AirAdvisor FAQ

When you purchase a ticket, your airline will send you a confirmation email on your purchase. In most cases your flight confirmation will look like a ticket or a summary in the body of the email or as an attachment. It contains information about your flight including the flight number, dates and time of your arrival/departure, name, etc.

A booking reference number is also known as the booking code, or reference number, or Record Locator, or PNR (Passenger Name Record) and it is available on your booking confirmation (e-ticket). It is usually a combination of 6 to 8 letters and/or numbers (e.g., GVZL5S or 49617966).  

Your Final Destination is the last point on your ticketed itinerary. It is the destination shown on the booking you checked in with. If your trip includes connecting flights but was purchased as one single ticket, the Final Destination is the endpoint of the entire journey, not the intermediate stops.

For compensation purposes on international flights, the Final Destination is always used to calculate the total flight distance and the total arrival delay, even if a disruption happens on an earlier leg.

Example 1: You fly from Paris to London to New York on a single ticket.

If the Paris–London flight is cancelled, the Final Destination is still New York, and the distance is measured between Paris and New York (even if you never reached the U.S.).

Example 2: You fly from Knoxville to Atlanta to Paris to Milan on a single ticket.

Your Final Destination is Milan, and if there is a delay, it is assessed based on your arrival time in Milan. The compensation distance is measured from Knoxville to Milan.

Important! These rules only apply when all flights were purchased as one itinerary.

If you bought separate tickets, each ticket is treated as its own journey, and distance and delay are calculated per ticket, not for the whole trip.

1) Flights from a Non-EU country to an EU country operated by a non-EU airline (e.g., American Airlines flight from New York to Paris is excluded from the Regulation No. 261/2004 may be covered by US regulations, but a return flight from EU to the US will be covered).

But if you have a connection in Paris and continue the flight to Dubai on any airline, then the Paris to Dubai flight will be covered as the flight from EU;

2) Flight disruptions caused by Extraordinary Circumstances (such as a labor strike, security threats, severe weather conditions, or air traffic control restrictions all qualify as an extraordinary situation);

3) Passengers traveling on a free or discounted ticket not available to the general public are not eligible for flight compensation (i.e. an airline’s discounted tickets for employees). However, seasonal tickets, publicly discounted, promotion/sale fares, as well as a ticket obtained from a frequent flyer program are eligible for flight compensation;

4) Flights from Gibraltar Airport;

5) Helicopter flights.

Several court precedents explain that technical issues do not exempt airlines from compensating passengers. The reason is that aircraft maintenance is a normal obligation for airlines and has to be performed on a regular (daily) basis.

In rare cases a technical issue may be an excuse, but only when an airline took all reasonable and possible measures to prevent any related flight disruptions. For example, an airline installed a system that failed because of a manufacturer’s defect.

No. For example, a strike by Air France pilots is considered an internal strike. Because it is within the airline’s control, Air France cannot legally refuse to pay compensation owed to passengers under Regulation 261/2004.

Airlines can avoid paying compensation in cases of Major Exclusions from the Regulation No. 261/2004 (see above) and/or Extraordinary Circumstances. The Regulation No. 261/2004 gives no definition of exactly what extraordinary circumstances are, but it does provide some examples (an airline has a burden of proof of extraordinary circumstances):

1. Rare meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight concerned (snowstorm, extreme wind/hurricane, volcano eruption) can be proven to be extraordinary circumstances, but in the majority of cases simply bad weather is NOT;
2. Security risks, unexpected flight safety shortcomings and only external strikes (e.g., air traffic controllers strike) that affect the operation of an operating air carrier. HR/Staff problems of the airline and an internal airline strike are not extraordinary circumstances and do not release an airline from liability to pay the compensation.
   
   Technical Faults are NOT extraordinary circumstances since they can be reasonably avoided by an airline. Nevertheless, airlines frequently try to use this argument to avoid a payout;
3. A claim is also barred by the statute of limitations, which is country specific (e.g., it is 10 years from the arrival date in Italy and 6 years in the UK) and the Regulation No. 261/2004 is silent on this.

