If your flight is delayed for hours, cancelled at the last minute, or you’re denied boarding for different reasons, you might be entitled to hundreds of euros in compensation. But actually getting that money from an airline can be a completely different story and that’s where AirHelp comes in. In case you didn’t hear about it, AirHelp is a company that promises to take care of the entire process for you. But is handing over a percentage of your compensation really worth it? In this AirHelp review, I’ll look at how the service actually works, what AirHelp charges, what happens when an airline refuses to pay, and whether you’re better off making the claim yourself.
What Is AirHelp?
AirHelp is a firm that assists airline passengers who have been delayed, cancelled, overbooked or otherwise disrupted by their airline. You can provide your flight information to AirHelp, who will determine if you might be eligible for compensation and, if so, will take care of many of the steps involved in the claim.
It was established in 2013 by Henrik Zillmer, Greg Rood and Nicolas Michaud with a pretty simple concept: to simplify complex passenger-rights laws for regular passengers. Since then, AirHelp has become one of the most recognized flight compensation and passenger rights firms, offering more than just compensation claims.
AirHelp’s launch was crucial. European passenger-rights law, in particular EU Regulation 261/2004 (EC261), already provided passengers with substantial rights in the event of a disruption, but many passengers were unaware of their rights or found the process of claiming from an airline to be too cumbersome.
That’s the space AirHelp is filling. The company does not grant the right to compensation, it is granted by the applicable passenger protection laws. AirHelp just makes it easier for passengers to go after it.
AirHelp is currently active in several countries and deals with claims against airlines and passenger rights laws in various countries. It has also branched out into related travel services, such as its AirHelp+ membership, which aims to offer extra protection and help when travel goes wrong.
How Does AirHelp Work?
AirHelp is a relatively easy-to-use tool. You first submit your flight information on the company’s website, and AirHelp then compares the flight to the applicable rules of the passenger rights. This is significant as a late flight does not necessarily entitle you to compensation. Delay, cause of the delay, route, airline, and circumstances of the incident may be relevant.
If AirHelp thinks you have a valid claim, you can allow the company to pursue it on your behalf. AirHelp then communicates with the airline, submits the necessary documentation and follows up on the claim.
This is where the service comes in handy for those who don’t want to waste hours back and forth with an airline. If the airline denies the claim, AirHelp can proceed with the claim and, if applicable, escalate it to legal action.
In case of a successful claim, AirHelp will pay the compensation to the passenger, after deducting its applicable fee. In the event of a successful claim, AirHelp’s standard service is normally on a No Win, No Fee basis, which means that you do not normally have to pay the standard service fee just for trying.
It may take a relatively short period of time or a few months, depending on the airline and the nature of the case. Simple claims can be settled in a timely fashion, but if there is a dispute, it can take a lot more time.
Was Your Flight Delayed or Cancelled?
If you’ve recently had a disrupted flight, it’s worth checking your rights before assuming you’re out of luck. AirHelp has dedicated claim pages for many major airlines, so you can quickly check whether your particular flight may qualify:
- United: Check your United Airlines compensation
- Qatar Airways: Check your Qatar Airways compensation
- KLM: Check your KLM compensation
- Air France: Check your Air France compensation
- LOT Airlines: Check your LOT compensation
- Iberia: Check your Iberia compensation
- Air Europa: Check your Air Europa compensation
- Finnair: Check your Finnair compensation
- SAS: Check your SAS compensation
When is AirHelp Worth Using?
The decision to use AirHelp or not will depend on your level of convenience. In many cases, you can get compensation from the airline without having to use a claims company, and it’s not always the most cost-effective choice.
AirHelp is more useful if you do not want to deal with the airline, if you are not sure if you are eligible, or if you have already claimed and been refused. It can be especially helpful in complex situations where the airline denies you the right to compensation.
The service addresses typical scenarios such as:
• Significant flight delays
• Flight cancellations
• Denied boarding and overbooking
• Certain missed connections
• Some baggage-related problems
The specific regulations vary by the laws governing your trip. The most frequent travellers to Europe will find EC261, and other regulations may apply depending on the country and route.
The key is that it is not necessary to assume that all disruptions are eligible. Your rights can be impacted by extraordinary circumstances, the reason for a cancellation and the amount of notice you received.
If it’s a straightforward claim against an airline and a straightforward compensation form, I’d probably attempt to do it myself first. When the airline is not willing to cooperate or the situation gets complicated, that’s when a service like AirHelp becomes much more attractive.
AirHelp Fees Explained
The most common complaint in an AirHelp review is the most obvious one: AirHelp charges a percentage of the compensation it recovers.
It charges a standard fee of 35% of the compensation recovered. An extra 15% legal-action fee may apply if legal action is necessary.
For instance, if AirHelp recovers €600 for you, you would only have €390 left after paying a 35% fee. If the extra legal-action fee is applicable, the amount you receive would be even less.
That’s a lot of money, and it can cost a lot. You’re just paying someone else to do the job, including communicating with the airline and possibly more complex legal proceedings.
