FairPlane UK, which was founded in 2014, estimates that 900,000 passengers are eligible for compensation but only 10% make a claim.
Under EU rule 261/2004 passengers can claim up to £450 in compensation if their flights have been delayed by more than three hours.
“The number of people searching to find a company to help them is still very low.
It’s around 10%, its nudged up a bit maybe heading towards 15% of all passengers who could be entitled actually making a claim,” director Daniel Morris told TTG.
“So there’s an enormous percentage of people who don’t bother. There are various reasons for it but the main reason is they just don’t know about it.”
Morris believes that agents can help fill this knowledge gap by telling their customers about their rights.
“Although we’re advertising going to travel agents is a very direct way of communicating with the people affected. Obviously we want the business and from the travel agents’ point of view they’re in the firing line as soon as there is a cancelled flight.”
He added: “It’s a way for them to contact the client in a positive way and that client hopefully will book with them again.”
Agents who sign up with FairPlane can get access to templates to send to clients who may have been affected. The company also has the ability to check back through records to search for any historic claims.
With one agent, Morris said the firm had gone through 600,000 flights and found a couple of thousand clients entitled to compensation.
Morris said a number of travel companies had come onboard already and that the firm does pay commission based on volume.
Airlines have been fighting compensation claims for the past couple of years but several landmark decisions in various courts have gone against them. “The good news is we’ve been very aggressive with the airlines deliberately. We are now issuing letters to them saying pay, and they’re paying within 14 days. They’re scared of us because we have sued them so many times.”