Under U.S. DOT regulations, if the airline involuntarily downgrades your seat (for example, from Business to Economy), you are entitled to a refund of the fare difference between the class you paid for and the class you actually received. This refund:

• Applies even on non-refundable tickets
• Must be paid in cash (not vouchers)
• Must be processed within 7 business days for credit-card purchases
• Covers only the affected flight segment, not the entire ticket

The airline must give you the refund regardless of the reason for the downgrade, including aircraft changes or overbooking of premium cabins.

If you have an unused non-refundable ticket, you are still entitled to a refund of all airport taxes and government fees, since these only apply when you actually travel. In some cases, part of the airfare can also be refunded, minus any airline “no-show” penalty, but this depends entirely on the fare rules and the airline’s own policy. Some low-cost carriers do not offer any fare refund at all.

If your situation involves a no-show, feel free to check with us. We may offer support for these cases in the future if enough customers request it.

If a passenger is placed in a higher class than what was purchased, the airline cannot ask you to repay them the difference in price.

Airlines collect airport taxes from air passengers on behalf of airports. A passenger is only required to pay these taxes and associated fees at the time they board their flight. Otherwise, no tax will be levied and payable. You can therefore ask an airline to reimburse you for the taxes you have already paid for a flight you did not take. If you have a "No Show" case, you should check with us as we may offer this service a little later, provided that enough customers need this help.

An airline cannot force you to accept a travel voucher or airline credit. You are entitled to an automatic cash refund within 7 days of your flight if you bought your ticket with a credit card.

Many passengers struggle to get airlines to respond. That’s why we recommend letting AirAdvisor handle refunds and baggage claims for you. Our team takes over the communication, follows up when airlines go silent and pushes for the result you’re entitled to.

If an airline fails to respond within 6 weeks, we may escalate your case to the relevant aviation authority or, where appropriate, proceed to arbitration or court. The escalation path depends on the airline and our experience with their handling of claims.

Our aim is not to prolong the process, but to secure the maximum compensation available under the law as quickly as possible, without you having to deal with the stress.

Sometimes the airline operating the flight may not be the same as the one from which you bought your ticket. This is known as a codeshare flight. If you need to file a complaint, you would do so with the airline that operated the flight.

Yes, you can withdraw the power of attorney you gave us which will also withdraw your case. If you decide to do so, we’ll simply need to settle any fees for the work AirAdvisor has already completed on your behalf.

To avoid delays or complications, it’s helpful if you share any messages you receive from the airline. This ensures we have the full picture and prevents mixed or overlapping communication that could slow your claim down.

Please also be aware that some airlines may try to persuade you that your claim is weak or encourage you to accept a quick, low-value offer such as a voucher or small credit. Once you accept this, you usually lose your right to the full compensation that the law guarantees you.

AirAdvisor’s goal is to secure the maximum cash compensation you’re entitled to. For that reason, we strongly recommend allowing us to complete the process on your behalf.

When we confront an airline with your complaint, we need to show that you have a right to the compensation and that we are duly authorized by you to represent your interests in this case. All of this can be confirmed by the following documents:

(i) A copy of your e-ticket(s);

(ii) Certificate of authority (aka power of attorney) signed & submitted via our website;

(iii) A copy of your passport or ID document containing a sample of your signature to attest that the power of attorney was signed by you and the signature is valid;

(iv) Confirmation of the delay or cancellation provided by the airline (if possible, include a statement or email that you received from the airline itself or notification from the airport, etc..)

Our fee is 30% of the compensation collected, which is deducted from the airline’s compensation payout. We do not get paid if you do not get compensated. We deduct our fee when transferring the money to you, so you do not need to send a payment for fees.

Submitting a claim to the airline is only the first step in a much longer process. When AirAdvisor handles your case, a rejection from the airline doesn’t slow us down. It simply means we move on to the next stage. We have a wide range of tools and legal avenues to challenge a refusal.

For example, if an airline rejects your claim, we immediately escalate it to the appropriate aviation supervisory authority, so they can conduct an independent review of both your case and the airline’s handling of it.

This step-by-step approach is how we keep pressure on the airline until they meet their legal obligations.

You can choose to pursue compensation yourself or hire a traditional lawyer who charges by the hour. We even offer tips on how to do this if you want to try it on your own. However, in practice, this process is far more complicated than it appears.

