In short: using EU261 Flight Delay is free. AirHelp checks and submits your claim for free, and only deducts a 35% fee (incl. VAT) after a successful claim. If legal action was needed, a further 15% applies, so the fee is at most 50%. If the claim fails, it costs you €0, and AirHelp also covers the legal costs. From €600 compensation you keep €390.
Using EU261 Flight Delay is free
All content on our site, the compensation checker and the airline and airport guides are free. We ask for no registration, subscription or fee of any kind. Our income comes from AirHelp: if you start a claim with AirHelp through our link and it succeeds, AirHelp pays us a commission out of its own fee. We explain this in detail in our affiliate disclosure.
AirHelp's fees
AirHelp works on a no-win-no-fee basis: you only pay once the money has arrived. Fees according to AirHelp's fee schedule as of October 2026:
| Item | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility check | free | Based on flight number and date, with no obligation. |
| Submitting the claim to the airline | free | AirHelp corresponds with the airline; you have nothing to do. |
| Successful claim – service fee | 35% | 35% of the compensation paid, including VAT. |
| Legal action – legal fee | +15% | Only if the airline does not pay after the formal demand and court proceedings are needed. About 3% of cases. The total fee is at most 50%. |
| Unsuccessful claim | €0 | You pay nothing; AirHelp bears the court, lawyer and filing costs. |
| With a TravelPass membership | 15% / 10% / 0% | For trips covered by a TravelPass plan (Silver / Gold / Platinum), instead of the standard fee. |
AirHelp sets its fees and may change them; the terms in force are shown on the AirHelp website when you start a claim. We check this information regularly.
Worked example: how much do you keep?
Using the three compensation amounts under the regulation, per passenger. The standard case is the 35% fee; the maximum fee (50%) only applies if legal action was needed.
| Compensation | Fee (35%) | You keep | Fee with legal action (50%) | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €250 | €87.50 | €162.50 | €125 | €125 |
| €400 | €140 | €260 | €200 | €200 |
| €600 | €210 | €390 | €300 | €300 |
With several passengers the amounts apply per person: on a €600 flight, a family of four keeps €1,560 in total after the standard fee.
TravelPass membership: lower fees for frequent flyers
If you fly several times a year, AirHelp's annual TravelPass membership (called AirHelp+ until November 2026) is worth considering. For trips covered by your plan, AirHelp charges a reduced claim fee instead of the standard 35%. Trips must be added at least 48 hours before departure, so it only helps if you buy before you travel.
- Silver: €39.90 a year for 3 trips, claim fee 15% – flight and luggage insurance payouts (up to €400) and compensation claims at a 15% fee.
- Gold: €79.90 a year for 3 trips, claim fee 10% – adds Fast Track at security and a 1GB eSIM on every trip, lounge access when your flight is 1h+ delayed, and a 10% claim fee.
- Platinum: €249.90 a year for 3 trips, claim fee 0% – adds lounge access on every trip, a 3GB eSIM, worldwide medical insurance and a 0% claim fee.
Example: on a single successful €600 claim the standard fee is €210. With Gold the fee is €60, so the €79.90 membership has already paid for itself. 6- and 9-trip plans cost more; check the current prices on the AirHelp website.
Coupon code: TP5 – 5% off any TravelPass plan, until 31 December 2026. Enter the code when you buy on the AirHelp website. TravelPass plans and prices
Do it yourself or use AirHelp?
You can submit the claim directly to the airline yourself; you do not need a provider for that. The comparison below helps you decide which route suits your situation.
| Aspect | Do it yourself | AirHelp | TravelPass member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost if successful | €0 | 35%, no more than 50% with legal action | 15% / 10% / 0% depending on plan, plus the yearly membership |
| Cost if unsuccessful | €0, but in court your own legal costs and possibly the other side's | €0, AirHelp covers the legal costs | €0 |
| Time needed | Correspondence, watching deadlines, possibly a complaint to the enforcement body or court: hours, months | About 5 minutes to start, then online status tracking | About 5 minutes |
| What happens if rejected? | You have to rebut the extraordinary circumstances defence, find evidence and go to court | Own legal team, flight and weather database, legal action at its own cost | The same, at the reduced fee |
| Who is it for? | Clear-cut cases with a cooperative airline, if you have time to correspond | If you want certainty, have been rejected, or do not want to spend time on it | If you fly several times a year |
If you choose to do it yourself, our flight delay, cancelled flight and extraordinary circumstances pages explain what to rely on. If you get stuck, you can still hand the claim over to AirHelp later.
Our former 30% service has ended
Between 2022 and 2025 the team behind our Hungarian sister site, Járatkésés.hu, handled compensation claims itself for a 30% success fee. That service has ended: we take on no new cases and charge no such fee. The reasons are explained on our About us page. Claims started from our site today are handled by AirHelp, at AirHelp's fees shown above and under AirHelp's terms and conditions.
If you have a question about an earlier case handled by that team, write to the address on our contact page.
Ready? Check your eligibility on the AirHelp website, or first see what to expect with our own checker.
Frequently asked questions about fees
Do I have to pay anything upfront?
No. Checking and submitting the claim are free, and AirHelp only deducts its fee once the airline has actually paid the compensation. There is no advance, registration or handling fee.
What happens if the claim fails?
Then you pay nothing. If AirHelp took the case to court and lost, it bears the legal costs as well. Your risk is zero, which is why the fee on a successful claim is higher, at 35%.
Why does legal action cost more?
Because AirHelp then instructs a lawyer, advances court and expert fees, and waits months or years for the money. The extra 15% legal fee covers these costs. According to AirHelp, only about 3% of cases get this far; most are settled after the formal demand.
Is anything deducted for EU261 Flight Delay?
No. AirHelp pays our commission out of its own fee, not out of your compensation. The net amount you receive is the same as if you had started the claim directly on the AirHelp website. Details are in our affiliate disclosure.
In which currency is compensation paid?
The regulation sets compensation in euros (for flights covered by UK261, in pounds sterling: £220 / £350 / £520). If your bank account is in another currency, the amount is converted at the exchange rate on the day of payment, so the sum you receive in your own currency may differ slightly.