Submitting a Claim

    Submitting a Claim


    Why does it take so long to get compensation?

    We do our best to make the claim process as quick as possible, but unfortunately, in some cases, it can take a while to get your rightful compensation. There are several external factors that could slow down the process such as airline response times, high claim volumes, dealing with aviation authorities, and possible legal proceedings. While we do everything that we can to push them to respond quickly, these factors are often beyond our control. We ask you to please be patient, and be assured that we are working on getting you your compensation.


    Where can I find my Brazilian court case number?

    Once your case is registered in the Brazilian court, you will be given a court case number, which will allow you to track your claim’s progress online. Our Customer Support team will send you your number via email, as we are in direct touch with the local lawyer in Brazil. If you are having difficulties finding your court case number, please contact one of our claims experts via Live Chat.


    What flights can I claim for under Brazilian law?

    The Brazilian air passenger laws, or ANAC 400, apply to:

    • Domestic flights within Brazil.

    • International flights that depart from a Brazilian airport.

    • International flights that arrive at a Brazilian airport.

    • Flights that connect via a Brazilian airport.

    All passengers are protected by ANAC 400 regardless of whether they are a Brazilian citizen or not.


    What is a CPF number?

    Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas (CPF) is the Brazilian national identification number, used by the government for identifying both citizens and residents. The CPF number is composed of 11 digits (example: 435.764.719-10) and may be required when submitting a compensation claim.


    What information must my extra expenses claim contain?

    Currently, AirHelp can only help reclaim extra expenses as part of a valid compensation claim. That means we already have all the necessary details about your flight. To reclaim extra expenses, all you need to add is proof of the costs incurred in the form of receipts or invoices. You should also give us an approximate total of the expenses. You’ll be prompted to fill in this information as you submit your claim.


    What counts as proof of extra expenses?

    To reclaim extra expenses that were incurred as a direct result of a flight delay or cancellation, you need to provide proof of the costs you incurred. This usually means providing:

    • Receipts

    • Invoices

    • Bank or card statements

    Or other official documents that show the cost of your expense, recipient, and the time and date paid.


    What extra expenses can I reclaim?

    If you’ve had a delayed or canceled flight, you can reclaim all unforeseen expenses incurred, including:

    • Food, drinks, and other necessities

    • Missed or additional hotel bookings due to the delay

    • Alternative flight tickets and transfer costs (e.g. train, taxi, bus, etc.)

    • Any money lost as a direct result of the disruption (e.g. a pre-paid excursions, events, or transport)

    Airlines are required to refund passengers for all reasonable costs, up to €6,000 in a single claim, with proof of purchase. AirHelp can help reclaim extra expenses if you have a valid compensation claim, and your expenses added up to over €100.


    What are extra expenses?

    Extra expenses are any unexpected costs incurred when you’ve been affected by a delayed or canceled flight. By law, airlines are required to refund passengers for reasonable costs, including food, drink, accommodation, and other necessities.

    AirHelp can help passengers reclaim their money in addition to the compensation they are owed. All that is needed is proof of the costs incurred. You can reclaim up to €6,000 within a single claim for flight disruptions up to 3 years back.


    How do I update my personal data?

    You can update your personal data by contacting us via our Live Chat, where our customer support agents will be happy to assist you and update your data as requested.


    What does it mean that my claim got reopened?

    If we don’t receive the required documentation to proceed further with your claim, we have to close it. However, it can be reopened anytime after the missing documents are submitted so that we can continue working on securing your compensation.


    How do I unsubscribe?

    You can unsubscribe from our marketing emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email that you receive from us. Unfortunately, we can’t unsubscribe you from receiving our transactional emails — these emails are related to your current claim and we use them to update you on your claim progress. You will stop receiving these emails when the processing of your claim comes to an end.


    Is there a time limit in which to file a claim for a disrupted flight?

    EU regulations don’t set any time limits for submitting a claim or for initiating legal proceedings if they are necessary. However, such time limits, known as the Statute of Limitations, vary across each EU member state. You can check the time limitations for each EU country here.


    Can I claim any extra expenses (hotel, new ticket, food, taxi, etc.) that resulted from a flight disruption?

    Yes, if you have spent at least €100 or more, you can reclaim extra expenses incurred as a direct result of a flight delay or cancellation. This can include necessary expenses such as food, drinks, transportation, and missed events. You will be prompted to fill in the details of your expenses alongside your compensation claim.

    The airline is required by law to refund any reasonable costs incurred, up to €6,000 for a single claim, on top of the compensation that you are owed.


    How do I submit a claim to AirHelp?

    You can submit a claim via our website —  just enter your flight and passenger information and follow the claim submission steps. It only takes a few minutes —  you can then sit back, relax, and let us do all the work towards securing your compensation.


