Fortunately in Europe, we have the EU261 regulation which forces the airlines to cough out certain amount of compensation when the flight is delayed or cancelled for reasons in their control. It’s not always straightforward though, as it’s not rare airlines play games to avoid the pay-out even if your claim is legit.
There are certain agencies that can help you with your claim, amongst whom AirHelp is probably the most famous with a pretty decent 4.6 TrustPilot rating. Their service comes with a cost though:
- No win no fee
- 35% if the claim wins outright
- 50% if legal action is required
It is very pricey, although if you don’t have the expertise and patience to fight yourself it’s better to get something than nothing.
Interestingly, they also provide a subscription service AirHelp Plus, and simply by being a member you won’t need to pay any fee on your claims, so they’ll help you for free. It also comes with an insurance benefit called AirPayout, such that €100 compensation is paid to you as long as your flight is delayed by more than 3 hours or cancelled within 28 days of departure.
All you need to do is register your flight at least 24 hours before departure, and AirHelp will monitor the flight status automatically. If you are on the Essential plan (€24.99 ayear) then you can only register 3 flights per year; the Complete plan (€49.99 a year) on the other hand, has no limit imposed.
Note that it is an independent pay-out issued by AirHelp, no matter what the delay / cancellation reason is. It shouldn’t affect your eligibility for compensation from the airline or insurance companies.
Complete subscribers enjoy two additional perks:
- AirLuggage – €150 for each delayed / lost luggage, up to two, as long as you’ve obtained a Property Irregularity Report (PIR)
- A Lounge Key pass to use within the next three months if your flight is delayed by one hour or more – this is quite similar to O2’s Smart Delay program
As long as I can tell, the AirHelp Plus cover is pretty good. I myself is very happy to pay €49.99 a year for the subscription, knowing that I will more than get my money back if flight delay strikes just once. Although there are many (credit card) travel insurances in the UK, some are quite good (e.g. from Amex Platinum), they only pay for reasonable expenses rather true cash.
AirHelp Plus serves customers from all over the world, and you can add your UK bank account details online for any future payout. Should you be interested, I think the Complete plan has much better value.
If you want to sign up, the following promo codes will give you 8% discount:
- Essential: AHPLSE8
- Complete: AHPLSC8
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