Denied boarding

https://www.flightright.co.uk/your-rights/flight-rebooking

Checklist: Are you entitled to cash compensation?

You are only entitled to compensation for involuntary booking changes if all of these criteria are met:

Your arrival at your destination is delayed for more than 3 hours
You checked in for your flight on time (generally 45 minutes before departure)
Your flight booking was changed less than 6 years ago
The airline is responsible for the change in booking
Your flight takes off from an EU airport or you landed at an EU airport (airline is headquartered in the EU
You did NOT book a free/reduced fare that is not available to the public
You had a confirmed booking and ticket (incl. free/reduced tickets under customer loyalty/promotional programmes)
Applies to passengers travelling independently/on package holidays, low-cost airlines, business travellers and children on paid tickets

sheramber wrote: »

https://www.flightright.co.uk/your-rights/flight-rebooking

Checklist: Are you entitled to cash compensation?

You are only entitled to compensation for involuntary booking changes if all of these criteria are met:

Your arrival at your destination is delayed for more than 3 hours
You checked in for your flight on time (generally 45 minutes before departure)
Your flight booking was changed less than 6 years ago
The airline is responsible for the change in booking
Your flight takes off from an EU airport or you landed at an EU airport (airline is headquartered in the EU
You did NOT book a free/reduced fare that is not available to the public
You had a confirmed booking and ticket (incl. free/reduced tickets under customer loyalty/promotional programmes)
Applies to passengers travelling independently/on package holidays, low-cost airlines, business travellers and children on paid tickets

That's not correct. Denied boarding is always compensatable although the compensation may be reduced in certain circumstances. It's been mentioned several times already, I don't know why some posters continue to insist on providing incorrect information.

Why should someone else be bumped just because they don't have children? Strange logic.

Nick_C wrote: »

Where a flight is overbooked, the airline is meant to first ask for volunteers to be offloaded (and usually offers generous compensation).

I suppose if they have overbooked by 4 pax and no one volunteers to be offloaded, it makes sense to offload a family of 4 instead of 2 couple. One unhappy customer rather than two.

Although I am surprised at a Low Cost Carrier overbooking at all. Overbooking only really works when you have a decent proportion of travellers on fully flexible tickets.

The flight wasn't over-booked, they had to use a smaller plane for some reason. OP hasn't said why, but most likely a technical issue with the original plane or a plane out of position.