The number of lawsuits against airlines using overbooking is growing in Russia. Overbooking is the practice of selling more tickets than there are seats on the plane. This practice allows carriers to compensate for losses from passenger no-shows, but it is increasingly leading to conflicts and fines.
According to NGS.ru, S7 Airlines remains the leader in the number of overbooking cases. Of the last hundred court decisions, four concerned this company. All cases were won by passengers, receiving compensation averaging 10 thousand rubles. At the same time, protecting rights through the court can take up to a year. In 2025, the West Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office fined S7 eleven times for denying passengers boarding, the total amount of fines amounted to more than 300 thousand rubles.
Other carriers have also been sanctioned. Pobeda has recorded three lawsuits, with passengers being awarded compensation of up to 50 thousand rubles. Aeroflot lost one case, paying almost 300 thousand rubles to two affected customers. Even Ural Airlines, which formally did not participate in litigation, was fined 42 thousand rubles for a similar violation.
Attempts by the State Duma to regulate or prohibit overbooking have been made more than once - in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2025. The government rejected the latest bill prohibiting the sale of extra tickets in October. The review stated that the document lacked a control mechanism and liability for violations. Thus, overbooking in Russia remains outside the legal framework.
Aviation expert Valery Chusov believes that the practice itself is not evil if it is properly regulated. In the European Union, for example, passengers receive compensation from 250 to 600 euros if they are denied boarding. This makes the situation predictable and even beneficial - some travelers voluntarily give up their seats for a reward.