Why It Takes So Long for Some Airlines to Pay Compensation Required by European Law

Last week, I received an email from AirHelp about a matter I had long ago forgotten about. The company, which helps travelers recover compensation owed by airlines in exchange for a cut, contacted me about a flight I took in September 2016. Iberia had cancelled my flight from Madrid to Barcelona due to operational problems, and I rebooked on Air Europa. I sought to recover what I was owed under EU 261, the law that requires airlines to pay customers when they delay or cancel flights that touch Europe. I was sure I'd get my money, but months turned into years, and I gave up. Last week, AirHelp told me to be patient, telling me claims like mine resolve in my favor about 95 percent of the time. "We know things have been slow so far, and we hoped that we would have an answer for you by now," AirHelp's email said. "Your claim has reached the stage where resolutions take time to reach. If it were up to us, it would go a lot faster, but formal procedures like this are out of our hand