Travel
Flights: finding the fare, and claiming when it goes wrong
Search sites and the agents that sell tickets compared, the cheap tricks that can backfire, the compensation you're owed for delays in the UK, EU and US, and what claims firms keep.
Checked on 20 October 2026. Prices, fees and rules are from each company's own pages, or the law, unless we say otherwise. They change, so check when you book.
The short version
- Search on a comparison site, then book with the airline. Google Flights, KAYAK and Skyscanner don't sell tickets; they send you to the airline or an agent to book. Booking with the airline keeps you in one place if the flight changes. Skyscanner, why Skyscanner, Booking Holdings annual report (Form 10-K), 2025, Google Flights help, track flights and prices
- Agents can add costs you don't see broken down. Kiwi.com's prices include its own service fee, but it doesn't publish the amount, and Italy's competition authority fined eDreams €9m in February 2026 over its Prime subscription and pricing. eDreams has appealed. Kiwi.com, understanding fees, Italian Competition Authority, eDreams, February 2026, Euroconsumers, eDreams, April 2026
- Three hours late can be worth up to £520 or €600. Under the UK and EU rules you can be owed £220 to £520, or €250 to €600, by distance, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. The UK regulator says technical problems generally aren't extraordinary circumstances, though hidden manufacturing defects can be. UK261, article 7 (legislation.gov.uk), UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays, European Consumer Centres Network, flight delay, UK Civil Aviation Authority, am I entitled to compensation?
- You can claim from the airline yourself. Claims firms keep a share: AirHelp takes 35%, including VAT, and 50% if it goes to court. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have six years to take an airline to court; in Scotland, five. AirHelp, price list, August 2026, UK Civil Aviation Authority, how the CAA can help, UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1275 (2015)
Search sites
They compare fares and send you to book elsewhere. Alphabetical.
| Site | What it is | Fees to you | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Flights | Search only: sends you to the airline or an agent | None stated | Tracks prices by route or flight and emails you when they drop. Its price guarantee is for US users only, capped at $500 a year | Go to Google Flights |
| KAYAK | Search only, owned by Booking Holdings | None stated | Booking Holdings says KAYAK earns from sending referrals to partners and from advertising | Go to KAYAK |
| Skyscanner | Search only: "We don't sell the flights, hotels or car hire ourselves" | None stated | Search "Everywhere" or a whole month, and set price alerts | Go to Skyscanner |
Sources: Google Flights help, track flights and prices, Google Price Guarantee terms, Booking Holdings annual report (Form 10-K), 2025, Skyscanner, why Skyscanner
Agents that sell the ticket
When you book through an agent, changes and refunds usually go through the agent, so check its terms before you pay. Alphabetical.
| Agent | Fees to you | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expedia | Its US terms say booking and ticketing fees are in the total price and non-refundable unless the booking says otherwise; no amounts stated. We didn't check the UK terms | Committed to the European Commission in 2025 to pass on airline refunds within 7 days of receiving them | Go to Expedia |
| Kiwi.com | A service fee is in the price; the amount isn't published | Sells "self-transfer" trips on separate tickets: see below. An Austrian court ruled against its €59 no-show fee and expiring vouchers, says a news report | Go to Kiwi.com |
| Opodo and eDreams | Opodo Prime costs £89.99 a year after a 30-day free trial, says a press report | Fined €9m in Italy in February 2026, including for pre-selecting the most expensive subscription; eDreams has appealed | Go to Opodo and eDreams |
| Trip.com | Its own help article lists £0 for flight tickets, but says fees may be higher for international or last-minute bookings | That help article isn't its terms, so check the total before you pay | Go to Trip.com |
Sources: Expedia terms of service (US), August 2026, iEU Monitoring, flight refund commitments, July 2025, Kiwi.com, understanding fees, Kiwi.com help, carrier cancellations, changes or delays, 5min.at, court ruling against Kiwi.com, April 2026, Yahoo News (The Telegraph), Opodo Prime, Italian Competition Authority, eDreams, February 2026, Euroconsumers, eDreams, April 2026, Trip.com, booking fees explained, June 2026
In 2023 eDreams and other large agents committed to the European Commission to refund customers for cancelled flights within 14 days. European Commission, travel agents commit to refunds within 14 days, June 2023
Cheap tricks that can backfire
- Self-transfer
- Kiwi.com stitches separate tickets together. Airlines aren't responsible for parts of the trip booked with other airlines, and you collect and recheck your bags, clear security and need any visa for the country you change in. If a connection fails, its "Connection Protection" pays you in Kiwi.com Credit by default, not cash. Kiwi.com help, carrier cancellations, changes or delays, Kiwi.com help, self-transfer
- Skipping a flight
