Overbooked flight: your rights and what to ask for

The rules depend on where the flight departs, not on your passport. A flight from Paris to New York is covered by EU rules; the same route in the other direction is covered by US rules. That is why the same delay can pay €600 one way and nothing the other.

The money at stake is real. On a long-haul EU or UK flight the cash band is the largest single item, and meals, hotel and transfers for an overnight delay can add €150–€250 that most travellers pay first and claim later. Keep every receipt.

Timing matters in two directions. Claim the cash band as soon as the disruption is confirmed, because the band depends on how far the rebooking sits from your original arrival time. Then file the paperwork within days, even though EU and UK claims can usually be filed for years after the flight.

Extraordinary circumstances are the big exception. Weather, air traffic control strikes, security closures and political unrest usually remove the cash compensation, but they do not remove the duty to rebook you or refund you. Ask the agent to record the stated reason on your booking, because the reason decides the claim.

Volunteering is the second exception, and it is the one travellers get wrong most often. If you raise your hand before the airline denies you boarding, you are negotiating a private deal, and the statutory cash band is not automatic. Name your price, get it in writing, and only then hand over the boarding pass.

Connections, codeshares and separate tickets change the picture. On one ticket, a missed connection caused by the first flight is the airline's problem. On two separate tickets it usually is not, and the second airline owes you nothing. Check who actually operates the flight: the operating carrier handles the disruption, even when you booked with a partner airline.

Finally, a refund and compensation are separate. A refund returns the fare for a service you did not receive; compensation is for the disruption itself. Read the wording of any settlement before you sign, because some offers are framed as full and final.

File with the airline first, using its own form or claims address. Give the booking reference, flight number, date, the reason you were given, and what you are claiming for. Attach the boarding pass, the written notice of rights, receipts for meals, hotel and transfers, and any confirmation of the rebooking.

If the airline refuses or goes quiet, escalate to the national enforcement body for the country the flight departed from: the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, the national enforcement body in the EU state concerned, the Department of Transportation in the US, or the Canadian Transportation Agency in Canada. These bodies do not pay you, but they can push the airline.

Claim agencies take a cut, often 20–35%, and are worth it mainly for old or complicated cases. Most straightforward claims are paid without one. Do not let the paperwork sit: file within days, even though EU and UK claims can usually be filed for years after the flight.