Before any mediation or court action, a written claim must be sent to the airline. It looks simple, but a forgotten passenger, the wrong legal basis or the wrong channel is often enough to make it fail. Here is what a solid claim must contain, why so many requests are refused, and how VolClaim handles it for you, with no upfront costs.
✓ Content checked by the VolClaim editorial team · Last updated: 19 October 2026 · Sources: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, CJEU (Sturgeon judgment, C-402/07 and C-432/07), info.gouv.fr
A claim is not just a letter of complaint: it is a file that the airline will examine point by point, and which it can dismiss at the slightest gap. In general, five elements are essential.
Compensation is owed to each passenger, children included. The claim must identify each of them as they appear on the booking, as well as the booking reference, flight number, date and route. A forgotten passenger is a passenger who risks not being compensated.
What counts is not the delay on departure, but the delay on arrival at the final destination: it must generally be at least 3 hours. The nature of the disruption (delay, cancellation, denied boarding, missed connection) must be described unambiguously.
The right to compensation is based on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (Articles 5, 6 and 7) and, for delays, on CJEU case law (Sturgeon judgment). The amount depends on the flight distance and, for long-haul flights, on the length of the delay: a calculation error is a frequent ground for dispute.
Booking confirmation, messages from the airline, proof of the arrival time, receipts for expenses incurred while waiting: without evidence, the airline can dispute the facts. See the documents to send us.
The claim must go through the airline's official claims channel, and its date of receipt must be provable: it determines what follows, in particular the referral to the mediator. See how to check the right channel.
For flights of 1,500 km or less, in the event of a delay of at least 3 hours on arrival, a cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure or denied boarding.
For flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and for all flights within the European Union of more than 1,500 km.
For flights of more than 3,500 km. This amount may be reduced by 50% when the delay on arrival is between 3 and 4 hours.
Obtaining compensation often takes more than a first letter. Here are the obstacles that passengers most often encounter.
A message to general customer service, on social media or to an address found on a third-party website may never be recorded as a claim. Without a proven claim date, the rest of the procedure becomes more complicated.
Airlines often invoke an exceptional event (weather, air traffic control, strike). Yet it is up to them to prove it, and to show that they took all reasonable measures. Depending on the case, this reason can be challenged, in particular for a common technical fault or a strike by their own staff. See our guide to extraordinary circumstances.
An airline sometimes offers an amount below the official scale or a voucher. However, compensation is in principle paid in money; a voucher is only possible if the passenger agrees to it in writing. Accepting an offer too quickly may, depending on its terms, complicate what follows.
The regulation sets no deadline for replying. In practice, a period of 60 days is commonly used: beyond that, if there is no reply or the claim is refused, you need to move on to the next step rather than wait indefinitely.
In France, since 7 February 2026, bringing a case before a judge is conditional on an attempt at mediation with the Médiateur Tourisme et Voyage. If it fails, the court is seised only by a summons served by a commissaire de justice (judicial officer). See mandatory mediation.
In France, the time limit for taking action is generally 5 years after the flight, but the mediator must be contacted no later than one year after the written claim to the airline. See the timescales, from claim to payment.
You have no letter to write and no airline to chase. You send us your flight details, VolClaim takes care of the rest, with no upfront costs.
We check free of charge whether your flight gives a right to compensation and for what amount, passenger by passenger.
We write the claim with the right legal basis and the right amount, and send it through the airline's official channel.
We chase the airline and challenge refusals that seem unjustified to us, in particular unproven "extraordinary circumstances".
If the airline refuses or does not reply, we refer the case to the competent mediator for you, a step that is now mandatory before going to court.
You follow the progress of your claim online. The airline pays the compensation to VolClaim, which transfers it to you, minus its commission.
Our commission is 25% incl. VAT of the amount obtained, only if successful. If nothing is obtained, you pay nothing. If court action becomes necessary, our total fee is capped at 50% incl. VAT. It covers all procedural costs (court fees, lawyer, judicial officer), which we advance and bear. If the proceedings fail, you pay nothing. Procedural costs awarded against the airline (legal costs, Article 700 of the French Code of Civil Procedure) are retained by us.
No, it is not mandatory. You can claim on your own from the airline, or entrust your claim to VolClaim: we write the claim, send it through the official channel, chase the airline and, if necessary, refer the case to the Médiateur Tourisme et Voyage. If you entrust the claim to us, it is better not to write to the airline at the same time about the same flight, to avoid duplicate requests.
A reason often given is an "extraordinary circumstance" (weather, air traffic control, strike). It is up to the airline to prove it and to show that it took all reasonable measures; depending on the case, this reason can be challenged, in particular for a common technical fault or a strike by its own staff. Other refusals are due to an incomplete claim, an incorrectly calculated amount or a claim sent through the wrong channel.
The regulation sets no deadline for replying. In practice, a period of 60 days is commonly used: if there is no reply or the claim is refused, the Médiateur Tourisme et Voyage can be contacted free of charge, no later than one year after the written claim. In France, since 7 February 2026, this mediation is mandatory before any court action; if it fails, the court is seised by a summons served by a commissaire de justice (judicial officer).
The eligibility check is free and no upfront costs are requested. VolClaim charges a commission of 25% incl. VAT of the amount obtained, only if successful: the airline pays the compensation to VolClaim, which transfers it to you, minus its commission. If nothing is obtained, you pay nothing. If court action becomes necessary, our total fee is capped at 50% incl. VAT. It covers all procedural costs (court fees, lawyer, judicial officer), which we advance and bear. If the proceedings fail, you pay nothing. Procedural costs awarded against the airline (legal costs, Article 700 of the French Code of Civil Procedure) are retained by us.
Free check, no upfront costs: 25% incl. VAT only if successful.
Check my eligibility