Flight Compensation Claims Companies Compared: How Much Do They Really Charge?
Most flight claims companies charge 25 to 50 percent of your compensation, even though they all advertise no win no fee. Here is what that actually costs you in pounds.
Almost every flight compensation claims company advertises "no win, no fee." That's true of nearly the entire industry, so it tells you almost nothing about which one to actually use. The number that matters is the percentage fee charged on the compensation you're owed, and that varies enormously between companies.
What claims companies typically charge
Across the industry, percentage fees commonly range from around 25% to 35%, and some charge as much as 50% once VAT and admin fees are added on top of the headline percentage. Because "no win, no fee" is standard across almost all providers, it isn't a meaningful differentiator, the fee percentage is what actually decides how much of your own compensation you keep.
What that looks like in real pounds
Take a medium-haul delay entitling you to £350 compensation:
- At a 35% fee, you'd keep £227.50 and the claims company keeps £122.50
- At a 25% fee, you'd keep £262.50 and the claims company keeps £87.50
- At Klaimly's 5% fee, you'd keep £332.50 and we keep £17.50
On the top compensation bracket of £520, a 35% fee takes £182 out of your payout. At 5%, you'd only lose £26.
Why do claims companies charge so much?
Traditional claims companies built their business models around chasing large volumes of claims through call centres and paperwork-heavy processes, with costs passed on through high percentage fees. Some also factor in the cost of claims that don't succeed, spreading that risk across the fees charged on the ones that do. It's a legitimate business model, but it isn't the only way to do it.
Could you just claim it yourself for free?
Yes. Claiming directly with the airline costs nothing beyond your own time. If your claim is straightforward, the airline accepts liability quickly, and you're comfortable escalating to the airline's ADR scheme yourself if they reject or ignore you, going direct is the cheapest route. Where people run into trouble is knowing exactly how to challenge a vague "extraordinary circumstances" rejection, what evidence to ask for, and when and how to escalate, which is where claims companies (and the fees that come with them) earn their keep.
What to actually check before using a claims company
- The exact percentage fee, not just whether it's "no win no fee"
- Whether VAT is added on top of the advertised percentage
- Whether there's a minimum fee that applies even on small claims
- Whether they charge anything if your claim is unsuccessful (a genuine no-win-no-fee service shouldn't)
Why Klaimly charges 5%
We built Klaimly around a simple idea: verifying a flight, building a claim, and escalating a rejection doesn't need to cost a third of your compensation. We automate flight verification against real flight data, so the process is leaner, and we pass that saving on as a flat 5% fee, only if we win. No VAT on top, no minimum fee, no charge if we don't succeed.
See the difference for your own claim
Check your flight and we'll show you exactly what you're owed and what you'd keep, before you commit to anything.