fairplane

What fairplane does

FairPlane (legally FP Passenger Service GmbH) is a Vienna-based legal-tech platform founded in 2011 by Andreas Sernetz and Michael Flandorfer that helps airline passengers enforce compensation claims under EU Regulation 261/2004 for flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, and overbooking. Passengers submit claims through an online calculator that checks eligibility in approximately two minutes, after which a network of contracted travel-law specialists pursues recovery on a no-win-no-fee basis, charging a 24-35% success commission (including VAT). Since founding, FairPlane has processed over 400,000 claims, recovered more than €17.4 million for customers, and reports a 99% overall success rate and 98.5% court success rate; it currently manages roughly 20,000 active cases.

The underlying technology stack combines a self-serve eligibility calculator (operated by partner UNOY) with pre-built API integrations into travel-agency mid-office systems (Midoco, Bewotec MyJack, Travelport, Amadeus, Amadeus Agency Manager, BOSYS, Galileo), enabling both direct-to-passenger acquisition and a B2B distribution channel called FairPlane Business. A contracted legal network including Prof. Dr. Ronald Schmid (a leading European aviation-law expert who joined as partner in June 2015) and specialized lawyers across Austria, Germany, France, Spain, and the Czech Republic executes enforcement.

FairPlane's revenue model is entirely transaction-fee based across four streams: the standard flight compensation service (24-35% commission), the Risk Only service for jurisdictions without FairPlane-contracted lawyers (18-29% commission), a tiered ticket-refund service (€7-€126+ depending on refund timing), and a previously offered baggage service that has since been discontinued. Distribution runs through two complementary motions: a product-led growth self-serve funnel driven by SEO, content marketing, social media, and PR, plus a channel-partner motion via FairPlane Business where travel agencies earn commission on automated claim payouts. The company is headquartered in Vienna with a branch office in Wiesbaden, Germany (established 2012), and serves primarily the Austrian and German markets under EU passenger-rights regulation.

Name

fairplane

Legal name

FP Passenger Service GmbH

Website

https://fairplane.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FairPlane is a Vienna-based legal-tech platform that helps airline passengers recover compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004 through a network of contracted travel-law specialists on a no-win-no-fee basis, serving individual consumers and travel-agency B2B partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Passenger Rights Services

akta.pro primary industry

Airline Contract Compliance, Auditing & Leakage Control (THACAHAD)

Keywords

• Flight compensation services
• Passenger rights enforcement
• EU regulation 261 claims
• Legal tech services
• Travel claims processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Flight Compensation Claims - Standard Service: FairPlane charges a success-based commission of 24-35% (including VAT) on compensation amounts successfully recovered from airlines. The commission consists of a risk component (individually calculated based on flight data) plus a 6% processing fee. No fees are charged if claims are not successful ('no win, no fee' model).
2. FairPlane Risk Only Service: For countries where FairPlane has no contracted lawyers, customers can use their own lawyer connected to FairPlane's system. Only the risk component (18-29%) is charged, no processing fee.
3. Ticket Refund Service: For cancelled flights, FairPlane charges fixed fees based on refund amounts and timing. If airline refunds within 7 days of lawyer action, no commission is charged. Later refunds incur fees ranging from €7-€14 (8-14 days) up to €14-€126+ for refunds after 14 days.
4. Baggage Service (discontinued): Previously offered baggage claim service with 36-42% commission on claims over €200 (36% for claims under €200, 42% for claims over €200), with minimum claim value of €175.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FairPlane operates an online claims portal and legal service that enforces EU Regulation 261/2004 passenger rights against airlines on behalf of travelers. Passengers submit flight details online via a calculator to receive a free eligibility assessment, and contracted travel lawyers pursue compensation of up to €600 per claim for delays over 3 hours, cancellations, missed connections, and overbooking. FairPlane charges a 24–35% success commission only when compensation is recovered, plus a separate FairPlane Business division provides automated flight-checking API integrations to travel agencies and corporate travel programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FairPlane Standard (Flight Compensation Service) Core service for individual airline passengers that pursues compensation of up to €600 per passenger for flight delays over 3 hours, cancellations, missed connections, and overbooking under EU Regulation 261/2004. Specialized contracted lawyers handle the entire claim against the airline, including court proceedings; the customer pays nothing if the claim is unsuccessful.
• FairPlane Business B2B automated flight checking service that integrates with travel-agency mid-office systems (Midoco, Travelport, Amadeus, Bewotec MyJack, BOSYS, Galileo). Automatically checks booked flights for EU 261/2004 eligibility, informs affected travelers via email, and pays a commission to the partner on successful payouts. GDPR-compliant and checks only flight data, not customer data.
• FairPlane Risk Only (Risiko Only) Alternative flight compensation service for jurisdictions where FairPlane has no contracted lawyer at the relevant court. The customer engages their own lawyer who uses FairPlane's IT infrastructure, and FairPlane charges only the 18–29% risk component (the 6% processing fee is waived).
• FairPlane Ticket Refund Service (Flugticket-Rückerstattung) Service that recovers ticket costs from airlines for cancelled flights. No commission is charged if the airline refunds within 7 days of lawyer action; fees of €7–14 apply for refunds after 8–14 days, and €14–126+ scale-based fees apply for refunds after 14 days.

