Passenger Rights

If you depart from an EU airport or arrive in the EU flying with an air carrier based in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, your air passenger consumer rights and entitlements under EU law cover these situations: flights cancelled or delayed, denied boarding, overbooking, downgrading, missing a connecting flight or having your luggage lost, damaged or delayed. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance reagulates each of these disrupted flight situations.

If you have a valid flight reservation and travel documentation, and you are denied boarding by the airline due to overbooking or operational reasons, and you don’t wish give up your seat, you are entitled to:

Rerouting

You should be provided with a seat on another flight that will enable you to reach your original/final travel destination.

Refund

Reimbursement will be due for the part(s) of the original journey not completed.

Assistance

If you choose rerouting, the airline should provide meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation (for a stay of 1+ nights), transport between the airport and the accommodation, and two telephone calls, faxes or emails.

Compensation

If you are denied boarding the following compensation rules apply in addition to the assistance requirements above:

€250 per passenger for flights of 1,500km or less
€400 per passenger for intra-Community flights of 1,500 – 3,500km
€600 per passenger for all other flights

Note: There are a number of valid reasons why airlines may refuse boarding. These include health, safety or security concerns, inadequate travel documents, late arrival for check-in or boarding.

Ireland Air Passenger Rights

For queries pertaining to flight cancellation, denied boarding and long delay issues under Regulation (EC) 261/2004,
contact the Irish Aviation Authority.

For complaints outside the scope of
Regulation (EC) 261/2004, contact the
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

EU Air Passenger Rights

Find out more about air passenger rights in the EU and the EEA here.

The European Consumer Centre in Ireland assists only with
cross-border EU air passenger complaints through
our contact page here.

Note: EU air passenger rights do not apply to flights from the UK to the EU operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier.

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ECC Ireland is co-funded by the European Commission and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. CLG incorporated in Ireland, no 367035, 20048617–CHY14708.

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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Denied Boarding