How much do flight compensation companies charge?

Most work on a no win, no fee basis and keep roughly 25-35% of the payout if they win, with VAT sometimes added on top. Exact fees differ by company and by case, so check the current terms before you sign. If the claim fails, you typically pay nothing at all.

Is it hard to claim flight compensation myself?

For a clear-cut case, no. You gather your booking details and delay notice, work out the amount, and send a written claim citing EU261 or UK261. Many airlines pay clean claims without a fight. If they refuse unfairly, you can escalate for free to the national enforcement body, the ADR scheme, or the CAA.

Does FlightPayout make money if I use a claim service?

Yes, and we want to be plain about it. If you start a claim through a partner service using our links, we earn a referral commission. That commission is paid by the service, not by you. It never reduces your payout and never changes the fee the service charges, so your outcome is exactly the same either way.

Should I use AirHelp or Compensair, or just do it myself?

Both AirHelp and Compensair run on no win, no fee terms, and either can help when an airline is stonewalling you. But if your case is simple and the airline is cooperating, doing it yourself keeps the full amount. Try the free route first when the case is clear, and lean on a service when there is real friction or risk.

What does "extraordinary circumstances" mean for my claim?

It is the main reason airlines use to deny compensation, covering things outside their control like severe weather, security alerts, or some strikes. Ordinary technical faults usually do not count. If an airline claims it and you cannot prove otherwise, a claim service with access to the records and case law can be the difference between a payout and nothing.

Will a claim service get me more money than I would alone?

No. EU261 and UK261 payouts are fixed by distance, so the headline amount is the same whoever claims. The difference is what reaches your account: with DIY you keep all of it, while a service keeps its cut. A service helps you win cases you might otherwise lose, not collect a larger sum.

Flight Compensation Companies vs Claiming Yourself: Which Is Worth It?

Updated June 2026 · Based on Regulation (EC) 261/2004, its UK equivalent and CJEU case law

Quick answer

Claiming yourself is free, and you keep 100% of the money. It is the best choice for clear-cut EU261 or UK261 claims, like a simple 3-hour-plus delay. A no-win, no-fee claim service keeps roughly 25-35% of your payout, but it earns its cut when the airline stonewalls you, blames "extraordinary circumstances" you cannot disprove, or the case needs to go to court.

When your flight is delayed three hours or more, cancelled at short notice, or you are bumped off, EU261 and UK261 rules may owe you a fixed cash payout of up to 600 euros. The question most travellers ask next is simple: do I chase the airline myself, or hand it to one of those flight compensation companies you see online?

There is no single right answer, and any site that tells you otherwise is selling something. This guide lays out both routes honestly so you can pick the one that fits your case, your evidence, and how much hassle you are willing to take on. FlightPayout earns a referral commission if you start a claim through a partner service using our links. That commission comes out of the service's side, never out of your pocket, and it never changes the payout you receive.

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The DIY route: free, and you keep every cent

Doing it yourself costs nothing and you keep 100% of whatever the airline pays. For a clean, clear-cut claim this is almost always the smart move. If your flight arrived three or more hours late, or was cancelled without enough notice, and the reason was something ordinary like crew rostering or routine technical trouble, the rules are firmly on your side and the paperwork is light.

The basic steps are straightforward. Gather your booking reference, boarding passes, and any delay or cancellation notice. Work out your distance band and the amount you are owed. Then send a short, firm written claim to the airline citing EU261 (or UK261 for UK departures and UK carriers), and keep copies of everything.

If the airline ignores you or refuses without good reason, you can escalate for free. In the EU you go to the national enforcement body for the country you departed from. In the UK you use the airline's ADR scheme or, where none applies, the CAA. These bodies exist to make airlines follow the law, and using them costs you nothing.

Claim-management services: no win, no fee

A claim-management service does the chasing for you on a no win, no fee basis. They typically keep around 25-35% of the payout if they win, and sometimes add VAT on top of that fee. If they lose, you pay nothing. That is the core trade: you give up a slice of the money in exchange for someone else carrying the work and the risk.

