TAP Air Portugal Ranks Highest for Flight Compensation Claims, Data Shows

OPA WIRE, Oct 29 (OPA) — TAP Air Portugal secured the top spot in a new industry ranking, boasting an 88.7% claim resolution rate and a court referral rate of just 0.6%. Passengers flying with the carrier wait an average of 10 days for compensation, according to data compiled by AirAdvisor between January and June 2026. The analysis evaluated 68,283 claims across 59 airlines, focusing on resolution speed and the frequency of legal escalations.

Following TAP, LOT Polish Airlines ranked second with an 82.8% success rate and zero court referrals. Wizz Air placed third with a 72.4% resolution rate, while Iberia and Brussels Airlines rounded out the top five. The ranking specifically highlights carriers that demonstrate efficiency in adhering to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, which mandates compensation for flight delays based on distance and duration.

At the bottom of the list, Romania’s TAROM proved the most challenging for claimants, with only 3.3% of cases resolved successfully and 46.7% requiring court intervention. The average wait time for TAROM passengers reached 110 days. Aeroitalia and Ryanair followed as the next most difficult carriers, with resolution rates of 0.6% and 2.1% respectively, and significant portions of their claims moving to litigation.

Industry analysts note that these figures reflect claims processed specifically through AirAdvisor, which may differ from airline-wide internal data. The study included only carriers with at least 100 submitted claims, covering 22 airlines in total. As passenger travel demand remains high in 2026, the data serves as a metric for consumer transparency regarding the ease of recovering funds for disrupted travel.