Downgraded to a lower class: how much of your ticket price is refunded

If the airline puts you in a lower class than the one you paid for, EU261 entitles you to a refund of a percentage of the ticket price, within seven days: 30%, 50% or 75% depending on the distance. This only applies to a change of cabin class, not to a worse seat or meal in the same class.

Last updated: 5 October 2026.

What the Regulation says

Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 covers upgrading and downgrading:

Upgrade. If the airline places you in a higher class than the one you bought, it cannot ask for any additional payment.
Downgrade. If it places you in a lower class, it must reimburse, within seven days and by the means listed in Article 7(3), a percentage of the ticket price:

Flight	Refund of ticket price
All flights of 1500 km or less	30%
All intra-EU flights over 1500 km (except between mainland EU and the French overseas departments), and all other flights between 1500 and 3500 km	50%
All other flights, including flights between mainland EU and the French overseas departments	75%

The refund is paid by the same means as compensation under Article 7(3): in cash or by bank transfer, or in vouchers only with your agreement.

What counts as a downgrade

The Commission's guidelines say the right is linked to a change of cabin class, meaning economy, business or first. It does not apply to advantages tied to a higher fare within the same class, such as specific seating or catering. Therefore:

Buying a different fare within the same class is not an upgrade or downgrade.
If you do not get the seat, meal or treatment you paid for but still travel in the same class, you are not downgraded under Article 10. You may be able to claim back the price of a service you paid for and did not get, under the airline's conditions or national law.
The rule refers to the class of service you bought, not to advantages from a frequent-flyer programme.

Which price is used

According to the guidelines (Case C-255/15, Mennens):

The price to take into account is the price of the flight on which you were downgraded. If that price is not on the ticket (for example, because it covers several flights), it is the part of the total price that corresponds to the distance of the downgraded flight divided by the total distance you were entitled to travel.
Taxes and charges shown on the ticket are not included, as long as neither the obligation to pay them nor their amount depends on the class purchased.
The refund applies only to the flight on which you were downgraded, not to the whole journey on a single ticket with several flights.

Example

You paid 800 euros (excluding class-independent taxes) for a business-class seat on a 4000 km flight and were moved to economy. The 75% rate applies: the refund is 75% of the price of that flight, so 600 euros. If the same flight were 2500 km, the rate would be 50%, so 400 euros.

Is this the same as compensation for denied boarding?

No. Downgrading gives a refund of a percentage of the price, not the fixed 250, 400 or 600 euros. If you were moved to a lower class, that is a downgrade. If you were refused carriage altogether, see denied boarding.

Frequently asked

My seat was moved from a window to a middle seat in the same class. Is that a downgrade?

Not under Article 10. You are still in the same class. You might be able to claim back an extra seat fee under the airline's own terms or national law.

I paid with frequent-flyer miles. Am I covered?

EU261 applies to tickets issued under a frequent-flyer programme (Article 3(3)). The downgrade rules relate to the class of service you booked.

Within what time must the refund be paid?

Within seven days, according to Article 10(2).

Sources

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 10.
European Commission, Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (OJ C/2024/5687), sections 3.4 and 4.4.14, citing Case C-255/15, Mennens.

This guide is general information based on the sources above, not legal advice.

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