Flight Compensation Claims ✈️ Our Experiences with AirHelp
As travelers who fly frequently for both work and leisure, we have experienced our fair share of flight delays, cancellations, overbooking, and lost luggage. Dealing with these issues can be incredibly frustrating and stressful, especially when it comes to receiving compensation for the inconvenience.
That’s why we turned to AirHelp for assistance. In this article, we would like to share our personal experiences with AirHelp, and why we believe it is the go-to solution for air passenger rights.
Who are AirHelp and what do they do?
AirHelp is a global air travel services company that provides air passenger rights advocacy and flight compensation services. The company was founded in 2013 and has since helped millions of passengers receive compensation for inconveniences due to flight delays, cancellations, overbookings, and lost luggage.
Operating globally – and available in over 30 countries – AirHelp makes it easy for passengers to receive the compensation they are entitled to, no matter where they are in the world.
Understanding your rights & compensation options
With its team of legal experts, AirHelp handles the entire process of claiming compensation, from filing a claim to negotiating with the airline. The company also keeps track of flight disruptions and proactively informs eligible passengers about their right to compensation, making the process of claiming compensation easier and more convenient.
Why choose AirHelp?
After our personal experiences with AirHelp, we highly recommend the company for air passenger rights advocacy and compensation services. Here are some of the reasons why:
- Expertise in Air Passenger Rights: AirHelp has a team of legal experts who have a deep understanding of air passenger rights and regulations. They use this knowledge to help passengers receive the compensation they are entitled to for their inconvenience.
- Global Availability: AirHelp is available in over 30 countries, making it easy for passengers to receive the compensation they are entitled to, no matter where they are in the world.
- Proactive Approach: AirHelp keeps track of flight disruptions and proactively informs eligible passengers about their right to compensation, making the process of claiming compensation easier and more convenient.
- No Upfront Fees: AirHelp does not charge any upfront fees for its services. Instead, it only charges a success fee if the passenger receives compensation. This means that passengers do not have to pay anything out of pocket and can receive the full amount of compensation they are entitled to.
- Hassle-Free Process: AirHelp handles the entire process of claiming compensation, from filing a claim to negotiating with the airline. This makes the process of claiming compensation both hassle-free and convenient.
Our Personal Experience with AirHelp
We first learned about AirHelp when we were dealing with a flight disruption. We were frustrated and didn’t know what to do to receive compensation. We found AirHelp through an online search. We were skeptical at first, but decided to give it a try.
1 – Lufthansa: Missed flight connection in Frankfurt
Our first attempt to claim compensation involved a flight from Moscow to Malta via Frankfurt that we booked with Lufthansa. The first leg of the return flight to Frankfurt was delayed by 2 hours, which meant we missed the connection to Malta.
Lufthansa offered us another flight (leaving 15 hours later!), or a flight to Rome leaving in 2 hours, from where we could take another flight back to Malta. We accepted the Rome flight, arriving in Malta 8 hours later than scheduled… oh, and for good measure they managed to lose our baggage in Rome.
When the dust had settled, we contacted AirHelp to make a claim against Lufthansa. AirHelp operates on a no win, no fee basis, which means that they promise not to charge you unless they win your case – even if they go to court.
The process is as follows:
- They investigate what happened: The AirHelp team looks into your case to clarify what caused your flight disruption, and gather information from multiple data sources to support your claim. They examine everything from flight reports to weather conditions, and make sure that all your documents are in order to proceed. If not, they let you know.
- They handle the paperwork: AirHelp compile all the necessary documentation and put together a solid case for compensation, which they then deliver to the airline in question.
- They await a decision: It can take airlines a while to respond to compensation claims, especially during busy travel periods. But AirHelp keep you updated every step of the way.
- They take care of the legal stuff: If the airline doesn’t cooperate, AirHelp’s lawyers take action.
- They send you the money: As soon as the airline pays them, they request your payment details and transfer your money.
4 days after submitting our claim, Airhelp got back to us confirming that they had checked our documents, put together a solid case and delivered it to Lufthansa. They thought we had strong grounds for compensation. They also asked us to post to their office in Poland a physical copy of the Assignment Form to give them the right to represent us (Lufthansa would not accept an electronic version).