    My claim has been closed as a duplicate - what does that mean?

    It simply means that our system has detected that you have two claims submitted for the same flight disruption and that the recently submitted claim will, therefore, be closed as a duplicate. But don’t worry — we will still continue working on securing your compensation under your previously submitted claim. Please note, submitting multiple claims for the same flight will not speed up the processing time or allow you to receive compensation quicker.


    I was traveling with other passengers - do I need to submit a separate claim for each?

    At AirHelp, we are keen on making the claim submission process as simple and easy as possible. If you were traveling in a group you can submit a single claim for all of you, as long as everyone is able to provide us with the required documents.


    Filing a legal case against an airline won’t have any effect on your legal status, regardless of the result. All of these cases fall under the civil code and, therefore, won’t require your physical presence before the court. AirHelp will take care of the whole process for you once you have provided us with the required documents.


    Will filing a case against the airline affect my ability to travel with them or other airlines in the future?

    Absolutely not! Filing a legal case against the airline won’t have any effect on your freedom to travel with them or any other airlines in the future.


    Why was my claim rejected by your lawyers?

    Our legal team assesses the claim from a legal perspective and sometimes they may find that the claim doesn’t make a strong enough case in court. This could be due to a variety of factors: a lack of essential documentation, that the airline was not at fault for the flight disruption, or that the airline managed to take proper measures to control the situation.


    I forgot my password, how can I access my account?

    You can easily reset your password by taking the following steps:

    1. Go to the login page.

    2. Click on the green “Reset it now” link located next to “Forgot Your Password?”.

    3. Enter the email address associated with your account.

    4. Open your email, where you will get a link to reset your password so that you can create a new one.

    If you haven’t received the password reset email, please make sure to double check your spam/ junk folder.


    I received a voucher/air miles from the airline, am I still entitled to compensation?

    This depends on the paperwork you signed at the time of your disruption. If the airline offered you vouchers or air miles that you weren’t required to sign for, then you are still entitled to compensation. However, be aware that airlines sometimes offer a voucher along with a waiver to sign. This often states that passengers forfeit their right to compensation.

    We encourage all passengers to carefully read the paperwork they are given from the airline and pay special attention to the fine print at the time of disruption and after.


    AirHelp operates on a “no win, no fee” basis, which means we promise to never charge you any advanced payment even if your claim goes to court. We will take care of all the legal proceedings and cover all the incurred costs including lawyers and court fees.

    Only when our efforts are successful and we win your court case, we will charge a legal action fee to cover the additional work involved in taking the case to court. Both the legal action fee and service fee will be deducted from the obtained compensation. However, AirHelp will never charge you more than 50% of your total compensation to cover our legal action and service fees.

    If you want to learn more about our fee structure, visit our Price List.


    What should I do if the airline contacts me personally after I have filed a claim with AirHelp?

    Some airlines will contact you as soon as they receive the claim from us. They typically do this to persuade you to accept a reduced sum of money, or offer you other forms of compensation rather than cash. If this is the case, please get in touch with us via our Contact Form or Live Chat, so our claim experts can direct you. Please keep in mind that such an offer is evidence of the airline’s liability – it’s actually a good sign that we’ll be able to get you the full compensation you lawfully deserve.


    How can I check the status of my claim?

    You can check the status of your claim anytime in the Claims & Flights tab of your Customer Dashboard.

    We will also keep you regularly updated regarding your claim’s progress via email.

    Don’t worry if your claim’s status hasn’t updated for a while. Some stages take longer than others, but this doesn’t mean that we aren’t taking care of your claim or following up on it regularly.


    What happens when the airline is not responsive at all?

    We send repeated reminders to the airline to pay your compensation to give them enough time to respond. However, if they do not respond to us within 3 months, we will hand over the case to our Legal Team to see what actions can be taken. They may try to contact the National Enforcement Body in your specific country, and depending on your case, may then take legal action against the airline.


    Am I entitled to both a refund and compensation?

    There are a couple of eligibility questions we’d need to check out, but in theory, yes! Passengers can receive both a refund of an airline ticket AND compensation for flight disruption.

    The most common situation is if your flight was canceled less than 14 days before departure. The airline will typically offer you an alternative flight, but if the flight times are too different you can opt for reimbursement of your flight – and you’re entitled to compensation too.

    The same applies if you have been denied boarding. You will be offered an alternative flight and compensation, but you can opt for reimbursement and compensation if you prefer.

    However, please be aware that in order to receive the refund, some airlines ask you to sign a waiver which may include a forfeiture of compensation clause, so please make sure to read the fine print carefully before you sign!


    What happens when the airline wrongfully rejects my claim for compensation?

