FAQ's

Simply scan / enter your flight details. Our bespoke software system then uses the data provided to see whether you’re entitled to compensation and will alert you to any possible compensation due.

Any necessary signatures can be provided quickly and securely online (or by post or fax). If the claim is successfully enforced, you will receive compensation of up to 600 euros from the airline. Of the compensation paid, Airclaim keeps 25 per cent as a commission (plus the statutory VAT).

In the event of litigation Airclaim provide a completely free no win no fee service with absolutely no cost to you. Guaranteed!

EU Regulation 261/2004 is a directive that provides a clear definition of air passenger rights. See Wikipedia for a more detailed description.

Your flight did not take place? Or you were allocated to a later or different flight?

In the event of a cancellation not caused by extraordinary circumstances, you are entitled to the following compensation:

  • — €250 for flights up to 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights within the EU longer than 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights longer than 1500 km up to 3500 km

to destinations outside the EU

  • — Up to €600 for other flights

Please also note that this includes not only flights leaving the EU but also flights destined for the EU, provided they are operated by an EU carrier.

Note: The airline need not pay if it can prove that the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances which may be held to include industrial action or force majeure.

Was the arrival of your flight delayed for more than three hours?

In that case you’re entitled to compensation. Your compensation entitlement:

  • — €250 for flights up to 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights within the EU longer than 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights longer than 1500 km up to 3500 km

to destinations outside the EU

  • – For all other flights:
  • €300 if your flight was delayed less than 4 hours, or
  • €600 if your flight was delayed 4 hours or more.

Did your flight take off more than five hours late?

If the departure of your flight was delayed for five hours or more and you voluntarily gave back your ticket and did not board the plane, you are entitled to the following compensation:

  • — €250 for flights up to 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights within the EU longer than 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights longer than 1500 km up to 3500 km

to destinations outside the EU

  • — €600 for other flights

Please also note that this includes not only flights leaving the EU but also flights destined for the EU, provided they are operated by an EU carrier.

The flight was overbooked and you weren’t allowed to board or you were allocated to another flight?

If so, it was a case of denied boarding against your will. For denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to the following compensation:

  • — €250 for flights up to 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights within the EU longer than 1500 km
  • — €400 for flights longer than 1500 km up to 3500 km

to destinations outside the EU

  • — Up to €600 for other flights

Please also note that this includes not only flights leaving the EU but also flights destined for the EU, provided they are operated by an EU carrier.

Airclaim keeps 25 per cent of any compensation paid as a commission (plus the statutory VAT). If the claim is rejected, you are not charged anything.

We make every effort to assert your claim promptly by means of precise verification processes and our collaboration with our experienced legal team.

The term originates from the US legal system and means:

no success, no costs.

What exactly does that mean in your case?

Airclaim keeps 25 per cent of the compensation as a commission (plus the statutory VAT) only if the claim is successful.

The same applies to compensation payments in the form of material goods such as flight vouchers.

Please note, however, that compensation paid in the form of vouchers requires your explicit consent. In such cases you must pay us 25 per cent (plus the statutory VAT) out of your own pocket.

Let us assume that the airline offers you a voucher worth 600 euros. We will forward this voucher to you as soon as you have paid 150 euros (plus the statutory VAT) to Airclaim.

It is equally important to know that our commission of 25 per cent of the compensation payment (plus the statutory VAT) only becomes due if the airline actually pays. If your claim is not successful, you don’t have to pay anything: no win, no fee!

If we go to court on your behalf and win you still receive the same level of compensation as if the claim had been paid immediately – with no additional cost to you win or lose – guaranteed.

It really is that easy.

For anyone who wants their world as paperless as possible – along the lines of “eSignature to go” – online signatures are the ideal solution. But we also understand your concern about security issues, especially with regard to identity theft and other risks of the online world.

From Airclaim`s point of view, there is no difference between a signed proxy which we receive by fax, post or e-mail and a proxy that was signed by eSignature.

Both types of documents are handled and filed in our modern computing environment with utmost care and only serve to provide proof to the airline that we are entitled by proxy to enforce your claim for you.

From the client’s point of view, the eSignature service that Airclaim offers as an integral part of the claim processing workflow makes things easier and is a convenience factor, making it possible to process the claim in real-time – a paperless and efficient solution.

Generally no, however: firstly, claims compliant with the EU regulation have a limitation period of several years (in the UK 6 years), counted as of the departure date. So, generally, there is no pressure to submit a claim (abroad) immediately. Secondly, and this is generally applicable to all apps that involve online data transfers, always log on to a WiFi hotspot, especially if you are not in your home network but in a foreign network.

If passengers are denied boarding on the flight they have booked – for example due to overbooking – they are entitled to a compensation payment of €250 to €600. The amount of compensation depends on the distance of the flight. This compensation must be paid in cash or by bank cheque. Passengers need not accept flight vouchers, air miles or upgrades that the airline might offer them.

