AirHelp
YC W14Lisbon, PT · Founded 2013 · 350 employees · 13 known investors
AirHelp provides technology to help air passengers claim compensation for delayed and cancelled flights. The company offers automated flight checking, compensation eligibility analysis, and additional protections for members.
Also known as AirHelp Plus · AirHelp+
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W14)
AirHelp was founded in 2013 by Henrik Zillmer, Nicolas Michaelsen, and Greg Roodt.
Investors · 13
Also in the syndicate · 5
The YC application· Winter 2014 batch
What they told YC
- How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time? Please explain.
- The founders launched the company in April/May 2013.
- What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.
- The company maintains a database of delayed, cancelled, and overbooked flights that, combined with a customer database and an SMS/email gateway, notifies air passengers of their rights when their flight is disrupted. It handles the compensation claim against the airline on the passenger's behalf, charging a 25% fee on successful claims.
Summarized from the founders' answers on their Y Combinator profile.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026AirHelp is an online claims-management and travel technology company that helps air passengers obtain compensation from airlines for delayed, canceled and overbooked flights, as well as for baggage problems. Passengers submit flight and booking details through the company's website or mobile app; AirHelp verifies the disruption against its flight database, assesses eligibility under applicable passenger rights regimes and, if a claim is viable, pursues it directly with the airline, escalating to court where an airline refuses to settle. Eligibility checking is free, and the company charges a service fee only on successful claims (a standard 35% fee, inclusive of VAT, deducted from recovered compensation).
The company operates across multiple regulatory frameworks, including EC 261/2004 in the EU, UK 261, Brazil's ANAC 400, Canadian air passenger protection rules, Turkey's SHY-Passenger regulation, Saudi Arabia's GACA/PRPR rules and the Montreal Convention. Alongside claims handling, AirHelp sells AirHelp+, an annual membership that bundles insurance-style fixed payouts for delays, cancellations, missed connections and lost or delayed luggage, airport lounge access during disruptions, fee-free handling of airline compensation claims, real-time flight tracking and travel discounts; membership plans are priced by number of covered trips (for example $179.99/year for six trips and $249.99/year for nine trips). A free consumer app provides live flight tracking, disruption alerts and one-tap claim filing. The company also publishes the AirHelp Score, an annual ranking of airlines and airports, and co-founded the Association of Passenger Rights Advocates (APRA).
Founding story
Henrik Zillmer founded AirHelp in January 2013 around the premise that every passenger deserves a good travel experience and that airlines make claiming statutory compensation difficult. The service launched in April/May 2013. Zillmer is a serial entrepreneur and former Rocket Internet executive who launched Zalora across eight countries; he later served as AirHelp chairman and a Y Combinator advisor. The company's original YC application described building a database of delayed, canceled and overbooked flights linked to a customer database and SMS/email gateway to notify passengers of their rights, with claims processed against airlines for a 25% fee.
Business model
AirHelp works on a no-win, no-fee basis: assessment of a claim is free and the company retains a service fee — a standard 35% including VAT — out of compensation successfully recovered from the airline. Its original Y Combinator application described a 25% success fee. A second revenue line is the AirHelp+ subscription membership, sold directly to travelers and through partner travel brands, which adds insurance payouts, lounge access and fee-free claim handling.
Success-based commission on recovered airline compensation (standard 35% including VAT, charged only when a claim succeeds), annual AirHelp+ membership subscriptions ($179.99/year for six trips; $249.99/year for nine trips), and revenue-sharing with more than 140 travel brand partners that distribute AirHelp protection and compensation products.
Traction
Company materials report 26 million customers helped, more than 28 million passengers served, over 3.3 million passengers compensated, more than 14 million flights protected, over 1 million app downloads, 15 million passengers having chosen AirHelp+, and more than 140 travel brand partnerships. AirHelp reported passing 10 million AirHelp+ customers in April 2025. It checks roughly 12,000 flights per day and states a 99.7% claim success rate. Y Combinator lists a team size of 350, while Wikipedia reports over 400 employees.
Latest developments
In March 2025 AirHelp received a minority investment from Abry Partners, and in April 2025 announced surpassing 10 million AirHelp+ customers. In May 2025 it released the AirHelp Flight & Claim Tracker mobile app. During 2025 it was certified a Most Loved Workplace, named Best Flight Compensation Service Provider by the Spanish Business Awards, and cited as a World Future Awards 2025 winner. AirHelp Score rankings of airports and airlines continued to receive press coverage.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
AirHelp positions itself as the global leader in flight compensation services, citing a 99.7% success rate and awards including the World Future Awards 2025, the Launch People's Choice Award at the 2018 Phocuswright Conference, the Spark Award at the 2014 Collision Conference, Best Danish Startup of the Year (Nordic Startup Awards, 2014), the 2023 German Service Prize from DISQ and ntv, the Deutsche Kunden Award (2024), Most Loved Workplace certification (2024, 2025), and Best Flight Compensation Service Provider from the Spanish Business Awards (2025). It operates in the same claims-management segment as fellow APRA co-founders Flightright, Reclamadores and Skyrefund.
AirHelp cites in-house live flight data, AI-powered claim processing and an internal team of legal experts willing to litigate as the basis for its stated 99.7% success rate. Its no-win, no-fee structure means passengers pay nothing unless compensation is recovered. Breadth of regulatory coverage (EC 261, UK 261, ANAC 400, SHY, GACA and the Montreal Convention) and the AirHelp+ membership — which combines fast fixed insurance payouts, lounge access and fee-free compensation claims — extend the offering beyond single-claim handling.
