What you actually keep

Service fees

Data verified on 14 August 2026 against the services' published terms and independent reviews. Fees change — check the current terms on the service's own site before filing.

What actually reaches you

EU261 compensation is €250, €400 or €600 depending on flight distance. Here is what is left of those amounts after the service fee.

The last column is a €600 payout where the case had to go to court. This is where the differences disappear: almost everyone ends up at half the amount.

Try it yourself first — it costs nothing

A service fee makes sense once the airline has refused or gone silent. But the first claim is free and takes about half an hour: you need your boarding pass, proof of the delay and a properly written letter. In roughly a third of cases that is enough, and you keep the full amount rather than 56–75% of it.

How to file a claim yourself · How to answer a refusal

Compensair — 25 %

Strengths: One of the lowest fees on the market. Works with Russian-speaking claimants, interface and support in Russian.

Weaknesses: Less public data on won cases than the big players. Court-case terms are not disclosed publicly.

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MyFlyRight — 25 %

Strengths: Fee among the lowest on the market. German jurisdiction, convenient for disputes with German carriers.

Weaknesses: Limited coverage outside the EU. No Russian-language support.

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Flightright — 20–30 %

Strengths: One of the oldest players, strong litigation record in Germany. Publishes its court surcharge transparently.

Weaknesses: Fee is quoted excluding VAT, so the real cost is higher. Court cases add 14%, up to 41% plus VAT.

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AirAdvisor — 30 %

Strengths: Handles US and UK rules as well as EU261. Runs its own affiliate programme.

Weaknesses: Court recovery pushes the fee to 50% excluding VAT — half of the payout.

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AirHelp — 35 %

Strengths: The largest player, 13 years in business and the widest geography. Best odds that a complex case is accepted. Fee quoted including VAT.

Weaknesses: One of the highest base fees. Court recovery costs 50% including VAT — exactly half the payout.

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Skycop — 44 %

Strengths: Takes cases others decline. The court surcharge is the lowest on the market at just 6%.

Weaknesses: The highest base fee reviewed: 44% including VAT, rising to 50% for court cases.

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How we make money, and why it does not affect the table

Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you file through them the service pays us a commission, at no extra cost to you. Partner services are marked in the table. That said, everything is sorted by fee from lowest to highest rather than by what pays us most — the cheapest option sits at the top whether it is a partner or not. We also recommend filing yourself first, which earns us nothing at all.