How to claim flight compensation directly from the airline (free)

Step 1 — Check eligibility and the amount

Use the checker on this site. It applies the rules to your exact route and gives you the amount per passenger, the legal basis and the reasoning.

Step 2 — Write the claim

Airlines must accept claims from passengers directly. Your claim should contain:

• flight number, date and route;
• booking reference and the full names of all passengers on the booking;
• what happened: arrival delay in hours and minutes at the final destination, or the cancellation date and the alternative offered, or the denied-boarding facts;
• the legal basis: Article 7 (amount) with Article 5 (cancellation), Article 4 (denied boarding) or the Sturgeon case law (delay);
• the amount per passenger and the total;
• a deadline (28 days) and your bank details or an offer to provide them.

Send it through the airline’s compensation form where one exists (it routes the claim to the right team and gives you a reference), otherwise by email to customer relations. Keep a copy and note the date. The claim letter guide has the paragraph for each kind of disruption and the EU261 and UK261 templates; the generator writes the whole letter from your flight.

Step 3 — Attach evidence

Booking confirmation, boarding passes, the airline’s notification of the disruption, proof of the actual arrival time (flight-tracker screenshot or arrivals board photo), and receipts for expenses.

Step 4 — Wait, then follow up

Most airlines answer within 2–8 weeks. If nothing arrives after 4 weeks, send a dated follow-up restating the claim with a 14-day deadline.

Step 5 — Handle a rejection

Read the reason. If the airline claims extraordinary circumstances, ask for the precise circumstance, the evidence and the reasonable measures taken. If it says the delay was under 3 hours, quote the door-opening rule and your evidence. If it offers vouchers, decline and insist on cash.

Step 6 — Escalate

• National enforcement body of the departure country (or of the arrival country for inbound flights on EU airlines) — free, sometimes slow; binding in Spain (AESA).
• ADR scheme the airline belongs to — binding in the UK (AviationADR, CEDR) and Spain (AESA); conciliation proposals in Germany (Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr, formerly söp), France (MTV) and Austria (apf). The Netherlands has none for standalone flights.
• Small-claims court — simplified procedures exist in every country; the European Small Claims Procedure covers cross-border claims up to €5,000. Mind the limitation period (1–6 years by country).

What a claim-management company adds — and costs

Agencies take 25–50% of the compensation plus VAT, and airlines often treat their claims more slowly. They make sense when you have no time or the airline has already refused and you don’t want to litigate. Horvera’s Claim Pack prepares everything for you to send yourself — you keep 100%.