Shared research study link

Airfairness - Flight Compensation & AI Inbox Access Study

Understand frequent travelers experiences with flight delays, awareness of compensation rights, current claim behavior, and willingness to grant AI inbox access for automatic compensation claims - balancing ROI vs privacy concerns

Study Overview Updated Jan 23, 2026
Research question: Understand frequent travelers’ disruption experiences, awareness/behavior on flight-compensation claims, and willingness to grant AI inbox access for automated claims-balancing ROI vs privacy. Who: n=20 US working professionals (25–55), flying a few times/year for personal and some business trips. What they said: Disruptions are near-universal; awareness of EU/Canada rights is common but filing is rare due to eligibility ambiguity (“weather/ATC”), hassle, small or non-cash outcomes in the US, and fatigue. On AI inbox access: strong interest in “found money,” but a hard no to blanket, always-on email crawling; conditional willingness only with forward/upload or label-only read, per‑claim preview/approval, cash-first payouts, verifiable deletion, and a lower/capped fee (30% seen as high).

Main insights: Adoption hinges on privacy-first design, clear eligibility with a plain-English rule and net cash estimate, fast cash payout with a visible SLA/tracker, and transparent/capped pricing; segments diverge on depth of controls (tech users want local/on-device or open-source options; caregivers/Spanish speakers need mobile-first, bilingual, low-data flows; some prefer prepaid debit payouts). Takeaways: Ship an MVP that avoids inbox scraping (forward/upload; optional label-only, time-boxed read), shows per-claim previews and requires explicit consent, prioritizes EU/Canada claims, sets a payout SLA with status tracking, publishes a plain-English privacy/security page with deletion receipts, and tests a 15–20% success fee with a cap (~$75). Add minimum-payout thresholds, bilingual WhatsApp/SMS updates, and bank/card partnerships to boost trust and reach. Decision guardrails: no full-inbox access or auto-filing, default to cash (not vouchers), and expose clear cause codes and evidence up front-or expect conversion to fail.
Participant Snapshots
20 profiles
Sharon Barrientos
Sharon Barrientos

Sharon Barrientos, 48, is a married Asian (Non-Hispanic) permanent resident in urban San Antonio, a healthcare operations manager and pragmatic, values-driven mom. She’s fiscally conservative, tech-savvy, fitness-minded, and prioritizes reliability, time sa…

Jennifer Jaso
Jennifer Jaso

Jennifer Jaso is a 54-year-old bilingual, divorced mother of one college-aged daughter on Los Angeles’s rural fringe. A senior commercial insurance account executive, she earns $150k–$199k and values reliability, fiscal prudence, DIY projects, community ser…

Neil Mejorada
Neil Mejorada

Neil Mejorada is a 39-year-old Hispanic, bilingual wholesale building-materials sales pro on the rural fringe of Overland Park, KS. Single with a rescue dog, he earns about $120k, rents, and saves for a home. Values reliability, transparency, and durable, t…

Brandon Camacho
Brandon Camacho

Brandon Camacho is a 28-year-old, high-earning Cloud/DevOps professional in suburban Jacksonville. A Canadian non-citizen fluent in Spanish, he keeps a low-key, structured life built around tech work, gym routines, gaming, and photography. He’s pragmatic, p…

Jeffrey Cruz
Jeffrey Cruz

Jeffrey Cruz, 46, is a married, bilingual inside sales coordinator in Owensboro, KY. Budget-conscious and community-minded, he walks to work, cooks, gardens, and does DIY. He skips home internet, preferring durable, offline-friendly products and clear instr…

Sandra Sanchez
Sandra Sanchez

Sandra Sanchez, 49, is a married, bilingual client services specialist at a regional bank in urban Waterbury, CT. Pragmatic and budget-conscious, she’s saving for a home, values transparent, reliable products, and unwinds with cooking, balcony gardening, an…

John Cortes
John Cortes

John Cortes, 55, married with two kids, lives on San Francisco’s semi-rural edge. An education operations manager with a grad degree, budget-conscious and church-involved; values durability and clear info; enjoys DIY fixes, hiking, home cooking, and straigh…

Elizabeth Akers
Elizabeth Akers

33-year-old rural Pennsylvania library media professional, married with one child. Community-focused, faith-informed, budget-savvy. Prefers durable, transparent choices, hybrid work, practical style, and calm, evidence-based decision-making with a local imp…

Carlos Garfield
Carlos Garfield

Carlos Garfield is a high-earning ML engineer in Silver Lake, LA. Married, no kids. Bike-forward, privacy-minded, secular, progressive. Values interoperability, sustainability, and time-saving tools. Cooks, cycles, volunteers, and prefers evidence-based, tr…

Trevor Morrison
Trevor Morrison

Trevor Morrison, 26, is a married, faith-driven sales rep in West Palm Beach. Low household income, high practicality. He values durability, clear pricing, and community. Friendly, early-riser, budget-savvy, and steadily building his book of business.

