Travel Intelligence · EU261 Claim Company Trust Index 2026
Most Trusted EU261 Claim Companies in 2026: Eleven Claim Firms Scored on All-In Fees, Published Success Rates, Terms and Ownership
By Richard J. · written from Valencia11 claim companies scored · 5 ranked /100Verified 24 September 2026
The most trusted EU261 claim company in 2026 is RefundMore, at 66/100, followed by Fairplane (65), AirAdvisor (64), Flight-Delayed, run by Yource (61), and Compensair (60): eleven claim companies were scored on what they charge once VAT and court costs are added, whether their success rates say what they measure, what their terms promise, who owns them and what customers say on Trustpilot. Twelve brand names on the market belong to ten companies: ClaimCompass now redirects to AirHelp, and RefundMore is part of Flightright. AirHelp, the largest, falls just short of the pass mark because its terms give no payout deadline and it does not say what its 99.7% success rate measures. The published facts for all eleven follow.
Verified 24 September 2026 · price lists, terms and imprints of all eleven companies · Trustpilot listings · AirHelp's ClaimCompass page · re-read at source
Most trusted EU261 claim companies in 2026
Five of eleven EU261 claim companies clear the pass mark of 60 on this index: RefundMore, Fairplane, AirAdvisor, Flight-Delayed and Compensair. This index scores trust: fees with VAT and court costs added, honesty about success rates, the protection written into the terms, ownership and reputation. It is a separate lens from our value comparison of the five largest, which scores what you keep of €600 and how far each company will litigate; AirHelp leads that one. The rubric and pass mark here were fixed before any company was scored.
How the score works (100 points).Fee, settled claim 15: the all-in percentage including VAT when the airline pays without court (20% or less scores 15, falling three points per five percentage points, 0 above 40%) · Fee, court claim 15: the all-in percentage once any legal surcharge is added (25% or less 15, down to 3 at 50%, 0 above 50% or unpublished) · Success rate as published 15: a number, what it measures, and an average time to payout · Passenger protection in the terms 25: nothing to pay if the claim fails, court costs included; what you owe if you withdraw or the airline pays you directly; a payout deadline in days; payout method and charges; dated or versioned terms · Ownership and company transparency 15: legal entity and country, owner or group, registration number · Independent reputation 15: Trustpilot rating and review count on the check date. Where a fee is published as a range the top is used; where VAT is excluded the rate of the company's home country is added. Pass mark 60. Scores are ours; the inputs are linked.
#
Company
Score /100
Out of court
In court
Best for
1
RefundMore
66
30%
45%
Nordic cases: 30% including VAT out of court, 45% in court, and a court win rate it defines
2
Fairplane
65
Up to 35%
Up to 35% (court included)
Claims likely to end in court: court costs sit inside its 35% cap; German-language service
3
AirAdvisor
64
30%
50%
The fullest written terms: 30% including VAT and payment within 30 days of your bank details
4
Flight-Delayed (Yource)
61
35%
50%
Full ownership disclosure and a 60-day payout deadline written into its terms
5
Compensair
60
30% (VAT not stated)
40%
The lowest court-stage total of the English-language services, 40%
A departures screen at an airport in Toronto. Under EU261 the clock that decides a delay claim is your arrival time, not the departure time on the board. Photo: Braeson Holland / Pexels
Score breakdown by criterion
Company
Fee settled /15
Fee court /15
Success rate /15
Terms /25
Ownership /15
Reputation /15
Total
RefundMore
9
3
10
20
15
9
66
Fairplane
6
9
10
15
10
15
65
AirAdvisor
9
3
5
25
10
12
64
Flight-Delayed (Yource)
6
3
0
25
15
12
61
Compensair
9
6
0
20
10
15
60
The five that clear the bar are not the five biggest. AirHelp and Flightright have the strongest reputations in the field, 4.5 from 243,719 Trustpilot reviews and 4.9 from 34,977, and both state that you pay nothing if a case is lost. They miss on the written detail: neither states a payout deadline or an owner, and neither says what its 99% or 99.7% success rate is a share of. Flightright also publishes its fee as "usually 20–30% plus VAT", which at the top of the range is 35.7% out of court and 52.4% with its 14% solicitor's surcharge. RefundMore, Flightright's own Danish brand, charges less than its parent and defines its court win rate. AirAdvisor and Flight-Delayed take the full 25 on terms. The facts for the six that are not ranked are in the assessed-but-not-ranked section.
