They moved you to a lower class
If the airline seats you in a lower class than you paid for, it owes you 30%, 50% or 75% of the price of that flight back, by distance, within seven days. It is a reimbursement, not compensation, and an upgrade voucher is not it.
Work out what your flight is owed →The percentages, and what they are a percentage of
Article 10(2) of EU261 sets three figures, by distance of the flight you were downgraded on:
| Flight | Reimbursement |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 30% |
| 1,500–3,500 km, and any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km | 50% |
| Over 3,500 km, outside the EU | 75% |
In Mennens (C-255/15) the Court held that the percentage is taken from the price of the flight on which you were downgraded — not the whole multi-leg ticket — and that taxes and charges are excluded only to the extent they do not depend on the price. So on a four-leg booking where one leg was downgraded, you are owed a percentage of that leg.
It is a refund, not compensation — and the difference matters
A downgrade is not a delay and not a cancellation. It does not trigger the €250/€400/€600 compensation, and airlines sometimes exploit the confusion in both directions: refusing because "there was no delay", or offering a small goodwill payment as though it settled everything.
The reimbursement is owed within seven days, in money, by the means you paid. Miles, a voucher or a future upgrade are not it, and you are not obliged to take them.
Where a downgrade also becomes something else
If the airline moved you down because it had oversold the cabin and you were the one bumped out of it, look at the facts again — there is a line between a downgrade and denied boarding, and denied boarding pays the full compensation on top.
And if being downgraded came with a long wait — a later flight in the lower cabin — then the delay rules run in parallel. The two claims do not cancel each other.
What to send
- Prove the class you bought. The original booking confirmation showing the fare class, and the boarding pass showing where you actually sat.
- Ask for the fare attributable to that leg, which is what the percentage is calculated on. Airlines hold this and will produce it if asked directly.
- Name the article and the number. "Article 10(2), 50% of the price of flight XY123" is harder to fob off than "I want my money back".
- Refuse the voucher if you want the cash. The reimbursement is a money obligation with a seven-day deadline.
Questions
How much do I get back if I am downgraded?
Thirty per cent of the flight's price up to 1,500 km, fifty per cent between 1,500 and 3,500 km and for longer intra-EU flights, and seventy-five per cent above 3,500 km outside the EU.
Is a downgrade the same as a delay claim?
No. It is a reimbursement of part of what you paid, not the fixed compensation. If the downgrade also made you arrive late, the delay claim runs separately and both can be owed.
They offered me miles instead. Do I have to accept?
No. Article 10(2) is a money obligation payable within seven days by the means you used to pay. Take miles only if you judge them worth more, never because you were told they are the only option.
A percentage of what exactly — the whole ticket?
Of the flight you were downgraded on. Mennens (C-255/15) settled that: on a multi-leg booking it is the price attributable to that leg, not the full itinerary.
Related
- EU261 — the statute itself
- Denied boarding and overbooking
- Your flight was cancelled