This is the main question to ask when considering AirHelp: is it worth sacrificing a portion of your compensation for convenience?
Claiming directly will typically be more cost effective if you’re not afraid of dealing with airlines yourself. If you’d rather hand the entire process to somebody else, 35% may be a reasonable price for the convenience, particularly when the airline is difficult to deal with.
My AirHelp Experience
The AirHelp website is designed to make the initial part of the process as simple as possible. You don’t have to know the complex laws governing passenger rights before you begin; you simply input your flight details and the system will check to see if there is a possible claim.
The primary benefit is convenience. You don’t need to immediately figure out which regulation applies, calculate your potential compensation or work out which department at the airline you need to contact.
After a claim is made, communication and updates are crucial. AirHelp offers details regarding the status of claims, but the time frame may differ greatly depending on the airline and whether the claim is disputed.
This is also where expectations come into play. AirHelp is not a magic button that will ensure a claim. AirHelp cannot just make the airline pay if your claim is not legally valid, or if the airline has a valid defense.
I like the most about the service is the quantity of work it can take out of the process. I don’t like that 35% is a lot of money, especially for claims that you could have made yourself.
In the end, I think AirHelp is more about making things easier rather than getting something that you can’t get otherwise. It’s a perfectly legal service, but if you don’t like dealing with airlines, you may not want to pay for it.
AirHelp Review
AirHelp+ is the company’s regular compensation service, but with an expanded travel-protection membership. Instead of simply using AirHelp when something goes wrong, members pay for a plan that provides additional assistance and benefits when their travel is disrupted.
The primary advantage is that, depending on membership and situation, eligible flight compensation claims can be processed without AirHelp’s typical 35% success fee. AirHelp+ plans may also cover flight disruption, missed connections and baggage issues, and the more advanced plans provide more comprehensive coverage.
Membership is available in a variety of forms, such as annual and single-trip products, and the price is dependent on the plan and market.
The question is, do you really need it?
If you take one or two simple flights per year, I wouldn’t say AirHelp+ is essential. You have legal passenger rights and you can usually claim eligible compensation yourself.
But for frequent travelers, it’s different. If you’re a frequent flyer and you don’t want to waste time on cancellations, delays and compensation claims, the convenience of the membership may be worth the cost.
I would consider AirHelp+ to be more of a travel convenience and protection product than a product that every traveler needs. The more frequently you fly, the more interesting it becomes.
Enjoying this post? Then you may also like our Air Serbia review and our Bus Bud review.
AirHelp Reviews: What Are Customers Saying?
AirHelp has a lot of customer reviews, and the overall feedback is quite good, though there are some common complaints.
AirHelp currently has a 4.5/5 TrustScore on Trustpilot, with over 240,000 reviews.AirHelp has a 4.5/5 TrustScore on Trustpilot, with over 240,000 reviews.
The positive reviews are usually about what you’d expect: customers like that AirHelp takes care of the claim, keeps them in the loop with the airline, and ultimately gets them money they may have given up on trying to recover.
The grievances are also pretty standard. Some customers are not happy with the percentage that AirHelp is taking of successful claims, especially when they realize that they could have filed the claim themselves without paying any fee.
This is a crucial difference to consider when reading AirHelp reviews. The customer may be fully satisfied with the service but recognize that it is a relatively high fee. One person who gets €390 from a €600 claim may be pleased that he didn’t have to deal with the airline, while another traveller may see the same transaction and say, “I could have claimed that €600 myself.
I would say that the online reviews are a good indicator that AirHelp does indeed process a lot of claims, but not necessarily the best financial option. The value is dependent on the amount of work you are willing to do yourself.
AirHelp Review: Is AirHelp Worth It?
Having seen how the service works, its pricing, and what customers have to say, I can say that AirHelp is worth it, but not for everyone.
If you have a simple claim and don’t mind dealing with the airline yourself, I’d attempt to make the claim first. It’s free and you get 100% of the compensation.
AirHelp is more appealing when you don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with the bureaucracy, don’t know your rights as a passenger, or have a complex claim that the airline refuses to cover. In such cases, it can save a lot of time and frustration to pass the case on to a specialist.
The greatest benefit is convenience. The biggest disadvantage is the fee.
My AirHelp Rating
| Category | Rating |
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Claim process | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Transparency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Value for money | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| AirHelp+ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Overall, I think AirHelp is a legitimate and useful service, particularly for travelers who simply don’t want to spend their time fighting with airlines. I wouldn’t use it automatically for every delayed flight, though. If the airline makes it easy to claim, I’d keep the full compensation and do it myself.
But if the airline is refusing your claim, you’re unsure about your rights or you simply don’t have the time or patience to pursue it, giving AirHelp a percentage of the compensation can be a reasonable trade-off.
In other words, AirHelp doesn’t necessarily get you something you couldn’t get yourself—it makes getting it considerably easier.
How did you like our AirHelp Review? Was it helpful in determining whether to use their services? Have you used AirHelp before? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
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