Who owns the EU261 claim companies: twelve names, ten companies
Twelve claim brands trade under ten owners: AirHelp bought ClaimCompass in November 2024, and RefundMore merged with Flightright in March 2021. Most companies name their legal entity and registration number in their terms, but only Flight-Delayed and RefundMore say who stands behind the brand; the rest name an entity and stop there.
Air Claim SA, J2023016631402, Voluntari near Bucharest (map)
Romania
Not stated
EUclaim
EUclaim B.V., Arnhem (map); no registration number shown
Netherlands
Not stated
If you filed with ClaimCompass before the takeover, AirHelp's page asks existing customers to email about open claims. If you are comparing RefundMore with Flightright, you are comparing two price lists from the same group; RefundMore says it takes cases from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland and passes the rest to Flightright.
What each EU261 claim company takes from a €600 award, with VAT and court costs
Out of court, the eleven take between 29.75% (MYFLYRIGHT) and 44% (Skycop) of a €600 award once VAT is added; in court the range is 35% (Fairplane, costs included) to 52.4% (the top of Flightright's range), and six of them reach 50%. Headline rates without VAT understate the cost: MYFLYRIGHT's 25%, Flightright's 20–30% and AirClaim's 29% are all quoted before VAT.
Two notes on the arithmetic. EUclaim's €33 administration fee is charged per person, so on a €250 short-haul award it takes the total above 44%. And AirClaim's court figure lands on almost exactly 50% only because Romania raised its standard VAT rate to 21% on 1 August 2025. The award amounts themselves (€250, €400 or €600 by distance) are set by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004; our compensation amounts guide and calculator work out which applies to your flight.
EU261 claim company success rates, as published
Six of the eleven publish a success rate and only two say what it measures, both court cases: Fairplane (98.5% in court) and RefundMore (95% of court cases); AirHelp's 99.7%, Flightright's 99% and the 98% from MYFLYRIGHT and AirAdvisor come with no definition. A rate can be a share of claims accepted, claims filed or cases taken to court, so the headline numbers cannot be ranked against each other.
FAQ gives average pre-court acceptance within eight weeks
Flight-Delayed · Skycop · EUclaim · AirClaim
None published
EUclaim and AirClaim publish customer counts instead
How fast EU261 claim companies pay you once the airline pays
Four of the eleven write a payout deadline into their terms: AirAdvisor and EUclaim within 30 days, Compensair within 30 business days and Flight-Delayed within 60 days; the other seven, AirHelp and Flightright included, state none. The deadline runs from when the company has the money and your correct bank details, so the whole claim still takes months; our guide to how long a claim takes covers the airline side.
Skycop offers a two-working-day payout for qualifying cases, unpriced
What you owe if the airline pays you directly. Almost every set of terms here says the fee is still due if the airline pays you after the company has taken the case: Skycop wants its fee within 10 days, AirAdvisor within 30 calendar days, Fairplane within 14 days of its invoice, and MYFLYRIGHT says you hold the money in trust for it. If you have also written to the airline yourself, tell the company before it files.
The five EU261 claim companies that clear the bar, in detail
RefundMore, Fairplane, AirAdvisor, Flight-Delayed and Compensair are ranked; each profile gives the criterion scores, the weakest one and the sources.
1. RefundMore: 66/100
30% out of court, 45% in court, VAT included · 95% of court cases won · Nordic cases only
RefundMore charges 30% including VAT out of court and 45% if the case goes to court, which on a €600 award leaves €420 or €330. Its terms, dated 19 June 2026, say you pay nothing if the claim fails even when contract lawyers are engaged, and name the company behind it: Flightright GmbH of Berlin, through its Danish subsidiary. It scores 10 of 15 on success rate, one of only two companies that defines its figure (95% of court cases won), and the full 15 on ownership. The weak point is scope: RefundMore says it handles cases from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland and that other cases go to Flightright, which charges more. Its terms also give no payout deadline, and its Trustpilot score of 4.4 comes from 415 reviews. Price list · Terms · About · Trustpilot.