Quantifiable outcome

• Passengers can recover up to €600 in compensation for qualifying flight disruptions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Skribe Rechtsanwälte GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContracted law firm handling legal proceedings for passenger compensation claims in Austria and Germany
• Prof. Dr. Ronald SchmidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading travel law expert and co-founder (since 2015), serves as company spokesperson and one of Europe's foremost passenger rights legal experts
• Travel Agency Software ProvidersmajorTechnology or IntegrationPartnerships with mid-office system providers including Midoco, Bewotec MyJack, Travelport, Amadeus, Amadeus Agency Manager, BOSYS, and Galileo for automated flight checking integration
• Contracted Travel Lawyers NetworkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNetwork of specialized travel lawyers including Franziska Puschkarski, Hayward Baker, Carlos Salvador Muñoz, Raphael Seidler, and Andreas Marc Riedl handling cases across Germany, Austria, France, Spain, and Czech Republic

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AirHelp: Global leader in flight compensation claims under EU 261/2004 with a no-win-no-fee model and operations across 30+ countries. Closest direct competitor to FairPlane in both target customer (airline passengers) and core service offering.
• Flightright: German-headquartered flight compensation specialist operating a nearly identical no-win-no-fee model for EU 261/2004 claims. Direct competitor in FairPlane's core DACH market with overlapping target customers and service scope.
• EUclaim: Netherlands-based established player in EU flight compensation claims since 2007 with similar no-win-no-fee structure. Direct competitor targeting the same passenger rights claim pool across European jurisdictions.
• ClaimCompass: European flight compensation claims company operating on a contingency fee basis for EU 261/2004 claims. Direct competitor with overlapping service model and passenger customer base.
• Compensation2go: German/Austrian flight compensation service targeting the same DACH passenger pool with success-fee pricing. Direct competitor with similar scope and target customer segment.
• myFlightRefund: Austrian flight compensation company operating a no-win-no-fee model for EU 261/2004 claims. Direct competitor sharing FairPlane's home Austrian market.
• Refundmore: German flight compensation service offering no-win-no-fee claims for delays, cancellations, and overbooking under EU 261/2004. Direct competitor in the German market with similar service model.
• SkyCop: Flight compensation company operating across multiple European markets with similar no-win-no-fee claims service. Direct competitor with comparable EU 261/2004 focus and online claims platform.

Regional players

• VliegveldCoach: Dutch flight compensation service focused on the Netherlands market. Operates with similar passenger rights claims model but primarily serves a different national market than FairPlane's DACH focus.
• ControVolare: Italian flight compensation company operating under EU 261/2004 with no-win-no-fee model. Comparable service offering but primarily serves the Italian market rather than competing directly in DACH.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fairplaneDE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFfOoERycLC55_vfbvIeYYA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fairplane
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairplane

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about fairplane