Here’s my personal experience getting flight compensation from a canceled trip! In this AirHelp review, I’ll talk about my favorite tool to get your money back – without dealing with customer service, rejected applications, and any of the bureaucracy! 

What is AirHelp?

AirHelp is a flight compensation service that helps you get paid by the airline company whenever your trip gets delayed, canceled, or overbooked. 

Their flight compensation works primarily in Europe. Thanks to the fact that there are plenty of passenger’s rights that make you entitled to compensation when traveling. The EC 261 / 2004 from the European Union’s Air Passenger Rights Law stipulates that airlines need to pay out passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed by 3+ hours. 

They handle ALL of the paperwork. 

Which, if you’re familiar with European bureaucracy… is a lot of work. 

In exchange, they’ll keep 35% of your compensation total. But there is no fee whatsoever if they don’t win your case. 

So I think it’s a very reasonable model, especially as you get to avoid all of the hassle.  

In this Airhelp review, I’ll talk about my honest opinion. This is all based on my personal experience with the platform. Although from my research, it seems like most people have a similar experience! 

AirHelp Review

Let’s look at a quick Pros & Cons list of Airhelp. 

Overall, I would say that the BIGGEST selling point for me is the simplicity. I absolutely hate dealing with paperwork. 

So being able to have someone handle everything for me with no risk of losing money is a big plus for me. 

Pros:

Let me give you some more context about each of these advantages of using Airhelp. 

Simple filing.

It only takes about 10 minutes for you to actually create an account and file your claim. I originally thought it’d be more complicated. But it barely took any time at all. Their interface also makes things really easy to understand. And that is very much appreciated, especially when dealing with complicated legal issues. 

High Success Rate

Airhelp claims to have a 95% success rate, which really is incredible. Considering Europe has pretty strong passenger’s rights, it’s no surprise. 

In my case, I ended up getting rewarded €250 from a canceled flight. 

No Fees

This is something I think makes Airhelp trustworthy. You don’t have to pay anything upfront. No filing fees or anything at all. 

They only keep a percentage of the total compensation when they win your case. Which means they’re also inclined to actually win your case – otherwise they don’t get paid. 

Cons:

In this Airhelp review, I wanted to point out a few things that also bothered me a bit. 

35% – 50% Commission 

Their standard rate is 35% of your total compensation. Which depending on your case, can be quite a lot. And if the case has to go to court, then it goes up to 50%. 

To be fair, most people don’t have the time, knowledge, or energy to handle all the legal troubles. And I do appreciate that they only charge winning cases. But if I were a lawyer, maybe I would do it myself. 

(Or maybe not, it seems like a lot of paperwork…)

It Takes a While

If you’re in a rush – then I’m not sure that Airhelp is the right choice. They state that their average turnaround time is 6 months. So it’s definitely not quick enough to plan a new vacation right away. 

But if you’re able to wait, then it’s not a big deal. 

AirHelp is Best For:

If you’re flying to/from Europe and you have a flight delay, a cancelation, or an overbooking – you can use AirHelp. 

I would recommend Airhelp for travelers who don’t want to deal with bureaucracy. I’d also recommend it for people who aren’t super worried about giving out that 35% commission. 

But if you’re good at handling paperwork – or you want to squeeze out every penny from an airline, then you don’t need Airhelp. If you go at it alone, you run the risk of having your claims dismissed, though. 

So I’d recommend Airhelp for most people.

How AirHelp Works

AirHelp has a simple and straightforward platform. Here are the steps to follow to file for flight compensation with Airhelp:

1. Make an account
2. Submit your flight details and claim
3. Follow up with any requested documents
4. Wait for Airhelp to handle everything
5. Get your money! 

It really is a hassle-free process. Submitting all the documents takes around 10 minutes. After that, you just have to wait for them to fight the airline for you. 

Considering the EU has very straightforward laws regarding these situations, they tend to have a good success rate. So as long as you can prove what happened – you’ll get compensated for it. 