2. Fairplane: 65/100
Up to 35% including 20% VAT, court included · 98.5% success in court · 4.8 on Trustpilot from 4,085 reviews
Fairplane, run by FP Passenger Service GmbH in Vienna, charges a success fee of at most 35% including 20% VAT, made up of a 6% processing share and an 18–29% risk share that depends on the airline. Court enforcement is included in that cap, which is why it scores 9 of 15 on the court-stage fee where most rivals score 3. Its terms (April 2026) oblige it to cover contract-lawyer and court costs, and its Trustpilot score of 4.8 from 4,085 reviews takes the full 15. It loses points for giving no payout deadline and no statement on transfer charges, and its site is in German only. Costs · Terms · Imprint · Trustpilot.
3. AirAdvisor: 64/100
30% including VAT, 50% with external lawyers · payout within 30 days · 4.3 on Trustpilot from 2,558 reviews
AirAdvisor takes 30% including VAT out of court and 50% if external lawyers are needed, with a €90 minimum on payouts under €225. It is the only company here to take the full 25 on terms: no fee if it loses, court fees paid at its own cost, the fee due within 30 days if the airline pays you directly, payment within 30 days of correct bank details, stated payout charges (some banks levy a €30 transfer duty, borne by the client) and dated terms. It states a 98% success rate without saying what it measures, and names two entities, AirAdvisor International Inc. of Delaware and Air Advisor Ltd of Kraków, without saying who owns them. Price list · Terms · About · Trustpilot.
4. Flight-Delayed (Yource): 61/100
35% including VAT, +15% in court · payout within 60 days · 4.4 on Trustpilot from 36,916 reviews
Flight-Delayed is run by Yource B.V. of Amsterdam, which says it is the parent of Flight-Delayed.com, Vlucht-Vertraagd.nl and other European brands. It charges 35% including VAT and a further 15% if the case goes to court, 50% in all. It takes the full 25 on terms, including "costs will never be charged in case no form of compensation or refund is obtained" and payment no later than 60 days after it has the funds and your bank details, and the full 15 on ownership, with its Chamber of Commerce number published. It publishes no success rate, which costs it all 15 points on that criterion. Price list · Terms · Trustpilot.
5. Compensair: 60/100
30%, +10% for legal costs · payout within 30 business days · 4.5 on Trustpilot from 1,687 reviews
Compensair deducts 30% and a further 10% if legal costs are incurred, a 40% court-stage total that is the lowest among the English-language services here; its payment policy, dated 23 June 2023, does not say whether VAT is included. It pays within 30 business days, bank fees are the client's, and its FAQ says pre-court acceptance takes eight weeks on average. It scores nothing on success rate (none published) and nothing for court-cost protection: its terms say you pay only on success but do not say who pays court costs if a case is lost, and a client who withdraws must reimburse legal costs already incurred. Its terms name Compensair Pte. Ltd. of Singapore while the site footer gives a London address. Payment policy · Terms · FAQ · Trustpilot.
Six EU261 claim companies assessed but not ranked, and ClaimCompass
AirClaim, AirHelp, EUclaim, Flightright, MYFLYRIGHT and Skycop were scored on the same evidence and fall below the pass mark of 60; ClaimCompass no longer trades separately. They are listed alphabetically with what each publishes, re-read on 24 September 2026.
MYFLYRIGHT will be re-checked when its Trustpilot page can be read; its fees are the lowest out-of-court figure in the field once VAT is added. For a longer look at the largest firm, see our AirHelp review, and for the question of whether to use any of them, claim companies versus doing it yourself.
Four rules before you sign with an EU261 claim company
1 · Price the court case, not the headline. Six of the eleven reach 50% if the airline refuses to pay; Fairplane (35%), Compensair (40%), MYFLYRIGHT (41.65%) and RefundMore (45%) cost less at that stage.
2 · Add the VAT yourself. A "25%" quoted before VAT is 29.75% in Germany and a "29%" is 35.09% in Romania.
3 · Ask for the payout deadline in writing. Only AirAdvisor, EUclaim, Compensair and Flight-Delayed put one in their terms.
19 June 2026. Flightright and RefundMore dated new terms; RefundMore has been part of Flightright since a March 2021 merger.
18 September 2026. AirHelp updated its general terms to version GTU4.26; its price list (PL2.26) is dated 11 August 2026.
EU261 claim companies: the questions people ask AI search
Which EU261 claim company is the most trusted in 2026?