Bryan Patel
Bryan Patel

Filipino Navy veteran and senior cloud-security architect living rurally in Florida. Married, no kids. Privacy-first, reliability-driven, practical spender. Cooks, fishes, mentors, and supports disaster readiness while maintaining strong ties to family in t…

Tara Klemens
Tara Klemens

Tara Klemens, Raleigh hospital operations manager, Army veteran, and LDS mom of three. High-income, organized, family-first, privacy-conscious. Time-saving, trustworthy solutions win; pushy, complex, or Sunday-only commitments lose. Warm, pragmatic, and com…

Raymond Romero
Raymond Romero

Menifee-based, Spanish-at-home 35-year-old single homeowner. Unemployed construction-cleanup pro building a small business. Family-first, faith-grounded, practical and value-driven. Loves soccer, carne asada, and tools that work as hard as he does.

Tayonna Saldivar
Tayonna Saldivar

1) Basic Demographics

Tayonna Saldivar is a 27-year-old Hispanic woman living in rural Indiana, USA. She is separated, has no children, and speaks Spanish at home while steadily improving her English. She is not a U.S. citizen and attends a small…

Daniel Lamprecht
Daniel Lamprecht

High-earning rural Pennsylvania data architect in veterinary services. Private, practical, and animal-welfare focused. Daniel lives on paid-off land, cooks simply, cycles gravel, and demands reliability, transparency, and interoperability from products and…

Dawn Herman
Dawn Herman

Dawn Herman, 50, is a practical, plainspoken Santa Maria renter managing disability and a high-income household. She prioritizes accessibility, reliable services, and clear pricing, balancing family life, health routines, and local community engagement.

Charity Musselman
Charity Musselman

1) Basic Demographics

Charity Musselman is a 49-year-old Brazilian-American woman living in Jacksonville city, Florida, USA. She is married, Catholic, born in the United States, and speaks English at home (with affectionate bursts of Portuguese o…

Joshua Dunaway
Joshua Dunaway

Joshua Dunaway, 26, is a faith-rooted rural Illinois construction professional. Frugal and practical, he values durability, community, and clear value. He favors straightforward tools, simple meals, and no-nonsense messaging grounded in trust and utility.

Kelsey Whitaker
Kelsey Whitaker

Kelsey Whitaker, 33, is a rural Michigan mom of two with a bachelor’s in HR, not currently in the labor force. Community-minded and pragmatic, she prioritizes durability, transparency, and time-saving simplicity in a high-earning small-business household.

Caleb Whitaker
Caleb Whitaker

Caleb Whitaker, 36, is a married industrial maintenance lead in rural Kentucky with two kids. Practical, community-minded, and budget-conscious, he values durability, repairability, simple communication, and trustworthy brands that respect rural realities.

Overview 0 participants
Sex / Gender
Race / Ethnicity
Locale (Top)
Occupations (Top)
Demographic Overview No agents selected
Age bucket Male count Female count
Participant locations No agents selected
Participant Incomes US benchmark scaled to group size
Income bucket Participants US households
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-year (Table B19001; >$200k evenly distributed for comparison)
Media Ingestion
Connections appear when personas follow many of the same sources, highlighting overlapping media diets.
Questions and Responses
7 questions
Response Summaries
7 questions
Word Cloud
Analyzing correlations…
Generating correlations…
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Persona Correlations
Analyzing correlations…