What you are really buying is persistence and legal muscle. A good service knows the case law, keeps pushing when an airline goes quiet, and will front the legal costs to take a carrier to court if it comes to that. For a single passenger, threatening litigation is hard and expensive. For a company that files claims at scale, it is routine.

Two of the better-known names are AirHelp and Compensair, both of which operate on this no-win, no-fee model. AirHelp says it has helped over 16 million passengers since 2013. Fee percentages vary by company and by case, so always read the current terms before you sign anything.

When a service is genuinely worth the cut

Paying 25-35% stings, but in the right situation it is money well spent because the alternative is getting nothing. A service earns its fee when the friction or risk is real and you cannot easily clear it yourself.

The airline already rejected your claim or has simply ignored your letters.
The airline blames "extraordinary circumstances" such as bad weather or a strike, and you have no way to prove otherwise.
The case clearly needs to go to court, and you have no appetite to litigate alone.
You know yourself well enough to admit the paperwork will sit untouched, and a smaller sum collected beats a full sum never claimed.
You are dealing with a foreign carrier in a language you do not speak, where a service handles the correspondence for you.

When DIY is the smarter choice

If your case is clean and the airline is not fighting hard, there is little reason to give away a third of the money. Claiming yourself keeps the full amount in your pocket for an hour or two of effort.

DIY makes the most sense when the airline has already admitted fault, or offered you something while you hold clear evidence you are owed more. It also wins for small, simple delay claims with an obvious ordinary cause, and any time you are not in a rush and are happy to send a follow-up or two. In these cases a service would mostly be charging you for work you could comfortably do.

Side-by-side: DIY vs a claim service

Here is the honest comparison across the things that actually matter when you decide.

Cost: DIY is free and you keep 100%. A service keeps roughly 25-35%, sometimes plus VAT.
Effort: DIY means you write the letters and chase. A service does it all once you sign up.
Time: DIY can be quick on simple cases, but slow if you have to escalate. A service runs in the background without your attention.
Success odds on hard cases: DIY can stall against a stubborn airline or a disputed cause. A service is built for exactly these fights and can litigate.
Risk: DIY carries no financial risk, only your time. No win, no fee means you owe nothing if the service loses.

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Claim services typically keep 25–35% of your payout as commission. Claiming directly with the airline yourself is free.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do flight compensation companies charge?: Most work on a no win, no fee basis and keep roughly 25-35% of the payout if they win, with VAT sometimes added on top. Exact fees differ by company and by case, so check the current terms before you sign. If the claim fails, you typically pay nothing at all.
Is it hard to claim flight compensation myself?: For a clear-cut case, no. You gather your booking details and delay notice, work out the amount, and send a written claim citing EU261 or UK261. Many airlines pay clean claims without a fight. If they refuse unfairly, you can escalate for free to the national enforcement body, the ADR scheme, or the CAA.
Does FlightPayout make money if I use a claim service?: Yes, and we want to be plain about it. If you start a claim through a partner service using our links, we earn a referral commission. That commission is paid by the service, not by you. It never reduces your payout and never changes the fee the service charges, so your outcome is exactly the same either way.
Should I use AirHelp or Compensair, or just do it myself?: Both AirHelp and Compensair run on no win, no fee terms, and either can help when an airline is stonewalling you. But if your case is simple and the airline is cooperating, doing it yourself keeps the full amount. Try the free route first when the case is clear, and lean on a service when there is real friction or risk.
What does "extraordinary circumstances" mean for my claim?: It is the main reason airlines use to deny compensation, covering things outside their control like severe weather, security alerts, or some strikes. Ordinary technical faults usually do not count. If an airline claims it and you cannot prove otherwise, a claim service with access to the records and case law can be the difference between a payout and nothing.
Will a claim service get me more money than I would alone?: No. EU261 and UK261 payouts are fixed by distance, so the headline amount is the same whoever claims. The difference is what reaches your account: with DIY you keep all of it, while a service keeps its cut. A service helps you win cases you might otherwise lose, not collect a larger sum.