    When an airline rejects a claim for compensation, the first thing we do is to double-check with our independent data systems to confirm the flight’s eligibility. If we find that the flight is eligible but that the airline won’t pay the compensation, we hand the claim over to legal experts, who will then look at what actions can be taken to get the airline to pay. We’ll be sure to update you on the status of your claim.

    As always, we operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means that you will not be charged unless we are successful in getting your money.


    Do airlines always give a reason for rejecting a claim?

    Unfortunately, they don’t. If the airline fails to provide a reason for the rejection, we treat the claim as if they did not answer at all and hand it over to our lawyers for a legal assessment. In some cases, it’s not possible to file lawsuits, in which case the final option is to contact the National Enforcement Body in your specific country.


    Why did the airline reduce my compensation by 50%?

    In accordance with EU regulations, airlines can reduce the compensation amount by half in one specific situation: if they offered you an alternative, “re-routed” flight to your final destination, which arrived within a couple of hours of your original flight.

    The exact time frame that the alternative flight must arrive in depends on the flight’s distance:

    Distance

    Re-routed flight arrival time:

    All flights under 1,500 km

    Under 2 hours

    Flights within the EU over 1,500 km

    Flights outside the EU between 1,500 km – 3,500 km

    Under 3 hours

    Flights outside the EU over 3,500 km

    Under 4 hours

    If the re-routed flight arrived within the time frames above, the airline has the right to reduce the compensation owed by 50%


    How do I reset my password?

    If you have forgotten your password, and cannot log in to your account, please use the reset password link. You will be asked to enter the email address associated with your AirHelp Account so we can send you an email with the password reset instructions.


    How can I contact AirHelp?

    You can contact AirHelp via our LiveChat or, if you already have an existing claim with us, through our Contact Form after you log into your AirHelp account. You can also search this Help section for answers to the most frequently asked questions.


    Why was my claim rejected due to weather conditions when the weather was nice?

    Airlines will always monitor the weather conditions along the entire flight route, and not just at the departure point — because even if the weather was good at your starting airport, it may not be the case at your destination. Adverse weather conditions and poor visibility along the flight path can seriously impact air passenger and staff safety and are valid grounds for delaying or canceling a flight.

    However, we always double-check if the flight truly was delayed due to the weather. Bad weather conditions are a common reason for rejecting claims as these are considered extraordinary circumstances, and therefore do not qualify for compensation. That’s why we have our own independent systems to confirm weather reports and assess each claim individually.


    Why aren't you answering me?

    We always do our best to reply to each query as quickly as humanly possible, but due to the high volume of requests that we receive, it could take time for us to reply, so we ask for your continued patience. If you need immediate assistance, you can get in touch with us through our LiveChat.


    I was traveling with some friends and they’ve already received their compensation. Why haven't I received mine yet?

    There’s nothing to worry about! While we handle claims in the order they were submitted, the airline isn’t obliged to process them in the same order, which may result in situations like this. Please be assured that your claim is being handled by our professional teams and that we are determined to pursue your compensation. We’ll contact you as soon as we have an update.


    How do I cancel my claim?

    We’re sorry to see you go. When you submit a claim to us, you have 14 days to cancel the process. You can do so by either contacting our LiveChat, or by sending us a message via our Contact Form after you log into your AirHelp account.

    However, our Terms and Conditions state that you cannot cancel your claim after 14 has passed, or if we have already informed you that the airline has agreed to pay out. You can read our full Terms and Conditions here.


    How do I know if I am entitled to compensation and how much am I entitled to?

    You can check if you’re entitled to compensation for your disrupted flight(s) and how much are you entitled to via our Eligibility Check. It takes only a few minutes and is completely free of charge.


    How long does a claim take?

    The claim handling process depends on several factors, such as the documentation available to prove your case, the third parties involved, and how quickly they respond to our communications – even the time of year has an impact. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate a time frame for a specific claim.

    However, from our experience, the vast majority of the claims come to an end within 3-4 months. Some cases, including claims that go through legal proceedings, may take longer to be resolved.

    While we cannot guarantee how long your particular case will take, we do guarantee that we treat each case individually, ensuring we give it the attention it deserves.


    How do I use AirHelp?

    Simply go to our website and fill out your claim details here. You will then be guided through a claim submission where you will input your personal details, as well as details of your disrupted flight. In case you get stuck at any point or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Customer Support via Live Chat. We’re always happy to help!


    My type of flight disruption isn’t listed on your website - can I file a claim?

    Each claim is unique, and if you are unsure whether your claim is eligible for compensation, you are always free to check our easy Compensation Check to see if you qualify. It’s the fastest and easiest way to find out if you’re owed money.

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