Claiming with AirHelp is worth it. Here’s why it beats claiming direct with the airline.

In 2025, airlines rejected 58% of valid compensation claims the first time they were submitted. Claim direct with the airline, and that rejection is your problem. Claim with AirHelp, and it's a problem we've solved for more than 3.4 million passengers.

When you claim directly, the airline marks its own homework. It decides what caused your delay, whether you're owed up to €600, and how long you wait for an answer. And it has every reason to say no: every claim it rejects is money it keeps.

We know how airlines reject claims, and we know how to overturn those rejections. We check what really happened to your flight, challenge the airline with evidence, and take it to court when it still won't pay. You pay nothing unless you get paid.

Claiming direct with the airline vs AirHelp at a glance

Claiming direct, you keep 100% of whatever the airline decides to pay, and its first answer is often no. With AirHelp, you're backed by a team that has helped more than 3.4 million passengers get paid.

Why does claiming direct with the airline cost more than it looks?

Claiming direct with the airline is free, but the airline that owes you the money also decides whether you're owed it. In 2025, airlines rejected 58% of the claims AirHelp assessed as valid when they were first submitted. A rejection doesn't mean your claim was wrong. On your own, though, it means more letters, more waiting, and possibly court. With AirHelp, it's a problem we've solved for more than 3.4 million passengers.

The reasons airlines give are familiar. In our 2025 data, almost a third of wrongfully rejected claims were simply ignored. Others were blamed on bad weather or air traffic control, often with no proof attached. We see these excuses every day, and we know how to challenge them. Read more about why airlines reject valid claims.

Then there's the clock. Claim deadlines differ from country to country, and an airline that lets your claim sit isn't in any hurry. We file on time and keep the pressure on until you're paid.

How do you know if the airline's reason is true?

On your own, you usually can't. When an airline says a delay was caused by bad weather or air traffic control, you only have the airline's word for it. So does any AI assistant helping you write a claim. AirHelp checks the airline's reason against that day's flight, weather, and air traffic control data. If the reason doesn't hold up, we challenge it. It's how we've gotten more than 3.4 million passengers paid.

Here's how that plays out. Say Marta's flight from Lisbon to Berlin lands four hours late. The airline tells her the delay was caused by a storm. That would count as extraordinary circumstances.

Claiming on her own, Marta has no way to check that. With AirHelp, we can see whether other flights were departing normally that day. If they were, the airline's reason starts to fall apart.

Weather and air traffic control are the reasons airlines give most often for a delay. That's no accident. They're the hardest for a passenger to disprove, and checking them is exactly what we do.

What happens if the airline rejects your claim?

If an airline rejects your claim, your options on your own are to reply with evidence, complain to a national enforcement body, use a dispute resolution scheme where one exists, or go to court. These bodies can advise you, rule on your case, or put pressure on the airline, but they won't claim for you. You build the case and do the follow-up yourself. With AirHelp, a rejection is a problem we've solved for more than 3.4 million passengers.

Expect to wait, too. Many enforcement bodies and dispute schemes only take your case once you've given the airline six to eight weeks to reply.

With AirHelp, a rejection isn't the end of your claim. It's where we start. We go back to the airline with evidence. If it still won't pay, we escalate through our legal network. You don't write a single follow-up email.

Who pays if your claim goes to court?

On your own, you do. You pay court fees upfront. In many countries, if you lose, you may also have to cover the airline's legal costs.

You'll also need to file in the right place. That's usually where your flight departed or arrived, or where the airline is based. Often, that means a court in another country, with its own rules and its own language.

With AirHelp, our legal network takes the case on, and the cost and risk sit with us. You never face an airline's lawyers alone, and if we don't win, you pay nothing. We've taken on airlines for more than 3.4 million passengers since 2013, and we know how to win.

How much do you keep with AirHelp?

AirHelp works on a no win, no fee basis. Our fee is 35% of your compensation, VAT included, and it's only charged if you get paid. If your claim needs legal action, an extra 15% applies.

Claiming direct, you keep 100% of whatever the airline decides to pay you. In 2025, for 58% of valid claims, the airline's first answer was nothing. And 100% of a rejected claim is €0.

With AirHelp, a rejection isn't the end of your claim. It's where we start. That's how more than 3.4 million passengers have been paid. You can see the full breakdown on our fees page.

Why do airlines want you to claim direct?

Airlines love telling passengers to claim direct and skip claim companies. Of course they do. When you claim direct, the airline sets the rules, checks its own excuses, and decides when, or whether, to reply. Every claim it rejects is money it keeps.

The airline isn't on your side of this claim. AirHelp is. We know how airlines handle claims, and we've solved this problem for more than 3.4 million passengers.

Why is AirHelp worth it?

Going direct to the airline means asking the company that owes you money to rule against itself. AirHelp doesn't take the airline's word for it, doesn't accept the first "no", and doesn't back down from court. We check the real cause, challenge wrongful rejections, and take airlines to court when needed. There's nothing to pay unless you're paid: 35% of your compensation, or 50% if legal action is needed.

We've been doing this since 2013. More than 3.4 million passengers have been paid with AirHelp, and we're rated 4.5 out of 5 ("Excellent") on Trustpilot by more than 240,000 reviewers. Read answers to common questions about AirHelp.

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