A traveler trying to get from Copenhagen to Manchester was bumped from two consecutive Ryanair flights in a single day due to overbooking, despite having an assigned seat on the second flight. Now the airline is claiming no compensation is owed for the second denial, raising questions about passenger rights in Europe.
The passenger, who shared their experience on r/travel, described the situation as increasingly distressing. After being denied boarding on the first flight due to overbooking, they were rebooked on a flight eight hours later with an assigned seat. When they arrived at the gate for the second flight, they were denied boarding again.
"The woman shouted at me on the second flight gate and said I was being ridiculous and there is no seat for me even though it says it on my boarding pass and on her system it says standby," the passenger recounted. "I am in complete tears at how I've been treated and told I won't get compensation for the second flight."
Understanding EU261 Rights
Under European Union regulation EC 261/2004, passengers denied boarding due to overbooking are entitled to significant compensation. For flights between 1,500km and 3,500km - which includes Copenhagen to Manchester - the compensation is €400 per denied boarding.
The regulation is clear: airlines must first ask for volunteers willing to give up their seats in exchange for benefits. If there aren't enough volunteers, passengers can be denied boarding involuntarily - but they're entitled to compensation, rebooking, and care (meals and accommodation if necessary).
What's unusual about this case is being denied boarding twice in the same day on the same route. Aviation consumer rights experts say this raises important questions about whether each denial counts as a separate incident subject to compensation.
The Overbooking Business Model
Airlines routinely overbook flights based on statistical models predicting how many passengers will miss their flights. For budget carriers operating on thin profit margins, maximizing seat utilization is crucial to their business model.
