AirHelp is a technology company that provides legal services to airline passengers who have experienced a flight cancellation, delay or overbooking when traveling into or out of the European Union. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, airline passengers could be entitled to compensation if their flight was disrupted while departing from or arriving to an EU member state with an EU-registered airline. The company's services are meant to educate and empower travelers to make full use of their consumer rights, and in turn, raise the level of customer care provided by airlines. The legislation does not apply to flights that were disrupted by extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control such as weather-related reasons or airport strikes. However, the law's jurisdiction includes flights dating back as far as five years. Airline passengers can use the AirHelp website or smartphone app to check their flight eligibility at no cost. After determining eligibility, the passenger can choose to enlist AirHelp to handle their claim against the airline. Compensation amounts and eligibility are determined by numerous factors including flight origin and destination, flight distance and the number of total hours delayed before arriving at its final destination. The company is compensated by a contingent fee based on the final compensation payout. AirHelp seeks to simplify the claims process on behalf of airline passengers who may not otherwise seek recourse for disrupted travel, of which there are many. The Manchester Evening News reported that travelers through Manchester Airport were entitled to tens of millions of pounds that are so far unclaimed. The service is available in the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, UK/Ireland, France/Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany/Switzerland/Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and claims to have helped more than 2,000,000 passengers in 35 countries.
Video AirHelp
History
AirHelp was founded in January 2013 by CEO Henrik Zillmer, Nicolas Michaelsen (CMO) and Greg Roodt (CTO), formerly of Moshi Monsters. The founders were later joined by Poul Oddershede (CFO), Ashley Raiteri (CIO), Christian RJ Nielsen (CLO), Boles?aw Drapella (CCO) and early Skype investor and serial entrepreneur Morten Lund. AirHelp was introduced by TechCrunch as an inductee of the Winter 2014 class of world-renowned Silicon Valley incubator YCombinator. The company launched its services in the United States in March 2014. In May, its Gmail integration services were announced at the annual Tech Crunch Disrupt NY event. The integration enables AirHelp to search Gmail accounts to find flight itineraries that may be eligible under the law. AirHelp was the recipient of the 2014 Spark award at the inaugural Collision Conference held in Las Vegas in May 2014. The company was awarded the prize over a pool of 30 technology startups from a total of 500 applicants. Also in May 2014, AirHelp was named the best Danish start-up of the year in the Nordic Startup Awards. In October 2015, the company released an airline ranking system, AirHelp Score, that measures airlines based on several factors including quality and service, claim processing and on-time performance.
Maps AirHelp
Early growth
AirHelp was introduced by TechCrunch as an inductee of the Winter 2014 class of world-renowned Silicon Valley incubator, YCombinator. The company received seed funding from angel investment company, Zillionize, and launched its services in the United States in March 2014. In May, its Gmail integration services were announced at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt NY event. The integration enabled AirHelp to search Gmail accounts to find flight itineraries that may be eligible under the law. The functionality has now been expanded to include additional email service providers, including Yahoo and Outlook. The AirHelp Scanner is the only product of its kind in the travel tech industry that is capable of searching across operating systems. The company received a $12 million series A round of funding in August 2016. The investment "will help drive global expansion and accelerate the company's product roadmap" and "further establish AirHelp's position as the largest passenger rights company in the world" in a market "estimated to be worth up to $3.3 billion annually," according to the company's press release.
Markets and territories
The majority of claims handled by AirHelp are as a result of a European law, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004, more commonly referred to as EC 261. The law requires airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays, cancellations, and overbookings under certain circumstances. It applies to all flights departing from the EU as well as to flights arriving in the EU, provided they are operated by an EU-based airline. Travel disruptions covered by the law include flight delays of more than 3 hours, flight cancellations with less than 14 days advance notice, and denial of boarding due to flight overbooking, otherwise known as being "bumped." AirHelp also handles claims in the United States that are covered under US Code of Federal Regulation, Part 14 (CFR). This law provides for compensation in the event of passengers being denied boarding due to overbooked flights. As of March 2017, AirHelp has assisted more than 2 million passengers in 35 countries and is available in the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece.
Product Description
AirHelp represents air travelers who are legally entitled to compensation from an air carrier or airline due to a delayed, canceled, or overbooked flight. Passengers can assign their claims to AirHelp, which will, in turn, file the necessary paperwork and obtain the compensation from the airlines on behalf of the client. Should the airline refuse to pay, AirHelp will advance the case by filing suit on behalf of the client and pursue a legal remedy, if the situation warrants such an action. Depending on the laws of the countries that AirHelp is active in, AirHelp takes legal action or facilitates access to local lawyers through AirHelp's global network of lawyers. Most passengers who are eligible for compensation do not file a claim, mainly because of lack of awareness of their rights under the law. AirHelp seeks to educate air passengers of their rights in addition to providing a service that simplifies the claim filing process. The Know Your Rights section of the AirHelp website is dedicated to explaining the laws that protect air passengers and their various entitlements, should they be eligible for compensation.
