AJet Asking for Volunteers on an Overbooked Flight? Read This Before You Say Yes

AJet sells more seats than its aircraft hold on busy routes between the UK and Istanbul, Ankara and the Turkish coast, betting that some passengers won't turn up. When everyone does, the gate agent starts asking for volunteers. That announcement is the moment that decides whether you walk away with £350 in your pocket or a voucher worth far less.

Volunteer or bumped: the difference is everything

Under UK261, AJet must ask for volunteers before refusing anyone boarding against their will. The two outcomes are treated very differently:

• If you volunteer, you get whatever you agree with the airline, plus a refund or rerouting. You do not get the fixed compensation
• If you are bumped involuntarily, you are owed fixed cash compensation immediately, plus a refund or rerouting, plus care while you wait

Once you accept a deal at the gate, you cannot later claim you were denied boarding. The agreement replaces your compensation rights.

What the fixed compensation would be worth

• £220 for flights under 1,500km
• £350 for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km, which covers almost every AJet route from the UK, including London to Istanbul at around 2,500km and London to Antalya at around 2,900km
• £520 for flights over 3,500km

That is per passenger. A family of four bumped from an AJet flight out of Stansted could be owed £1,400 between them, often several times what the tickets cost.

What to ask before you volunteer

• Is the offer cash or a voucher? A voucher for future AJet travel is only worth something if you'll fly AJet again before it expires
• When is the replacement flight? AJet doesn't fly every UK route several times a day, so the next available seat could be tomorrow or later
• Who pays for the hotel, meals and transfers if the new flight is the next day? Get it confirmed before you agree
• Will your connection be protected? If you're travelling on through Istanbul with Turkish Airlines on the same booking, check the onward flight is rebooked too

If the offer doesn't beat £350 in real value, you are usually better off staying put and letting the airline choose who to offload.

Don't sign anything you haven't read

Some volunteer forms include wording that you waive further claims. That is legitimate for a genuine volunteer, but it is sometimes handed to passengers who were in fact told they weren't flying. If the airline decided you were offloaded and you had no real choice, you didn't volunteer, whatever the form says. Say so in writing at the time and keep a copy.

Bumped on the way home from Turkey?

UK261 only protects AJet departures from UK airports. On flights home from Turkey, Turkish passenger rights rules apply instead, and they follow the same volunteer-first principle. The advice is the same: find out what the offer is really worth before you agree to it.

How far back can you claim?

If you were bumped involuntarily from an AJet or AnadoluJet flight leaving the UK, you have 6 years to claim in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland.

Start your claim

If AJet refused you boarding and you didn't volunteer, Klaimly checks the flight, the operating carrier and the circumstances, then pursues the airline for you. We charge a flat 5% fee, only if we win. No VAT, no minimum fee, and nothing to pay unless your claim succeeds.