According to AirHelp, a company that helps passengers with flight-related issues, 58% of claims that passengers were entitled to receive compensation for were unfairly rejected last year. This represents a six percentage point increase compared to the previous year. A rejection is considered "abusive" when an airline denies a claim that the passenger is clearly entitled to, according to the platform. These rejections often leave passengers frustrated and without recourse, despite having a legal right to compensation. In 31% of cases, airlines did not respond at all to passenger claims, leaving passengers without a clear way to assert their rights. This lack of response has grown significantly, rising from 26% in 2024. Airlines also increasingly cite weather conditions as a reason for denying compensation, with 25% of abusive rejections citing this cause, up from 21% in 2024. While airlines may be exempt from paying compensation in cases of extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather, the burden of proving that the weather actually affected the flight lies with the airline — a task passengers are typically unable to perform. Other common reasons for rejections include air traffic control restrictions, cited in 11% of cases, and 10% of rejections had no stated reason at all. Over time, the process of rejecting claims has become more rigid, with airlines increasingly relying on non-responses and unproven reasons to avoid compensation. AirHelp points out that the biggest challenge for passengers is not just understanding their rights but enforcing them against airlines that resist compliance. Airlines strongly criticize the European Regulation 261/2004, which mandates compensation for flight delays and cancellations. They estimate that the regulation costs them 8.1 billion euros annually, although this figure is not independently verified. Airlines have lobbied to revise the compensation rules, but the European Parliament has not adopted the proposed changes, even though the Council has supported them. For now, the current compensation system remains in place, offering 250 euros for flights under 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, and 600 euros for flights over 3,500 kilometers in the case of delays exceeding three hours.