Fees
AirHelp does not charge an upfront fee for their core service. In addition, if a claimant is not paid, then AirHelp does not charge a fee. Instead, AirHelp deducts a percentage from any compensation obtained from the airline, usually 25%. If AirHelp--with the client's consent--opts to take legal action on behalf of the client, an additional Legal Action Fee is deducted from any compensation obtained from the airline. That fee is meant to cover the costs of local lawyers and court fees, which given the small size of the fee is a disruption of regular lawyer fee models to the benefit of consumers. In effect granting many more people the opportunity for justice that is typically reserved for the rich. As before, the customer is not obligated to pay any fees, whatsoever, in the event the case against the airline is unsuccessful. The Legal Action Fee and the Service Fee, taken together, will not exceed 50% of the compensation amount obtained for the client.
Eligibility Check
Passengers seeking compensation must first complete an eligibility check comprising various trip details, including arrival and departure airports, the number of stops during the journey, and the reason behind the disruption (delayed flight, canceled flight, or denied boarding). Additional factors such as the total time of delay to the final destination, and the reason given by the airline as to the cause of the delay or cancellation, determines the eligibility of the flight and the potential compensation amount owed to the passenger.
Claim Submission
To submit claims, users are asked to create a new AirHelp account or sign in to an existing one. Each account includes a customized dashboard allowing users to track and manage multiple claims. To be able to negotiate with the airlines, AirHelp requires that their clients submit an Assignment Form, which is a short legal document assigning their claims directly to AirHelp. The legal scope of the Assignment Form is very narrow and pertains only to one specific passenger and one specific flight.
Legal Representation
In the event that the airline refuses to pay compensation for a given claim, AirHelp maintains a team of legal representatives to assess the airline's legal obligation or facilitate access to local lawyers around the world. If the legal team or local lawyers determine that the airline is, indeed, obligated by law to pay compensation to the client, legal action can be initiated against the airline by AirHelp or the local lawyer, on behalf of the client. The legal jurisdiction for the case is based on a number of factors, such as where the operator of the flight is based and where the flight disruption actually occurred. In the event that legal action is unsuccessful, AirHelp absorbs all related legal fees. For cases where legal action leads to a settlement or full payment from the airline, AirHelp deducts a Legal Action Fee of 25%, in addition to their customary Service Fee, see for more info under "Fee" above. The fees, taken together, do not exceed 50% of the compensation amount obtained for the client.
Flight Finder
EU-based airlines are legally required to pay compensation to passengers for disrupted flights up to three years old. Passengers who feel they could be owed money under the law, but are unable to remember the specifics of previous flights, have the option to connect to the AirHelp Scanner, which searches their email inbox for potentially eligible flights.
AirHelp Score
In October 2015, the company released an airline ranking system, AirHelp Score, which measures airlines based on several factors including quality and service, claim processing and on-time performance. As a tie-in to the core business of AirHelp, airlines are also rated on how well they process passenger compensation claims.
Mobile App
The AirHelp mobile app is available on iOS and Android. Customers can access the customer dashboard and the Know Your Rights page, as well as check eligibility, file, and track claims, and collect compensation. Customers can also upload required documents through scanners. Push notifications can be configured to keep customers up-to-date on the status of their claims.
Business Diversification
In 2016, AirHelp released AirHelp Pro, a new product designed to provide benefits to travelers regardless of their eligibility under EC 261 and other similar laws. It is an annual subscription service that provides cash and other perks to passengers who experience flight delays, cancellations, overbookings, and other air travel disruptions. The cash portion of the benefit is two-tiered, based on the severity of the travel disruption. "Everyday disruptions," such as delays or missed connections, are eligible for $100 in cash benefits while being bumped or extended tarmac delays, also called "nightmare disruptions," are worth $1,000. Cash benefits are paid immediately via bank transfer or PayPal once the flight in question is determined to be eligible under the terms of the program. Other benefits include access to the airport lounge while delayed and assistance with flight rebooking. Compensation under EC 261 or similar laws through AirHelp is separate from an AirHelp Pro membership. Customers can freely take advantage of both, if eligible.
Awards & Recognition
- AirHelp was the recipient of the 2014 Spark Award at the inaugural Collision Conference held in Las Vegas. The company was awarded the prize over a pool of 30 technology startups from a total of 500 applicants.
- In May 2014, AirHelp was named the best Danish start-up of the year in the Nordic Startup Awards.
- VentureBeat included AirHelp in its "5 Best Startups" list of Y Combinator's 2014 Winter Demo Day, labeling it "The Crowd Favorite."
- After relocating the company headquarters to New York, AirHelp was listed in Business Insider's 2014 list of "25 Hot NYC Startups You Need to Watch."
- In 2015, AirHelp was included in CNN's "Upstart 30" list, a collection intended to "spotlight entrepreneurs and investors who are using technology and their positions to make the world a better place."
- As of October 2016, AirHelp possessed a 9.5 rating on Trustpilot, based on over 2,000 reviews.
See also
- Instalocate
- Flight cancellation and delay
- Refund.me
- Skycop.com
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments