Airlines reject 58% of valid passenger compensation claims, AirHelp says
Analysis spanning several international passenger rights regimes suggests travellers are facing growing barriers when seeking compensation following flight disruption
Airlines rejected 58% of passenger compensation claims that AirHelp assessed as eligible in 2025, the highest proportion recorded by the passenger rights company.
The rejection rate increased from 52% in 2024, meaning fewer than half of claims AirHelp considered valid were accepted by airlines at the first assessment.
Almost a third (31%) of claimants received no response from the airline, according to the analysis.
AirHelp based its findings on claims submitted under passenger rights regimes in the European Union, UK, Brazil, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, as well as claims falling under the Montreal Convention.
The figures point to difficulties travellers can face in securing statutory compensation following delays, cancellations, and other qualifying disruption, even where a claim is subsequently judged by AirHelp to be valid.
AirHelp said it continued to challenge rejected claims by providing additional evidence and legal support where it believed compensation remained payable.
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, said: “Passengers should not have to fight for compensation they are legally entitled to. Yet our data shows that too many travellers are facing either wrongful rejections or no response from airlines whatsoever.”
He added that rejection or a lack of response could discourage travellers from pursuing their rights and increase the complexity of an already difficult claims process.
For the travel insurance sector, airline compensation and policy benefits remain distinct forms of financial protection following disruption. Statutory compensation is generally determined by the applicable passenger rights regime and the circumstances of the flight, while travel insurance responds according to individual policy terms and insured events.
The distinction can become particularly important during major disruption, when travellers may simultaneously seek reimbursement or compensation from airlines and make claims under travel insurance policies for additional losses.
AirHelp did not provide a breakdown of rejection rates by individual jurisdiction in the information released, making it unclear whether the pattern was consistent across the different passenger rights regimes covered by its analysis.
The company said the 2025 figure was the highest rejection rate it had recorded.
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