Which European airlines are the worst at issuing compensation?

A new AirAdvisor assessment has ranked European airlines by how often they successfully resolve compensation claims. Which airlines dragged their feet the most with claims?

TAROM, AeroItalia and Ryanair perform poorly

According to AirAdvisor, TAROM, AeroItalia, Ryanair, Air Europa and Lufthansa are the five European airlines that are worst at successfully processing compensation claims.

AirAdvisor analysed 68.283 compensation claims filed with 59 European airlines between January and June 2026. Then, it selected 22 airlines with at least 100 qualifying claims for the final ranking, which analysed 10.760 claims.

These 22 airlines’ compensation claims were judged based on the “successful claim resolution” under the European Union’s Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261) or the equivalent law in the UK.

The EU regulation is a three-tiered system which entitles passengers to varied compensation depending on flight distance, whether their flight is delayed by two hours or more, five hours or more, or delayed until the following day.

AirAdvisor found that of the 122 qualified claims sent to TAROM, just 3,3 percent were successful and 46,7 percent ended up in court. Of the 174 claims sent to AeroItalia, 0,6 percent were successful, and 28,2 percent were taken to court. Of the 991 claims to Ryanair, just 2,1 percent were successful, and 17,8 percent were sent to court.

As such, AirAdvisor designated these airlines as the “least honest” for compensation claims, referring to how airlines handled the claims, but not, as they emphasise, “airline safety, general customer service, corporate ethics, or overall airline quality”.

Which European airlines are the “most honest”?

AirAdvisor ranked TAP Air Portugal, LOT Polish Airlines, Wizz Air, Iberia and Brussels Airlines as the “most honest”. Of the 159 claims sent to TAP, 88,7 percent were successful and just 0,6 percent were sent to court.

Of the 239 claims sent to LOT, 82,8 percent were successful and none were sent to court. Finally, of the whopping 866 claims sent to Wizz, 72,2 percent were successful, and 1,2 percent were sent to court. 

Passengers travelling in the EU can soon look forward to greater travel entitlements and improved compensation procedures. On October 23, 2027, the EU will introduce the Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, guaranteeing passengers a free personal item on board, transparent ticket pricing and no penalties for hold luggage.

Airlines will also have to issue compensation for delayed and cancelled flights within seven days, and there will be stricter rules about when vouchers can be given as compensation. 

Airlines must also re-route passengers who miss a connection booked under a single contract, offering full refunds if they cannot provide alternative travel within five hours.

Finally, passengers will have the right to self-reroute, meaning if an airline fails to offer alternative transport within three hours of a disruption, travellers can book their own ticket and claim reimbursement of up to 400 percent of the original ticket price within 14 days.