What AirHelp charges, and when it is worth it
AirHelp publishes a service fee of 35 per cent of your compensation, with VAT included, and a further 15 per cent if legal action is needed. On the largest UK claim that is £182 in the ordinary case and £260 in the worst one. Here is what those numbers mean in practice, and the situations where paying them is still the sensible choice.
Last checked July 2026
The published fees
AirHelp publishes two fees, and both only apply if you get paid.
- A service fee of 35 per cent of the compensation, with VAT included
- A legal action fee of 15 per cent, charged on top and only where legal action was needed to recover the money
So the ordinary case is 35 per cent and the worst case is 50 per cent. Both figures come from AirHelp's own price list, which carried an update date of 24 April 2026 when we checked it on 31 July 2026. Fees change, so check it yourself before signing.
What it costs in pounds
Percentages are easy to wave through. The UK compensation amounts are fixed, so they turn into money cleanly.
| Company | Published fee | If it goes legal | Most you could pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirHelpquoted with VAT | 35% of the compensation | 15% more if legal action is needed | about 50% |
| Bott and Coquoted without VAT | 42% of the compensation | No separate legal fee published | about 50% |
| Flightrightquoted without VAT | 20% to 30% of the compensation | 14% more if lawyers are involved | about 53% |
Each figure is the company's own published fee, checked on 31 July 2026. The last column puts them on the same footing: VAT added where it is quoted separately, and, for the companies that publish a separate legal action fee, that fee applied as well. It is the worst case rather than the usual one. Fees change, so check the company's own page before you decide: AirHelp, Bott and Co, Flightright.
What that is in pounds
UK261 pays a fixed amount set by the distance of the flight, so the percentage is easy to turn into money.
| Compensation | At a 35% fee | If it goes legal, about 50% |
|---|---|---|
| £220 | you keep £143, they take £77 | you keep £110, they take £110 |
| £350 | you keep £228, they take £122 | you keep £175, they take £175 |
| £520 | you keep £338, they take £182 | you keep £260, they take £260 |
How it compares
Roughly in line with the market, and the headline number flatters it less than you would think. Bott and Co publishes 42 per cent excluding VAT, which is a little over 50 per cent once VAT is added. Flightright publishes 20 to 30 per cent excluding VAT with a further 14 per cent if lawyers are involved.
Compared honestly, on a VAT inclusive basis and assuming the claim needs legal action, all three land near half. AirHelp's advantage is that its pricing is the easiest to read, because the number it publishes is the number that leaves your money.
When it is worth paying
There is a genuine case, and it is narrower than the marketing suggests. Paying 35 per cent makes sense when the alternative is not getting paid at all.
- The airline has already refused. Half of something beats all of nothing, and this is the situation the fee is really for.
- The refusal turns on why the flight was late. Whether a particular technical fault counts as extraordinary is a question of case law, not of asking politely.
- You know you will not chase it. An unclaimed £520 is worth nothing. £338 is worth more than that.
It makes much less sense on a clean claim you have not yet submitted, where the airline has not refused anything and the entitlement is plain. There you are paying a third of the money for a form.
The free alternative
Claiming direct costs nothing and the airline pays the same amount, so the whole £220, £350 or £520 stays with you. The full route, including what to do at the point of refusal, is on claiming flight compensation yourself.
To see what a specific flight is worth before you decide, the estimator needs no account and takes no percentage.
We are not affiliated with AirHelp and earn nothing from this page either way. Everything above is taken from what the company publishes about its own pricing.
Common questions
- What percentage does AirHelp take?
- 35 per cent of the compensation, with VAT included, when the claim succeeds. If legal action is required to get you paid, a further 15 per cent is deducted on top, taking the total to 50 per cent. Both figures are published on AirHelp’s own price list, checked on 31 July 2026.
- Does AirHelp charge if the claim fails?
- No. It works on a no win, no fee basis, so an unsuccessful claim costs nothing. The fees only apply to money actually recovered.
- Is the 35 per cent before or after VAT?
- It includes VAT, which is worth knowing when comparing. Several competitors quote fees excluding VAT, and a 42 per cent exclusive fee works out higher than a 35 per cent inclusive one.
- What is AirHelp+?
- A paid membership. AirHelp states that members do not pay the service fee or the legal action fee on the compensation service. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on how often you fly and how often you are delayed.
Other Transport for London refunds
Back to the full claims companies guideUntap helps people in the UK find money they are already owed. We do not file claims for you and we do not take a share of any refund. Transport for London changes its fares and rules from time to time, so their own pages are always the final word.