- Getting off at the connection ("hidden-city" tickets) breaks many airlines' conditions of carriage, including British Airways' and Lufthansa's. British Airways says a ticket "is no longer valid if you do not use all the coupons in the sequence" and may cancel return bookings; Lufthansa recalculates the fare and may ask you to pay the difference. British Airways, general conditions of carriage, Lufthansa, general conditions of carriage, July 2025
- Coming in 2027
- The EU's new rules, applying from about late October 2027, stop airlines refusing you on a return flight because you missed the outbound, according to press summaries of the agreement. Burges Salmon, EU261 reform, June 2026, LexisNexis, Council adopts regulation on air passenger rights, July 2026
Your rights when a flight goes wrong
- UK: who's covered
- Flights leaving the UK on any airline, and flights into the UK on a UK or EU airline. UK261, article 3
- UK: how much
- £220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 from 1,500 to 3,500 km and £520 beyond, if you arrive more than three hours late, or your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks' notice (shorter notice can be allowed if you're re-routed within set times). On flights over 3,500 km, the UK regulator says it's £260 if you arrive three to four hours late, and £520 beyond four hours. UK261, article 7 (legislation.gov.uk), UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays, UK261, article 5
- UK: meals and hotels
- The airline must provide food and drink, and a hotel if needed, from two, three or four hours' delay depending on distance. After at least five hours you can choose not to travel and get a refund. UK261, article 6, UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays
- When the airline doesn't pay
- Not if it proves "extraordinary circumstances", such as weather that makes flying unsafe, strikes by air traffic control or airport staff, or a hidden manufacturing defect. The UK regulator says "technical problems were not an extraordinary circumstance". UK261, article 5, UK Civil Aviation Authority, am I entitled to compensation?
- EU
- €250, €400 or €600 by distance, for flights leaving the EU on any airline and flights into the EU on an EU airline, when you arrive more than three hours late. European Consumer Centres Network, flight delay
- EU: the new rules
- Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was published on 2 October 2026 and keeps the three-hour trigger and the €250 to €600 amounts. It adds a free personal item of up to 40 by 30 by 15 cm and a list of examples of extraordinary circumstances. It applies from about late October 2027; until then the current rules apply. As an EU law it doesn't apply in the UK, and we found no UK announcement on matching it. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (EUR-Lex), Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, Official Journal text (via BOE), October 2026, LexisNexis, Council adopts regulation on air passenger rights, July 2026, European Commission, agreement on air passenger rights, June 2026
- US
- US rules don't require compensation for delays, but airlines and ticket agents must refund you, in cash or to your original payment method, if a flight is cancelled or changed significantly (three hours domestic, six international) and you don't travel. Checked-bag fees are refunded if the bag arrives more than 12 hours late on domestic flights (15 or 30 hours on international ones), as are paid extras you didn't get, such as wifi. US Department of Transportation, automatic refund rule
- Lost or damaged bags
- On international flights, the Montreal Convention limit is 1,519 SDRs (the IMF's currency unit) per passenger, from 28 December 2024. ICAO, liability limits increase, October 2024
- Time limits
- To take an airline to court: six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, five in Scotland. In the EU it depends on each country's law. If the airline hasn't replied within eight weeks, you can take it to the UK regulator's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team, as long as you have more than a year left to take legal action. UK Civil Aviation Authority, how the CAA can help, UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1275 (2015), Court of Justice of the EU, Cuadrench Moré, November 2012
Claims firms
They chase the airline for you and keep a share if you win. AirHelp says you pay nothing if you don't; check the others' terms. Alphabetical.
| Firm | What it keeps | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirHelp | 35% including VAT, and another 15% if it goes to court | No win, no fee. Its AirHelp+ membership (from £19.99 a trip) waives both fees. It bought ClaimCompass in 2025 | Go to AirHelp |
| Compensair | Not confirmed from its own pages: one listing says 25%, a review 30% plus 10% for court | No fee if nothing is recovered, says the review | Go to Compensair |
| Flightright | Up to 30% plus VAT, according to a competitor's comparison | We couldn't find its own fee page | Go to Flightright |
| Skycop | 44% including VAT, or 50% if it goes to court, according to secondary sources | We couldn't read its own price list | Go to Skycop |
Sources: AirHelp, price list, August 2026, Capital.bg, AirHelp buys ClaimCompass, January 2025, Travelpayouts, Compensair, Digital Nomad World, Compensair, October 2026, AirHelp blog, AirHelp vs Flightright (a competitor's comparison), AirHelp blog, AirHelp vs Skycop (a competitor's comparison), Digital Nomad World, Skycop review, October 2026
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