Every fee checked. Every ranking scored.

How much compensation am I owed for a delayed flight in Europe?

Under Regulation 261/2004 the amount is fixed by distance, not by the fare: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km and for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, and €600 for flights over 3,500 km. It is paid per passenger, children included, when you arrive three or more hours late, when a flight is cancelled on under 14 days’ notice, or when you are denied boarding because the flight was oversold. It covers every flight departing an EU or UK airport and flights arriving there on an EU or UK airline; flights departing the UK follow the equivalent UK261 rules in sterling.

Is the EU261 three-hour rule changing?

Not yet, and not in the way widely reported. The European Parliament adopted the reform on 6 July 2026 and the Council cleared it on 13 July; the three-hour threshold and the €250, €400 and €600 amounts were kept. The changes that did pass make airlines answer a claim within 30 days and set a nine-month filing window, and they apply only twelve months and twenty days after publication in the Official Journal, so not before the second half of 2027. Until then the national time limits still apply: six years in England and Wales, five in France, three in Germany.

Which flight compensation company charges the least?

Compensair and AirAdvisor take 30% of the payout on a standard claim, AirHelp 35% including VAT, Flightright between 20% and 30% plus VAT (their own example pays €533.44 of €800) and Skycop a fixed €110, €176 or €264, which is 44% of each amount. If the claim goes to court Compensair takes 40% and the other four 50%. Claiming yourself is free and the site shows how; on the fee, price clarity, court costs, reach and record, AirHelp scores 95 out of 100, AirAdvisor 89, Compensair 84, Flightright 83 and Skycop 78.

Which premium travel credit card is best in 2026?

Chase Sapphire Reserve scores 90 out of 100 on realisable credits, lounges, transfer partners, insurance, hotel benefits and fee efficiency, at $795 a year. Amex Platinum scores 88 at $895, Capital One Venture X 84 at $395, Citi Strata Elite 80 at $595, Hilton Honors Aspire 78 at $550, IHG One Rewards Premier 74 at $99 and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant 70 at $650. Venture X is the value pick; the Aspire is the strongest single-chain hotel card because it grants Hilton Diamond outright.

Which credit card gives the best airport lounge access?

Chase Sapphire Reserve, for most travellers: nine Sapphire Lounges, Priority Pass with two guests, and $795 a year. Amex Platinum adds the Centurion Lounges and ten Delta Sky Club visits a year for $895 but charges for guests. Capital One Venture X gives its own lounges and Priority Pass for $395. Without a card, Priority Pass sells membership at $99, $329 or $469 a year for a network of more than 1,900 lounges, with guests at $35.

Which airline has the best business class in 2026?

Qatar Airways, whose Qsuite scores 94 out of 100 on seat and privacy, sleep, dining, lounges and fleet consistency. ANA’s The Room scores 90, Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite 88, Japan Airlines 86, Singapore Airlines 84, Emirates 82, Air France 81, Turkish Airlines 80, Qantas 79, British Airways 78, United Polaris 77 and Delta One 75. The score reflects the cabin a booking is likely to get across the fleet, not the one in the press release.

Which hotel chains still match status in 2026?

Only Hilton runs a published, open status match. A member with elite status elsewhere receives Hilton Gold for 90 days, keeps Gold after six paid nights and is upgraded to Diamond after twelve, with status running to 31 March 2028; award nights and third-party bookings do not count, and it is one match per lifetime. Marriott, Hyatt, IHG and Accor have no published match, so the routes are a co-branded card (Marriott Platinum, IHG Platinum) or the nights themselves: Hyatt Globalist at 60 nights, IHG Diamond at 70, Marriott Titanium at 75, Accor Diamond at 26,000 status points.

What is the best city for a city break in 2026?

Tokyo, which scores 93 out of 100 on neighbourhood density, food, cultural depth, logistics, value and day-trip range. Paris scores 91, Rome 87, Mexico City 86, Lisbon and New York 85, Copenhagen and Seoul 82, Singapore 79 and Marrakech 78. By country, Italy scores 95, Spain 93, France 90, Japan 89 and Portugal 86; the index also matches twelve trip types, from a long weekend from the UK to winter sun, to the right city.

What does the Travel Intelligence desk cover?

The money and logistics of travelling well: flight compensation and passenger rights, premium credit cards and lounge access, business and first class, hotel loyalty and status, where to go by interest and by month, how to book activities, villas and transfers, eSIMs, travel insurance, VPNs and entry rules, plus the site’s own research on what travellers ask AI. Every ranking is scored against published criteria, every fee is read at source on the date printed on the page, and the desk was verified on 7 September 2026.

Can a company pay to be ranked on this desk?

No. Claim firms, cards, cabins, loyalty programmes and cities are assessed on the same published criteria, none is added to a ranking on request, and the case against is printed beside the case for. A partner buys a labelled position beside the ranking and a programme of pages around it; the score and the index row say what the facts show. Affiliate links are labelled as such and never move a score. No partner placement is live as of September 2026.