|---|---|---|
| Turkish domestic | €100 | — |
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | 2 hours |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | €400 | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 (€400 within the EU) | 4 hours |
*Of the originally scheduled arrival time.
Unlike delay and cancellation cases, compensation for denied boarding is payable immediately, at the airport — in cash, by bank transfer or, only with your written consent, as a voucher. Check the amount for your route in the calculator.
Rights on top of compensation
- Your choice: refund within 7 days (with a free flight back to your origin if needed) or re-routing at the earliest opportunity or re-routing on a later date.
- Care: meals, two calls or e-mails, hotel and transfers if you stay overnight.
- Downgrading: if you paid business and flew economy, 30–75 % of the fare is refunded within 7 days depending on distance.
- Further losses: a lost hotel night, a hire car, an onward train — documented losses are claimable in addition.
Coverage
SHY-Passenger covers all departures from Turkey and arrivals in Turkey on a Turkish airline; EC 261/2004 covers all departures from the EU/EEA/Switzerland and arrivals in the EU on an EU airline. Under both, denied boarding is the one breach with no extraordinary-circumstances defence: the airline cannot excuse its own overselling.
What to do at the airport
- Get it in writing: ask the gate agent or ticket desk for a written statement of the reason; failing that, have it noted on your boarding pass.
- Say clearly that you are not volunteering; read anything before signing — some forms contain a "voluntary surrender" declaration.
- Ask for your new flight and meal/hotel vouchers; keep receipts if none are given.
- Demand the compensation on the spot. If it is not paid — it usually is not — submit the claim form; we assess it for free and pursue the airline and, if necessary, the regulator or court. Fees only on success.
Frequently asked questions
I did not check in online — is that why?
Online check-in is a convenience, not a condition. If you reached the desk within the airline's stated deadline you complied; a "check-in closed" argument only works if the deadline was published.
The aircraft was swapped for a smaller one.
An aircraft change is the airline's operational decision; passengers left behind receive full compensation.
I signed for a €150 voucher.
If the form said "voluntary", the claim is harder but forms signed without proper information can be challenged. Send it to us for review.
How long do I have?
Turkey: 10 years; EU countries: 2–6 years. Past flights can be claimed if you still have the documents.
Related: cancelled flights, delayed flights, flight refund.
Bumped from your flight? Your claim is clear-cut: submit it now and we will handle the rest.
Informational only; based on EC 261/2004 and the Turkish SHY-Passenger Regulation as in force at publication. Not legal advice.