However, passengers are only entitled to compensation if they do not give up their reservation voluntarily on the flight they have booked.

If the flight lands at its destination more than 180 minutes later than scheduled, air passengers are entitled to compensation payments of €250 to €600 – depending on the distance of the flight.

As in the case of a flight being cancelled, only extraordinary circumstances exempt the airline from having to pay compensation. These circumstances include extreme weather conditions, a flight security risk and political instability.

Passengers are not obliged to accept flight vouchers, air miles or upgrades that the airline might offer them.

The following provides information about further important regulations for air passengers – summarised in five points. They apply to all flights within and from the EU as well as flights of airlines based in the EU to the EU.

A valid ticket means a right to carriage

If you have a valid ticket, the airline is obliged to transport you. This obligation applies from the airport of departure to the destination airport, both as specified in the ticket – and at the flight times stated in the ticket. Also when booked as part of a package holiday, this transport obligation applies as soon as the flight details are confirmed by the travel company. Moreover, passengers must be informed which airline will be carrying out their flight. Airclaim can enforce your compensation entitlement in cases of delayed, cancelled and overbooked flights with the airline up to three years later.

Obligation to provide care

If cancelled or delayed flights or denied boarding lead to longer delays, in accordance with the EU regulation, passengers are entitled to the provision of care in the form of drinks and food as well as the chance to make phone calls and/or write e-mails.

Rerouting

Passengers are entitled to rerouting under similar conditions to their intended final destination without any additional costs. If rerouting is no longer viable, the airline is obliged to refund the ticket price in full. In the event of delays of five or more hours, travellers are entitled to cancel their reservation on the flight free of charge. In that case, the full flight ticket price shall be refunded and no cancellation fees shall be charged.

Accommodation costs

If the expected departure time is postponed to the following day, passengers are entitled to accommodation in a hotel as well as transport between the airport and the hotel. Our tip: If the airline does not offer you accommodation, you can book a room yourself and claim back the incurred costs. However, the airline is only required to refund the costs of a standard hotel room. In this connection, the passenger is obliged to keep the damage as low as possible.

Passengers with reduced mobility

Passengers with a disability or reduced mobility shall be protected against discrimination when making their reservation, when boarding and travelling. At the airport and when boarding a plane, they are entitled to free assistance.

Unfortunately EU Regulation 261/2004 has not harmonised the rules relating to limitation periods, but states that the national laws of the member states shall apply. Limitation periods can be between 2 and 10 years. In the UK, 6 years is the current limit.

EU Regulation 261/2004 is an extensive document that states the conditions and prerequisites that pertain to air passenger rights, written in pure legal jargon.

All flights leaving from EU airports generally fall under EU Regulation 261/2004 and therefore, if applicable, entitle you to compensation.

In addition, all flights destined for Europe that are performed by EU carriers are likewise included. This greatly increases the number of cases that are potentially entitled to compensation.

Yes! The provisions in the EU regulation also cover Norway, Switzerland and Iceland with all their respective airports. So you are likewise entitled to compensation on these routes.

You are travelling with your family or with a group, and your flight fulfils the requirements of EU Regulation 261/2004?

EU Regulation 261/2004 requires a separate claim for each passenger. Each person travelling with you (except children under the age of two) is entitled to claim compensation for him- or herself.

Children aged two years or older have the same rights to claim compensation according to EU Regulation 261/2004 as adults do. However, an adult must sign the authorisation page when claiming for a child under 18.

You are travelling on business and your company has paid for the flight. Your flight fulfils the compensation claim requirements of EU Regulation 261/2004. Who is entitled to receive the compensation?

In accordance with EU Regulation 261/2004, the applicant and claimant is always the air passenger himself.

That means the air passenger has to create and submit the claim via Airclaim and, in the first instance, has the right to receive the compensation, since he alone had to bear the inconvenience caused, for example, by a delayed flight. Further details in this connection are not specified in EU Regulation 261/2004.

Ultimately, whether or not you have to hand over the compensation to your employer can be governed in your contract of employment.

Here, neither EU Regulation 261/2004 nor Airclaim are applicable but only the “bilateral” relationship between the employee (air passenger) and employer (payer of the ticket).

Flight tickets booked under a “special tariff” are NOT covered by the EU Regulation 261/2004

But what exactly is a special tariff in the sense of the EU Regulation 261/2004?

A special tariff ticket is given if a passenger is travelling free of charge or at a reduced fare not available directly or indirectly to the public. A common example for a non-public rate is a corporate travel arrangement that is available for corporate staff only or a reduced fare available only to employees of a tour operator.

However, the EU Regulation 261/2004 does fully apply to passengers having tickets issued under a frequent flyer program or other commercial program by an air carrier or tour operator.

I was informed more than two weeks ahead of a flight schedule change. Can I still file a claim?

No. - If you are getting the note that early in advance you are NOT entitled to any compensation and cannot file a claim.

This gives the airlines much room to maneuver without triggering any claims according to EU Regulation 261/2004.