Technology
The company combines an in-house live flight database with AI-driven claim processing and legal expertise. It checks about 12,000 flights daily and verifies delay causes, cancellation reasons and routes to determine eligibility. In 2017 it introduced Herman, described as an AI-powered legal assistant for processing compensation claims at scale. Consumer-facing technology includes a web claim form with boarding-pass upload/scan, a customer dashboard and a mobile app offering live flight tracking, disruption alerts, itinerary sync and in-app claim filing.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer acquisition through its website and free mobile app, supported by a free compensation calculator, 24/7 customer support in 20+ languages, and content on passenger rights regulations. AirHelp also runs a strategic partnerships channel with more than 140 travel brands — OTAs, airlines, insurers and travel platforms — that integrate its compensation and protection products via API or modular components. Public-relations visibility comes from the AirHelp Score airline and airport rankings and press coverage of airline practices.
Individual air passengers whose flights were delayed, canceled, diverted or overbooked, or whose luggage was lost or delayed, including travelers claiming on behalf of companions; and, on the business side, travel brands such as online travel agencies, airlines, insurers and travel platforms that embed AirHelp products via API or modular integrations.
Geography
Wikipedia lists the headquarters as Berlin, while Y Combinator lists the company location as Lisbon, Portugal. The service initially focused on Europe under EC 261/2004 and, since 2020, has also supported passengers on flights in the US, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and Asia, adding UK 261, ANAC 400, Turkey's SHY-Passenger and Saudi Arabia's regulations. Customer support is offered 24/7 in 19–20+ languages, and AirHelp+ lounge access spans more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide.
History
AirHelp was founded in January 2013 by Henrik Zillmer and launched websites in eight countries and five languages in its first year. It graduated from Y Combinator's Winter 2014 batch in March 2014 and won the Spark Award at the inaugural Collision Conference in May 2014. The AirHelp Score airline ranking debuted in October 2015, followed by a $12 million Series A in August 2016. The AirHelp+ membership launched in January 2017 and the Herman AI legal assistant in March 2017. In January 2018 the company co-founded APRA. It expanded to Brazil in July 2019 and, from 2020, broadened coverage to the US, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and Asia, adding lounge access to AirHelp+ in September 2020. In March 2021 it won a European Court of Justice ruling on compensation for disruptions caused by airline staff strikes, and later that year closed a $9 million Series B-2 preferred stock round. Insurance products AirPayout (August 2022) and AirLuggage (August 2023) followed, along with Turkey SHY coverage (July 2023), Smart and Pro membership tiers (April 2024) and Saudi Arabian regulation coverage (June 2024). Abry Partners made a minority investment in March 2025, and the AirHelp Flight & Claim Tracker app launched in May 2025.
Risks & controversies
The company acknowledges that claim resolution can be slow due to airline response times, high claim volumes, dealings with aviation authorities and possible legal proceedings, and that airline compensation is never guaranteed. Compensation outcomes depend on regulatory scope — US DOT rules do not mandate cash compensation for delays or cancellations — and on exclusions for extraordinary circumstances. The company's Wikipedia article carries a maintenance notice flagging promotional content (March 2026).
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Images
Competitors · 3
by search overlap
Companies competing with AirHelp for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 25
launches, deals, and filingsMobile application designed to streamline compensation tracking for users.
AirHelp secured a minority investment from private equity firm Abry Partners.
Certified as a Most Loved Workplace by the Best Practice Institute and named Best Flight Compensation Service Provider by the Spanish Business Awards.
Recognized by the Best Practice Institute and Most Loved Workplace, and awarded the Deutsche Kunden Award for price/performance by DtGV.
AirHelp agreed to plant one tree for every 100 disrupted flights.
Travel insurance product for lost or delayed baggage available to selected AirHelp+ members.
AirHelp's first insurance product, offered to select AirHelp+ members.
AirHelp secured a ruling affirming passengers' right to compensation for flight disruptions caused by airline staff strikes.
New AirHelp+ plan including access to airport lounges during flight delays.
AirHelp began assisting passengers under Brazil's ANAC 400 regulation.
AirHelp co-founded APRA with portals including Flightright, Reclamadores and Skyrefund to advance passenger rights globally.
AI system designed to streamline compensation claim processing at scale.
Membership program under which eligible passengers receive 100% of their compensation.
A ranking system evaluating major airlines on on-time performance, customer opinion and compensation processing.
AirHelp won the Spark Award for innovation at the first Collision Conference in Las Vegas, selected from over 500 applicants.
AirHelp completed Y Combinator's Winter 2014 accelerator program in Silicon Valley.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- AirHelpairhelp.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does AirHelp do?
- AirHelp is a travel technology company that files airline compensation claims for passengers on delayed, canceled and overbooked flights.
- Who founded AirHelp?
- AirHelp was founded by Henrik Zillmer, Nicolas Michaelsen, Greg Roodt in 2013.
- Who are AirHelp's investors?
- AirHelp's investors include ABRY Partners, TempoCap, Upslope Ventures, Y Combinator, 10x Founders, Dreamcraft, Khosla Ventures, Nordic Eye Venture Capital.
- Where is AirHelp headquartered?
- AirHelp is headquartered in Lisbon, PT.