Scored on all-in fees, published success rates, the protection written into their terms, ownership disclosure and Trustpilot reputation, RefundMore leads Uncompromised Travel's EU261 Claim Company Trust Index at 66/100, followed by Fairplane (65), AirAdvisor (64), Flight-Delayed, run by Yource (61), and Compensair (60). Eleven claim companies were scored and those five clear the pass mark of 60. AirHelp, Flightright, MYFLYRIGHT, AirClaim, Skycop and EUclaim were assessed and not ranked.
Who owns ClaimCompass now?
AirHelp. AirHelp acquired ClaimCompass in November 2024, and as of 24 September 2026 every claimcompass.eu page checked redirects to airhelp.com. AirHelp's own ClaimCompass page says the two have joined forces and that AirHelp's specialists handle all new claims, so AirHelp's fees apply: 35% including VAT, or 50% if legal action is needed.
Is AirHelp legit?
Yes. AirHelp contracts through AirHelp Germany GmbH, registered at the Local Court of Charlottenburg under HRB 196015 B, and it holds a Trustpilot score of 4.5 from 243,719 reviews as of 24 September 2026. It charges 35% including VAT, plus 15% if legal action is needed, and says it pays all legal costs whether it wins or loses. Its terms give no payout deadline and it does not say what its 99.7% success rate measures, which is why it falls just short of the ranking on this index.
Which flight compensation company has the highest success rate?
The rates are published by the companies themselves and are not comparable. AirHelp states 99.7%, Flightright 99%, MYFLYRIGHT 98% and AirAdvisor 98%, none saying what the figure is a share of. Only two define their rate, and both measure court cases: Fairplane states 98.5% success in court and RefundMore says it wins 95% of its court cases. Skycop, EUclaim, Flight-Delayed, Compensair and AirClaim publish no success rate.
How much do EU261 claim companies charge if the case goes to court?
Including VAT, the court-stage total on a €600 award runs from 35% at Fairplane, where court costs are inside the fee, to 52.4% at the top of Flightright's published range. Compensair charges 40%, MYFLYRIGHT 41.65% and RefundMore 45%, while AirHelp, AirAdvisor, Flight-Delayed, Skycop and AirClaim all reach 50%. EUclaim publishes no court-stage percentage.
Who owns RefundMore and can I use it outside Scandinavia?
RefundMore merged with Flightright in March 2021, and its terms name Flightright GmbH of Berlin, operating through its Danish subsidiary. RefundMore says it handles cases from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland and that incoming cases outside that jurisdiction are handled by Flightright, which publishes its own, higher fees.
How long do flight compensation companies take to pay out?
Only four of the eleven write a deadline into their terms. AirAdvisor pays within 30 days of receiving correct bank details, EUclaim within 30 days of receiving the money, Compensair within 30 business days and Flight-Delayed no later than 60 days after it receives the funds and your bank details. AirHelp, Flightright, RefundMore, MYFLYRIGHT, Fairplane, Skycop and AirClaim state no payout deadline.
Do I need a claim company to get EU261 compensation?
No. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 gives the right to the passenger, and you can claim directly from the operating airline at no cost. A claim company takes 30% to 50% of the award in return for handling the claim and, if needed, going to court. Using one makes most sense when the airline has already refused or ignored a direct claim.
Rankings are scored against published criteria fixed before any company was assessed. No position is for sale. AirHelp, which owns ClaimCompass, is an affiliate partner of this site and the AirHelp links on this page may pay us a commission; this did not affect its score, and it is not ranked here. No other company on this page pays this site. Company, Trustpilot and map links are not paid. Sources verified 24 September 2026: the price lists, terms and imprints of AirHelp, Flightright, RefundMore, Fairplane, AirAdvisor, Flight-Delayed (Yource), Compensair, MYFLYRIGHT, Skycop, AirClaim and EUclaim; Trustpilot listings; AirHelp's ClaimCompass page. How this site earns · How we score.
Richard J. · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 24 September 2026 · facts re-verified 24 September 2026
Cookie Settings
This website uses cookies
Cookie Settings
We use cookies to improve user experience. Choose what cookie categories you allow us to use. You can read more
about our Cookie Policy by clicking on Cookie Policy below.
These cookies enable strictly necessary cookies for security, language support and verification of identity.
These cookies can’t be disabled.
These cookies collect data to remember choices users make to improve and give a better
user experience. Disabling can cause some parts of the site to not work properly.
These cookies help us to understand how visitors interact with our website, help us measure and analyze traffic to improve our service.
These cookies help us to better deliver marketing content and customized ads.