Overview

Frequent travelers view flight disruptions primarily as time- and energy-loss events, not just financial losses. Filing for statutory compensation is rare because the effort, opacity, and slow/token outcomes make the hassle-to-payoff math negative for most people. Willingness to grant any automated inbox access is strongly conditional: near-universal rejection of broad, always-on scraping; interest exists only for narrowly scoped, auditable, revocable, per-claim flows that surface clear dollar amounts and enable fast cash payouts with transparent, capped fees. Demographics drive predictable tradeoffs: tech-literate, higher-income respondents demand developer-grade privacy guarantees and are most likely to accept sophisticated controls; family caregivers, older and Spanish-speaking respondents demand tight, simple controls, bilingual support, and plain-English nets; lower-income, rural, and mobility-limited travelers face acute operational harms and practical blockers that make automation attractive only if it is extremely low-friction and trustable. Product levers that cut across segments: label/forward-only ingestion, per-claim preview & explicit approval, clear net payout math, cash-first settlement, short retention & verifiable deletion, and third-party security attestations.
Total responses: 140

Key Segments

Segment Attributes Insight Supporting Agents
Tech / High-income Professionals
  • Age ~28–55
  • Occupation: DevOps / Cloud / ML / Analytics / Engineering
  • Income: $150k+
  • High digital literacy and security expectations
These users are aware of passenger rights and build their own claim workflows. They will consider automation only under developer-grade, auditable privacy guarantees (client-side parsing, open-source client, named subprocessors, SOC2/pen-test proof) and prefer narrow, revocable scopes (label-only or local parsing). They also expect capped fees and contractual liability for mistakes. Brandon Camacho, Bryan Patel, Carlos Garfield, Daniel Lamprecht
Mid-career Parents / Caregivers
  • Age ~33–50
  • Household: children or caregiving responsibilities
  • Occupation: healthcare admin, librarians, mid-level managers
  • Mobile-first usage and low spare time post-trip
Time and childcare constraints make these travelers unwilling to engage with long paperwork. They will convert for a one-tap, mobile-first claim flow that auto-detects eligibility, shows a plain-English verdict and net payout, and completes a fast cash disbursement with minimal uploads. Tara Klemens, Elizabeth Akers, Kelsey Whitaker, Dawn Herman
Lower-income / Economically Precarious Travelers
  • Income: <$50k
  • Payment-method sensitive (prepaid cards)
  • Often rural or infrequent flyers
  • Language or bandwidth constraints
Operational failures (e.g., overnight stays, hotel deposits) create immediate financial and safety harms. These travelers are far less likely to pursue claims because of language barriers, lack of receipts, and limited time - but small, fast cash payouts would materially help. They demand extremely low-friction, bilingual options and minimal upfront data exposure. Tayonna Saldivar, Raymond Romero, Caleb Whitaker
Frequent Business Travelers / Status Holders
  • Flights: 8–10+ trips/year
  • Books for client/work; value reliability
  • Prefers direct airline or corporate channels
They internalize operational risk (pad schedules) and will file only when cases are clear and remunerative (e.g., EU cases). They distrust third‑party mills, favor direct filing or corporate expense flows, and expect quick, predictable outcomes. Carlos Garfield, Charity Musselman, Daniel Lamprecht
Spanish-speaking / Hispanic Respondents
  • Primary or significant Spanish language preference
  • Requests bilingual UX and plain-Spanish policy
  • Practical orientation toward simple controls
Language and trust concerns are decisive. Spanish speakers favor forward-only or label-limited flows with clear Spanish-language explanations of scope, retention, and fees. Some are pragmatic early-adopters if controls are simple and revocable. Tayonna Saldivar, Raymond Romero, Sandra Sanchez, Neil Mejorada
Rural / Low-connectivity Travelers
  • Locale: rural states (PA, IL, KY, IN, etc.)
  • Lower travel frequency; limited transit alternatives
  • Unreliable internet or low-bandwidth conditions
Practical friction (timeouts, connection failures) and low expected ROI reduce appetite for inbox-based automation. They prefer simple, robust flows (forward/upload) with minimal required online steps and fast cash payouts when claims are pursued. Neil Mejorada, Raymond Romero, Joshua Dunaway
Mobility-limited / Accessibility-needing Travelers
  • Uses mobility aids or has chronic medical conditions
  • Older adults represented
  • Operational delays cause non-financial harms
Delays and tarmac holds produce physical harm and equipment damage. Compensation processes rarely account for these harms; this segment wants prioritized, consistent assistance and claims workflows that can cover equipment damage and out-of-pocket emergency costs. Dawn Herman

