Why We Recommend AirHelp for Flight Delay and Cancellation Claims

A delayed or cancelled flight can ruin the first day of a Phuket holiday, and in some cases the airline owes you cash compensation for it, not just a meal voucher. Our recommended partner for pursuing those claims is AirHelp. This page explains when it can help, what it costs, how it compares with alternatives and when you are better off claiming yourself. We earn a commission if you start a claim through our button; it does not change AirHelp's fee.

What AirHelp does

AirHelp is a claims company. You enter your flight details; AirHelp checks whether your disruption qualifies under passenger-rights rules, and if it does, it takes over the claim with the airline. If the airline refuses, AirHelp can escalate, including legal action through its partner lawyers. You do not pay anything up front: AirHelp's model is no win, no fee.

Which flights to and from Phuket can qualify

This is the most important part, because many Phuket flights fall outside the best-known rules.

• EU261 covers flights departing from an EU airport on any airline, and flights arriving in the EU on an EU airline. Compensation is set by distance: 250, 400 or 600 euros when you arrive three or more hours late, or when a flight is cancelled at short notice, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather. Long-haul flights between Europe and Thailand are in the 600-euro band, which can be reduced if the airline reroutes you with a limited delay.
• UK261 mirrors these rules for flights from UK airports and UK carriers, with amounts in pounds.
• Connecting journeys on a single booking that start in the EU can qualify even if the delay happens on a later leg outside Europe, for example a connection in the Gulf. This is where professional help is often useful.
• Flights within Asia (for example Bangkok–Phuket, Singapore–Phuket) on non-EU airlines are generally not covered by EU261. Thailand introduced its own passenger-protection rules for flights from Thai airports in 2025; under them you claim directly from the airline. Check AirHelp's eligibility checker for your flight rather than assuming either way.

We explain the rules in more detail, including what airlines must provide at the airport, in flight delayed or cancelled in Phuket: passenger rights and compensation.

What AirHelp costs

So you keep 65% of a standard claim, or 50% if the case went to court. On a 600-euro long-haul claim that is 390 or 300 euros. Fees and membership prices change; check the current price list before you submit.

How a claim works, step by step

1. Enter your flight number, date and what happened in AirHelp's checker.
2. If the flight looks eligible, upload your booking or boarding pass and sign the authorisation.
3. AirHelp contacts the airline and follows up; you get status updates.
4. If the airline refuses, AirHelp decides whether to take legal action.
5. When the airline pays, AirHelp deducts its fee and transfers the rest to you.

Why we recommend it

Airlines often say no the first time

Airlines frequently reject or ignore first claims, cite "extraordinary circumstances" or offer vouchers instead of cash. AirHelp checks the facts against flight and weather data and pushes back. For many people the real value is not the paperwork but the persistence.

Legal escalation without your risk

If a case has to go to court in an EU country, you would normally need a local lawyer and would carry the cost risk. With AirHelp that risk sits with them; you pay the extra 15% only if it succeeds.

Useful for complex itineraries

Multi-leg journeys from Europe to Phuket via a hub are exactly the cases where it is unclear which rules apply and which airline is responsible. A specialist sorts that out.

The honest downsides

• The fee is substantial. A third of your compensation is a lot if the airline would have paid you directly.
• It takes time. Simple claims can take weeks; contested ones, months.
• It cannot create rights that do not exist. Weather, air-traffic control restrictions and many non-EU flights are not compensable, no matter who claims.
• Payout in euros. If your bank account is in another currency, your bank's conversion fees apply.

When an alternative is better

Claim yourself, for free, when the case is clear: an EU-departing flight, a long delay with no weather issue, and an airline that has an online compensation form. Many airlines pay without a fight. If they refuse or stay silent for weeks, you can still hand the claim to a company.

Compensair works on the same no-win-no-fee basis. Reviews report its fee in a range of roughly 25–30%, which can be lower than AirHelp's standard fee; compare the current price lists of both before choosing. AirHelp's advantages are its scale, its experience with escalation and the AirHelp+ option for frequent flyers.

Practical tips if your Phuket flight is disrupted

• Keep everything: boarding passes, booking confirmation, the airline's messages, receipts for meals and hotel.
• Write down the real arrival time, when the doors opened, not when the wheels touched down. That is the time that counts under EU rules.
• Ask the airline staff for the reason of the delay in writing or take a photo of the departure board.
• Be careful with vouchers. Accepting a voucher may affect your right to cash compensation; read what you sign.
• Claim within time limits. Limitation periods depend on the country, from about one year to several years.
• Missed your hotel transfer or the ferry? Those costs are a separate issue from compensation; travel insurance may cover them.

Bottom line

We recommend AirHelp because it takes the effort and the legal risk off your hands, handles multi-leg journeys well and only charges if it wins. It is worth it when an airline resists or the case is complicated. For a clear-cut claim against a cooperative airline, try the airline's own form first and keep the full amount.