British Airways Denied Boarding: Your Compensation Rights
Bumped from an oversold British Airways flight? Find out what BA owes you, why the voucher offered at the gate is usually worth less, and how much you can claim.
British Airways, like every full service airline, sells more seats than the aircraft holds on routes where it expects no-shows. Most of the time the maths works. When it doesn't, someone at the gate at Heathrow or Gatwick is not getting on, and the rules that follow are more generous than most passengers realise.
The volunteer offer comes first
Before bumping anyone, BA has to ask for volunteers to give up their seat in exchange for agreed benefits, usually an eVoucher plus a later flight. This is where most people lose money. If you volunteer, you give up your statutory compensation and accept whatever you negotiate instead. Before saying yes at the gate, work out what you would be legally owed if you refused, because a £250 voucher on a route worth £520 in cash is a bad trade.
If you are bumped against your will
Involuntary denied boarding triggers a fixed cash payment straight away, plus your choice of a full refund or rerouting, plus meals, communications and a hotel if you are kept overnight. The compensation is separate from the refund. You do not have to choose between them.
Extraordinary circumstances are not a defence here
This is the important difference between a bump and a delay. With delays, airlines routinely escape payment by blaming weather or air traffic control. The European Court of Justice held in Finnair v Lassooy that an airline cannot use extraordinary circumstances to avoid paying denied boarding compensation. If BA offloaded you from an oversold flight, the reason behind the overselling is irrelevant.
How much can you claim?
- £220 or €250 for flights under 1,500km
- £350 or €400 for flights 1,500-3,500km
- £520 or €600 for flights over 3,500km
Unlike a delay claim, there is no minimum number of hours to wait. The entitlement arises the moment you are refused boarding. BA can halve the amount only if it reroutes you and you still arrive within 2 hours of your original arrival time on short haul, 3 hours on medium haul, or 4 hours on long haul.
Downgraded instead of bumped
If BA puts you in a lower cabin rather than offloading you, for example moving you from Club World to World Traveller Plus, that is a separate right. You are owed a refund of 30%, 50% or 75% of the price of the ticket for that flight depending on distance, and that applies even though you still travelled.
When it is not denied boarding
- You arrived at the gate after it closed
- Your passport, visa or travel documents were not valid for the destination
- You were refused on genuine health, safety or security grounds
In those situations no compensation is due, which is why getting the airline's stated reason in writing at the airport matters so much.
How far back can you claim?
You have 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland, so an old BA bump you never claimed for is very likely still live.
How to claim
Klaimly checks whether your offload counts as denied boarding, values it properly against the voucher you were offered and handles the BA claim for a flat 5% fee, only if we win. No VAT, no minimum fee, and nothing to pay unless your claim succeeds.