Note: Compensation isn’t a refund. Your airline might put you on a new flight or refund your money, but this is an additional compensation.  

AirHelp Fees — Is AirHelp Free?

AirHelp is not free, but they do not charge any upfront fees. Instead, they keep a commission for their services. 

When they win a case, they’ll keep 35% as their Service Charge. 

In other words, if your total compensation comes out to €100, then you’ll get €65 direct to your bank account. 

However, if they need to go to court with your case, their Legal Charge is an additional 15%. 

(Which does happen sometimes because, you know, bureaucracy 🙄)

In which case, you’ll get €50 to your bank account. 

But here are my thoughts on Airhelp’s fees:

In the best case scenario: You get extra money sent to you without having to do any work. 

In the worst-case scenario: You don’t get any extra compensation, but at least you didn’t waste your time on the paperwork. 

My Personal Experience

I last used Airhelp back in December of 2019. 

I had planned a trip to go visit some friends in Germany from Valencia. The plan was to fly from Valencia to Mallorca, and then from Mallorca to Germany.

And the night before my trip – I got an email that my flight from Mallorca to Germany was canceled with no further explanation. 

My husband and I were on the phone with Kiwi for several hours trying to find a solution (we had our bags packed and everything…). And the only alternative they offered was a different flight that would have cost an ADDITIONAL €1,500 – or cancel it for a refund.  

Which was just outrageous. And we went for the refund. 

So I just canceled the whole trip. Luckily, we didn’t have any hotels booked since we were going to stay with some friends. But the next day, I got an email from Kiwi referring us to use Airhelp. 

Filing with Airhelp took about 10 minutes. 

And while we were waiting for Airhelp to handle everything – the pandemic hit. 

So our case got put on hold (which is totally understandable). 

In the end – it took more than a year, but we eventually got €250 in compensation, plus the refund from Kiwi. 

From my research – my claim took considerably longer than what most people’s. But regardless, I’m really happy with it. 

It took a while, but I eventually got enough compensation to pay for another trip entirely! 

Is AirHelp Worth It?

In my opinion – absolutely. 

Sure, if I had filed all the paperwork myself, I might have been able to get more money. But I truly value my time. So not needing to deal with endless bureaucracy, phone calls, and stress is a huge plus for me. 

So I didn’t have to do anything – and I got an extra €250 out of it. Which is totally fine with me. I’m happy to pay the Service Fee, since I probably wouldn’t have gotten anything at all without them. 

That’s why I have a completely positive review of Airhelp. 

AirHelp Alternatives

AirHelp is my go-to choice, especially if you need to get flight compensation in Europe. 

However, they work best with flights that originate or end in Europe. 

So if you’re sticking to flights in other places of the world, here are some alternatives:

• ClaimCompass
• ClaimFlights
• SkyCop

Important Notes

If you’re anything like me – you probably didn’t know that this type of compensation existed. 

So if you’re on the fence about whether you should try to file with Airhelp, here are some things to know:

• You can file even if you have travel insurance: Your insurance will help you get your money back – but Airhelp’s compensation is separate. 
• Flight delays are eligible: If your plane was changed by at least three hours, you can get flight delay compensation. 
• Customer service is top-notch: You get regular updates with how things are going, which is something I loved! 
• AirHelp Plus is travel insurance: They also offer insurance now, which is a nice plus, although I generally prefer SafetyWing. 
• It can work in the US, too: Passenger Rights are more clear in the EU, but Airhelp will help you file a claim in the US and Canada.

Final Verdict

Overall, I’m a big fan of AirHelp, especially after my positive experience with them. Luckily, I’ve only needed to use them one time, but it was enough to convince me. 

If you don’t want to handle with poor customer service from airlines – or deal with legal issues, then AirHelp is the way to go. 

Depending on your situation, you could get compensation up to €600. So it’s definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to upload your documents. 

FAQs