After this, they would wait for Lufthansa’s response.
Don’t panic! Here’s what you should do after a flight delay or cancellation
Every 2 weeks following, Airhelp got back to us to confirm that our claim was still on track. Just over 2 months later, they informed us they had taken the first step of court proceedings by preparing and issuing a Letter Before Action (LBA). This is a legal document requesting that Lufthansa either pays out the compensation, or faces a lawsuit if they refuse to do so.
Two weeks after this we received yet another update on our Lufthansa claim. Since the airline continued to be uncooperative, AirHelp were left with no choice but to take the case to court in order to get the compensation we were legally entitled to.
So they filed the case in the court. The court issued a summons to Lufthansa informing them that there was a case against them and that they should prepare their defense. At this point, we were informed that Lufthansa may instead decide to settle with AirHelp directly.
Another 2 months passed, then – sure enough – the legal action against Lufthansa had worked, and they were prepared to compensate us for our disrupted flight! Shortly afterwards, we reached the last step of our claim, and were informed that our €200.00 compensation was ready for collection.
The whole process took 6 months, from submitting the claim to receiving compensation. But bearing in mind the original return tickets from Malta to Moscow had cost €215.40, thanks to AirHelp we’d basically got the flights for free.
2 – Qatar Airways: Missed connection in Kuala Lumpur
Our second attempt to claim compensation involved a 3-stage long-haul flight that we booked with Qatar Airways.
This was a flight from Malta to Langkawi, with stops in Doha and Kuala Lumpur. The first 2 flights used Qatar Airways planes, and the third flight was arranged by Qatar Airlines on their partner Airline – Malaysia Airlines.
All was well until our Qatar Airlines flight reached Kuala Lumpur over one hour late. Since they had booked us with a tight 2-hour connection in Kuala Lumpur, we missed the connection. At the help desk in Kuala Lumpur, they put the blame on us, and flatly refused to offer another ongoing flight.
We considered it was their responsibility to provide us with another ongoing flight, since we had paid them for the full travel itinerary, and they had themselves chosen the connection flights and times.
Accordingly, we provided all the details to AirHelp, and initiated a claim.
Make sure your airline takes care of you if you’re delayed
This case progressed more quickly, but less fruitfully.
After just 4 weeks, AirHelp got back to us to explain that even with our clear air passenger rights, it can be difficult to get some countries and courts to apply them. The details of our case with Qatar Airways meant it must be argued in Malaysia. Since previous similar cases they had argued there were unsuccessful, they believed it was unlikely to change in the near future.
They said they were not giving up – by taking these issues to higher courts – but in the meantime they could not continue with our case.
So on this occasion we tried and failed, but as promised AirHelp did not charge us for their services.
AirHelp: A Solution for Air Passenger Rights?
As frequent travelers, we highly recommend AirHelp for air passenger rights advocacy and compensation services. The company’s team of legal experts, global availability, proactive approach, and hassle-free process make it the go-to solution for air passenger rights.
We have personally dealt with AirHelp several times and have consistently had a positive experience. If you want to ensure that your air travel experiences are as smooth and stress-free as possible, we suggest you choose AirHelp.
After all – what do you have to lose?
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2 Comments
Artur Santos
August 22, 2023at 4:01 pmMe and my wife we were denied travel due to not doing our check-in online. Not only that but I had to pay over $110 for seats at the airport and was still denied travel.
We booked thru another company in order for us to travel, because Ryanair had available flight for us 2 days later. We are looking for reimbursement of our tickets, time and stress we had during that period of time. What the company is doing is overbooking seats and its not the way an airline should do business. If the airline didn’t overbook me and my wife we would have had seats regardless of us doing an online check in or not.
I never received an email from Ryainair to do our check-in either. I would appreciate your feedback and assistance in this matter.
Thank you.
SandSpice
August 23, 2023at 12:45 amIf you’ve kept a record of all your paperwork, and all communications with the airline(s) in question – and you have legitimate grounds for compensation – it may be possible that AirHelp can open a claim for you. You can but try. They have legal experts who can quickly ascertain if a claim is likely to succeed.