AirHelp Reveals 93% of Americans Do Not Know Their Air Passenger Rights
NEW YORK, March 27, 2025 – AirHelp – the world's leading air passenger rights company – is releasing its official 2025 Air Passenger Rights Guide today. Given, a record 5.2 billion passengers are anticipated to travel by air in 2025 and research shows 93% of Americans don’t know their rights when they fly, AirHelp set out to create a guide that breaks down air passenger rights. The guide covers everything from refunds and compensation to luggage rights to specific regulations. When people are owed compensation for flight disruptions, they can now reference this guide on the appropriate next steps.
When it comes to air passenger rights, 77% of Americans know there are regulations that protect their rights when they fly, but the majority of Americans do not know the specifics of those rights. When asked the scenarios in which they are owed compensation for flight disruptions, only 7% of Americans answered correctly – indicating that when people don’t know their rights, they miss out. In fact, nearly three-fourths (74%) of Americans have experienced a significant flight disruption and 80% of those who have experienced a delayed, canceled or overbooked flight did not apply for compensation. When asked why they decided not to apply for compensation, over half (55%) were not aware they could apply for compensation, nearly one-quarter (23%) did not know how to apply for compensation, and 22% felt applying for compensation was too time-consuming or complicated.
AirHelp offers valuable information to passengers who are planning air travel or who may have recently encountered a flight disruption in which they are owed compensation. The Air Passenger Rights Guide outlines regulations pertaining to the EU, UK, Canada, Brazil and the United States. EC 261, which pertains to all flights departing from the EU and flights into the EU on an EU airline, is one of the world’s most comprehensive air passenger rights regulations – covering delays, cancellations and overbookings. The guide breaks down how travelers can file for compensation under this law regardless of their home country.
While the US has made strides in the last year to better protect passengers, the US is still lacking in strong protections. Over half (52%) of Americans feel US protections for air passengers should be much stronger and provide a lot more protection. In fact, 26% of Americans would be willing to pay $10-$20 extra for their ticket if it meant they would get compensation in the event of a delay or cancelation. Data shows that the actual cost per passenger to fully adopt these regulations in the U.S. would be between $0.40 - $0.90 per flight. For less than $1, US air passengers would be able to have the same passenger rights as their European counterparts.
For passengers who have received compensation, over half (60%) received a voucher and only 27% received monetary compensation. In light of the current state of air travel, the best defense for travelers is knowing their rights depending on where they are traveling from and to, so in the event of a flight disruption, they will have the information to be able to advocate for themselves.
If passengers want to check if a flight disruption is eligible for compensation or would like to learn more about air passenger rights, they can visit: www.airhelp.com/en/.
About AirHelp
AirHelp is a travel technology company that deals with flight disruptions. Since 2013, AirHelp has recovered compensation for over 2.5 million passengers with flight delays or cancellations. Over 8 million passengers have protected their flights with AirHelp+ and countless millions more benefit from the information freely available on www.airhelp.com/en/. AirHelp is also investing in a greener future. We have committed to planting one tree for every 100 flight disruptions and so far we have planted 75,380 trees! As air passenger rights advocates, we care about people, and caring about people also means caring about the planet.
#1 for flight compensation worldwide
With a network of 50 law firms in over 35 countries, innovative artificial intelligence behind the scenes and a dedicated team of over 400 AirHelpers, AirHelp makes it easy for every traveler in the EU, UK and beyond to receive up to €600 for flight delays and cancellations. For more information about AirHelp, please visit: www.airhelp.com/en/