# AirHelp vs Compensair vs claiming EU flight compensation yourself

You can claim EU flight compensation from the airline yourself at no company fee. AirHelp and Compensair take a share if they win. Official fee pages, updated in November 2026, are compared here.

By Patrick Karsh · Lounge Frog
Published: 2026-11-10T20:54:02.735381Z
Updated: 2026-11-10T20:54:40.083438Z
Canonical: https://www.loungefrog.com/news/airhelp-vs-compensair-eu261-claim-yourself-2026

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If a flight is delayed or canceled and EU passenger rules apply, you can ask the airline for cash compensation yourself, at no company fee. Two well-known claims firms, [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge) and [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge), will take the case on a no-win, no-fee basis and keep a share if they recover money. The right first step is still the official one: complain to the airline, then use a national body if you need to.

This guide compares the official fee pages, checked in November 2026, with the European Commission's [Your Europe air passenger rights page](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm). It is not legal advice, and it is not a recommendation to hire a firm. Many passengers never need one.

Affiliate disclosure: Lounge Frog may earn a commission through these Travelpayouts provider links. Sources were checked on Nov. 10, 2026.

## What EU rules actually pay, and when they apply

The [Your Europe](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm) page explains Regulation 261/2004. The rules can apply when you depart from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway, or Switzerland, and also when you fly into those countries on a carrier from those countries. A delay of three hours or more at your final destination can open a right to compensation, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.

The official distance bands for compensation are 250 euros, 400 euros, and 600 euros. On the longest journeys, a delay of under four hours can reduce the 600 euro amount by half. The same page lists cancellation notice windows and says most technical problems, and strikes by the airline's own staff, are not extraordinary circumstances. Weather, certain security events, and air-traffic restrictions can be.

Separately from cash compensation, the airline must provide assistance: meals, communication, and a hotel when you are stuck overnight, plus rebooking or a refund. Those care duties can apply even when compensation does not. If you are stuck overnight, a [24-hour or late-night lounge](/news/best-24-hour-airport-lounges-overnight-layovers-2026) can help you wait, but it does not replace the airline's duty of care.

You can always file with the airline yourself, for free. Your Europe tells passengers to complain to the airline first. If there is no reply after two months, or the reply is not satisfactory, you can take the complaint to the national enforcement body in the country where the incident happened.

```diagram
type: flow
title: Official path for an EU air passenger claim
source: [Your Europe air passenger rights](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm)
---
Gather proof: booking, boarding passes, delay or cancellation notices, receipts
Complain to the airline first: this is the official starting point
Wait for a reply: two months is the official marker if there is no answer
Use the national body: if the reply is missing or not satisfactory
Or hire a claims firm: only after you have read the fees and assignment terms
```

## What AirHelp charges if you win

[AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge)'s [price list](https://www.airhelp.com/en/price-list/), updated Nov. 9, 2026, and labeled Version PL3.26, says eligibility checks are free and that you pay a fee only if compensation is recovered. The standard Service Fee is 35 percent of recovered flight compensation, including VAT. The same 35 percent applies to recovered extra expenses.

In cases that go to legal action, [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge) adds a Legal Action Fee of 15 percent. The company says this happens in a statistically small share of cases (it cites 3 percent). The two fees together can reach 50 percent of the recovered amount. [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge) describes the payout as your compensation minus those fees, typically in euros for European claims.

Members of [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge)+ do not pay those service and legal fees. Worldwide plan prices on the same list, checked Nov. 10, 2026, were Single Trip at $22.99, Lite at $32.99 a year, Smart at $42.99 a year, and Pro at $99.99 a year. US Comfort and Pro memberships were listed at $179.99 and $249.99. The list says fee waivers apply only to the primary account holder. Separate TravelPass tiers reduce the service fee to 15 percent (Silver), 10 percent (Gold), or zero (Platinum). Goodwill claims are listed at a $29.99 fee, with waivers. Denmark, Sweden, and some Brazilian claims follow different rules on the same page. Read the list that matches your itinerary.

## What Compensair charges if you win

[Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge)'s [services page](https://www.compensair.com/en/services/) also describes a free eligibility check and a fee only if compensation is received. Its [Payment Policy](https://www.compensair.com/documents/Compensair/en/PaymentPolicy_Compensair_en.pdf) sets the Service fee at 30 percent of the compensation received.

If [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) incurs extra legal costs, such as outside lawyers, court fees, or official translations, the same policy reserves the right to add a Legal fee of 10 percent of the compensation, on top of the 30 percent service fee. The company then asks for passport and bank details and says it will transfer the agreed sum, minus the service fee and bank commission, within 30 business days of receiving that information. Bank fees for the transfer are paid by the client.

Two clauses in that policy deserve a careful read before you sign. If you do not provide the requested payout information within six months, the right to the compensation is transferred to [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) Business Group Pte. Ltd. If the airline or a third party pays you directly after you have entered the agreement, you must tell [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) within three days and pay the agreed success fee. The firm's terms also describe assignment of the claim, which can limit your ability to keep negotiating with the airline on your own.

[Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) says it handles claims under EU 261 and under Turkish and Canadian rules. Deadlines vary by country; the company describes claim windows as often three to six years. Confirm the limit that applies to your flight before you assume you still have time.

## How the fees compare, on official figures only

The table below uses each company's published success fees. It does not predict whether a given flight will win, and it does not include bank charges or a membership you might buy to reduce a fee.

| Path | Fee if you win | If the claim fails | Extra legal fee |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| You file with the airline | No claims-firm commission | You handle the follow-up | None from a claims firm |
| [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge), standard | 35% of recovered sums, incl. VAT | No success fee | 15%, up to 50% combined |
| [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) | 30% service fee | No success fee | 10% if extra legal costs are incurred |

On a 400 euro award, a 35 percent [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge) service fee is 140 euros before any legal fee. A 30 percent [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge) service fee is 120 euros, before any 10 percent legal fee. On a 600 euro award the same percentages are 210 euros and 180 euros. Those are arithmetic illustrations of the published rates, not quotes from either company about a specific case.

A missed cruise embarkation is usually a separate contract from the flight. Even if EU flight compensation is due, it does not automatically repay a lost cruise fare. Keep the airline claim and any cruise or travel-insurance claim on their own paperwork.

## When a firm is worth considering, and when it is not

File yourself if the delay is well documented, the airline is in a country where 261 is routine, and you are willing to send a clear complaint and wait. The official route costs no commission, and you keep the full award if the airline pays.

A firm can be rational if the airline has already refused, if you would not pursue a court or enforcement step on your own, or if the claim is old and still inside a legal time limit you have confirmed. In that case, read the assignment language, the extra legal fee, and, for [Compensair](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/99f46ec3-c36d-4d26-b5d2-ee4008d3c56d?site=lounge), the six-month payout-details clause. Compare those terms with [AirHelp](https://lounge-frog-api.onrender.com/api/v1/go/114e54c9-a884-423e-9782-aeff403b48b7?site=lounge)'s membership and TravelPass discounts only if you would buy them anyway; do not buy a plan solely to shrink a fee on a claim you could file yourself.

Sources: [Your Europe air passenger rights](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm), checked Nov. 10, 2026; [AirHelp price list](https://www.airhelp.com/en/price-list/), Version PL3.26, updated Nov. 9, 2026, checked Nov. 10, 2026; [Compensair services](https://www.compensair.com/en/services/) and [Payment Policy](https://www.compensair.com/documents/Compensair/en/PaymentPolicy_Compensair_en.pdf), checked Nov. 10, 2026.