Airlines deliberately make claiming compensation difficult. That’s why only 2–4% of passengers ever submit a claim, and an even smaller number actually receive a payout. Some cases can drag on for a year or longer, especially when there are jurisdiction issues (for example, the passenger lives in one country while the airline is based in another) or when the airline looks for excuses to avoid paying.

The reality is that almost no one hires a regular lawyer for a single passenger claim because it simply isn’t cost-effective. And while some people try to handle everything themselves, only around 2% succeed, and the process usually takes far longer with much lower odds of success.

That’s exactly why services like AirAdvisor exist. We avoid the hassle and give you a real chance of receiving the compensation you’re legally owed.

Before deciding how to handle your claim, it helps to understand what the claim process actually involves:

1. Submitting your claim with AirAdvisor takes about 3 minutes. Once you do, our team handles everything for you so you can relax while we work on getting your compensation.
2. We’re motivated to get results quickly. Unlike traditional lawyers, we don’t charge by the hour. We’ve built our own technology to analyze cases and choose the most effective strategy, which helps us move much faster.
3. Airlines reject around 98% of claims at first. The process can be long and usually involves chasing several dispute-resolution bodies, preparing documents (sometimes in other languages) and covering extra fees. It takes time, patience and persistence.
4. If the airline still refuses to pay, the final step may be court. Many courts require in-person attendance, which means traveling to hearings or hiring a representative at extra cost.
5. The escalation path isn’t the same for every airline. Airlines regularly change their procedures, which is why our experience dealing with them every day helps us choose the right approach for each case.
6. Airlines often reject passenger claims but cooperate with AirAdvisor. They know most travelers won’t push through every stage of enforcement, but AirAdvisor always does, and we use every legal tool available to get your compensation.
7. We know when to skip steps that won’t work. If we’re confident that a supervisory authority won’t help in a particular case, we bypass it and go straight to arbitration or court. Our goal is to get you compensated as quickly as possible, not to run up hours of legal work.

In short, the process is time-consuming and often requires professional legal effort. AirAdvisor handles all of this for you so you don’t have to.

AirAdvisor is an airline compensation company. We provide professional services to air passengers and claim financial compensation, refunds, and reimbursement from airlines on their behalf for:

• Delayed flights,
• Cancelled flights,
• Missed connections, 
• Denied boarding/overbooking
• Baggage loss and delay

AirAdvisor offers individuals (including, family, group travellers) and corporate clients an online system for checking their compensation eligibility and submitting flight and baggage compensation claims. It takes only 3 minutes and 3 steps:

You simply provide the details of your disrupted flight including the date, flight number, and what happened. Our compensation calculator instantly checks your eligibility for free and tells you how much compensation you may be entitled to.

If you decide to proceed, you e-sign a Certificate of Authority so we can represent you. Once your eligibility is confirmed, our team gets to work right away. We contact the airline, manage all communication and, if needed, take the case all the way to court.

There are no upfront costs. We operate on a No Win, No Fee basis and only deduct a small commission from the compensation if and when it is successfully paid out.

As soon as we receive your compensation, we notify you. You simply tell us how you’d like to receive your money, and that’s it.

Court fees and other expenses vary depending on which arbitration body or court handles your case, so there isn’t a single fixed amount we can quote. However, these costs are generally modest and, in any scenario, should never exceed half of your compensation. In most cases, the amount is very small.

Our compensation calculator instantly checks your flight and baggage compensation eligibility for free and gives you an estimate of how much you’re owed. You just need to enter your flight data to get the result instantly.

If the airline accepts the claim straight away, compensation usually arrives in about 6 weeks. However, if the airline doesn’t respond or rejects your claim, we move on to the next enforcement stages. In those cases, the process can take several months to a year, as authorities, arbitrators or courts may request extra documents or face seasonal backlogs.

We always work as quickly as possible. Our goal is to secure the maximum compensation for you in the shortest time, without unnecessary steps.

Most customers choose to be paid by bank transfer, PayPal, Payoneer or Wise. If you prefer a different payment method, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate it. AirAdvisor will always suggest the most cost-efficient option, but the final choice is completely up to you.

Court costs are the fees and expenses required if your case needs to go to arbitration or court. These costs apply whether you pursue the claim yourself or AirAdvisor handles it for you.

For your convenience, we cover all court costs upfront. If your claim is successful, we simply deduct these costs — along with our fee — from the compensation before sending you the balance.