Keep your records
Save itinerary, messages and receipts.
TRAVEL TOOL GUIDE / WHEN TRAVEL GOES WRONG
Flight CompensationUnderstand your next step.
A practical guide to flight delays, cancellations and missed connections, including passenger-rights checks and the role of AirHelp.
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BEST FOR
Understanding options after flight disruption
USEFUL WHEN
A delay, cancellation or connection needs attention.
WHAT TO CHECK
Eligibility, evidence & service fees
THE SERVICE
First, resolve the immediate journey
If a flight is disrupted, check the airline’s latest instructions and ask about onward travel and assistance. Keep boarding passes, booking references, messages and receipts. Write down what happened and when, including the explanation given by the airline. Avoid assuming an initial notification tells the whole story.
AirHelp is a commercial claims service that can assess and pursue eligible compensation claims. It is not the airline, an airport help desk or a guarantee of payment. Use it as one possible way of handling a claim after considering what you can request directly from the airline.
IS IT FOR YOU?
Eligibility depends on the journey
Your route, operating airline, jurisdiction, cause of disruption and applicable passenger-rights rules matter. A delay alone does not establish a right to compensation. The rules applying to departure and arrival countries may differ, and a connection can make the assessment more complex.
Read the official passenger-rights guidance relevant to your itinerary. The EU’s Your Europe guidance distinguishes compensation from assistance and rerouting or reimbursement. Do not assume a compensation decision also determines every other right or expense. This guide provides planning information rather than a decision on an individual claim.
FROM IDEA TO ARRIVAL
How it works
Check applicable rights
Separate assistance, refunds and compensation.
Choose your approach
Compare a direct claim with a paid claims service.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Delayed or cancelled flights
Record the scheduled and actual journey details and keep the airline’s stated reason. Ask what arrangements are available while waiting. Before paying for replacement transport or accommodation yourself, check the airline’s instructions and applicable rules, and retain itemized receipts.
A cancellation can raise several separate questions: how to continue the trip, whether a refund is appropriate, what assistance is available and whether compensation may be payable. Timing of notification, alternatives offered and the circumstances can matter. Do not accept a summary such as “all cancellations qualify.”
BOOK WITH CONTEXT
Missed connections
Check whether the flights were sold as a single connecting itinerary or as separate tickets. Keep the full reservation and details of each operating airline. A missed onward flight on separate bookings should not be assumed to carry the same protections as a protected connection.
Contact the airline about your onward journey before leaving the airport. Record the eventual arrival and the reason for the missed connection. If you bought travel insurance, check whether relevant expenses fall within the policy, while keeping insurance claims distinct from any passenger-rights claim.
WHEN IT MAKES SENSE
What AirHelp can do
AirHelp offers an eligibility assessment and may handle a claim on your behalf. Review the service agreement before authorizing representation, including the information and documents it needs. Provide accurate details; an initial assessment is not an award from an airline or court.
Read AirHelp’s current fee schedule, including any additional legal-action fees and the terms of any membership offered. Understand what would be deducted from a successful claim and what you are authorizing. Do not assume that checking a flight and instructing a claims service have identical consequences.
THINGS TO CHECK
Direct claims and practical limits
You can consider claiming directly from the airline instead of using a paid intermediary. Keep a dated record of the complaint and response. Consult the relevant official authority about escalation or dispute-resolution routes when needed. Rules and time limits depend on the claim.
Avoid submitting conflicting instructions to several representatives. If you have already authorized a service, review that agreement before changing approach. Compensation is never promised here, and processing time is uncertain. Refunds, care expenses, insurance payments and compensation should be recorded separately to avoid confusion.
BEFORE YOU GO
Prepare a clear record
Gather your itinerary, reservation reference, boarding passes, disruption messages, correspondence and receipts. A short timeline makes it easier to explain the case. Keep original documents and share personal information only through the provider’s official secure process.
For your next trip, leave realistic connection time and keep a small contingency plan for arrival. Good planning cannot prevent every disruption, but having contact details and booking records available offline makes it easier to respond. For an existing disruption, prioritize clear information over a promise of an immediate payout.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Your questions, answered.
Am I guaranteed compensation?
No. Eligibility depends on the itinerary, airline, jurisdiction, cause and applicable rules.
Do I have to use AirHelp?
No. You may pursue a claim directly with the airline. Compare that route with the service and fees of a claims company.
Is checking eligibility the same as receiving compensation?
No. An initial assessment does not guarantee that the airline or a court will accept a claim.
THE NEXT STEP IS YOURS
Does Flight Compensation
fit your trip?
Review current availability and the full conditions before making a decision.
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