The Ministry of Transport plans to legalize overbooking with guarantees for passengers

Passengers who are denied boarding due to overbooking are entitled to a full refund and compensation for hotel and meal expenses.

The Ministry of Transport plans to legalize overbooking by the end of this year with guarantees for passengers.

To receive compensation, the passenger must receive a written refusal from the carrier and submit a claim to him.

MOSCOW, September 7 - RIA Novosti. Passengers who were denied boarding a flight due to overbooking are entitled to a full refund and compensation for hotel and food expenses, but to do this they need to receive a written refusal from the carrier and send him a claim, lawyer Yana Maleva told RIA Novosti.

Earlier, in an interview with RIA Novosti, the head of the Ministry of Transport, Andrei Nikitin, officially stated that the department intends to legalize overbooking by the end of this year. Discussions with airlines and consumer protection organizations will begin in September. At the same time, legalization will be accompanied by serious guarantees for passengers.

“If a citizen is denied boarding a flight due to overbooking, then he has the right to a full refund of the ticket price - even at a non-refundable fare, reimbursement of additional expenses - accommodation, meals, disrupted events - if he has receipts, compensation for moral damages, as well as boarding on the next flight,” said the lawyer.

However, in order to apply for compensation, the passenger must immediately receive written confirmation of the airline representative’s refusal to board him.