Lack of clarity and the cost….!
Firstly I should say that the process is fairly smooth, although there was a complication their end between the person who paid for the flight (me) and the person who actually took the flight (my friend).
The main issue is that the initial approach after the flight has been delayed feels ‘official’, like it’s either the airline or the booking company, not a 3rd party. So I got involved with the process without realising this was a completely different business entity. The other element is the cost. It is ridiculous!! And certainly not made obvious from the very beginning. 35% of the final settlement is a huge amount for a process that can be run directly with the airline.
My advice is: do this if you can’t be bothered to engage with the airline directly. Otherwise, if you have a bit of gumption about you and don’t mind sending emails, just contact the airline yourself.
Reply from AirHelp.com
Dear Ian Edwards,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us - we’re sorry to hear that you feel that our service fee is not justified.
Our service costs are competitive in our industry.
We do our best to reach out and educate people on their traveler’s rights, so that they can make more informed decisions regarding air travel. You are, of course, always free to use the resources available at the AirHelp website to check if your flight qualifies for compensation.
It is also your choice to decide whether you would like to make a claim by yourself, or allow us to handle the entire process for you. We are highly experienced in air travel law and understand the legal complexities of your case inside and out.
We never charge a fee unless you win your claim, and we always do our best to provide you with the best customer experience possible.
After all, AirHelp helps thousands of passengers every month and we take our work very seriously. We would, therefore, truly appreciate it if you could change your 2- Star review to a higher star rating, as your claim has been resolved.
Thank you and we wish you many safe and happy travels in the future!
Dawid at AirHelp