Shared Mindsets

Trait Signal Agents
Hassle-to-payoff calculus Most travelers avoid filing because the time, documentation, and chasing required outweigh the expected or perceived payout. Even when aware of rights (EU261, Canada), few act unless the outcome is predictable, fast, or large. John Cortes, Tara Klemens, Sharon Barrientos, Kelsey Whitaker, Charity Musselman
Privacy is a gating factor Blanket inbox scraping is broadly unacceptable. Users prefer narrow ingestion methods (label/folder scoping, forward-only, or local/on-device parsing), explicit per-claim approval, short retention, and verifiable deletion receipts. Caleb Whitaker, Kelsey Whitaker, Jennifer Jaso, Neil Mejorada, Carlos Garfield, Sandra Sanchez
Per-claim control and transparency Respondents demand claim-by-claim preview, one-page plain-English summaries of eligibility and net payout, and the ability to approve before any filing. Auto-filing is a dealbreaker for most. Neil Mejorada, John Cortes, Dawn Herman, Raymond Romero, Brandon Camacho
Cash-first payouts with capped fees Users prefer immediate cash (ACH/bank/card) over vouchers. There is strong fee skepticism: many consider 30% high and request 10–15% or a capped/flat fee for smaller claims. Brandon Camacho, Kelsey Whitaker, Neil Mejorada, John Cortes, Jennifer Jaso, Raymond Romero
Demand for verifiable security signals Security attestations (SOC2, pen-test summaries), auditable logs, named subprocessors, deletion receipts, and insurance materially increase trust - particularly for older, higher-income, and corporate users. Carlos Garfield, Bryan Patel, Jennifer Jaso, Neil Mejorada, Charity Musselman
Mobile-first and one-tap UX requirement Across ages and incomes, respondents want mobile, prefilled flows that deliver a clear verdict and enable a near-one-tap approval and fast payout; anything requiring heavy uploads or long forms will see drop-off. Tara Klemens, Neil Mejorada, Trevor Morrison, Jennifer Jaso
Language & accessibility sensitivity Non-native English speakers and mobility-limited users require bilingual help, low-data flows, human fallback, and explicit handling for equipment or medical-related damages. Tayonna Saldivar, Dawn Herman, Sandra Sanchez
Token remedies reduce escalation Vouchers, meal credits, and miles are viewed as insufficient and lower the incentive to pursue formal compensation; users want real cash or immediate assistance that addresses real costs. Sharon Barrientos, Trevor Morrison, Sandra Sanchez, Neil Mejorada

Divergences

Segment Contrast Agents
Tech-savvy high-income vs Lower-income / language-vulnerable Tech-savvy users demand technical guarantees (client-side scanning, open-source clients, named subprocessors) and will accept more complex controls; lower-income and language-vulnerable users prioritize simplicity, bilingual plain-language flows, and minimal upfront friction - technical sophistication is less persuasive than clarity and minimal steps. Carlos Garfield, Bryan Patel, Tayonna Saldivar, Raymond Romero, Caleb Whitaker
Family-focused caregivers vs Frequent business travelers Caregivers need mobile-first, one-tap family-level claims with strong privacy controls; business travelers prefer predictable, corporate-friendly flows and often reject consumer third-party claim services in favor of direct or corporate channels. Tara Klemens, Elizabeth Akers, Kelsey Whitaker, Carlos Garfield, Daniel Lamprecht
Rural / low-connectivity vs Urban frequent flyers Rural respondents cite unreliable connectivity and a lower ROI for claims, making inbox-scoped automation unattractive; urban frequent flyers may be more willing to trial scoped automation if privacy guarantees exist and the process is fast. Neil Mejorada, Caleb Whitaker, Jennifer Jaso, Charity Musselman
Older / high-income professionals vs Younger convenience seekers Older, higher-income users demand formal assurances (SOC2, audits, deletion receipts) and transparent fee caps; some younger or convenience-focused users will trade more privacy for speed if the UX is extremely simple and trustworthy. Jennifer Jaso, Charity Musselman, Brandon Camacho, Elizabeth Akers
Spanish-speaking pragmatic early adopters vs General Spanish-speaking skepticism Most Spanish-speaking respondents require simple, bilingual controls and are privacy-sensitive; a subset (pragmatic early adopters) will pilot the service with label/forward controls and clear estimates - demonstrating intra-segment variability based on perceived control and upfront visibility. Raymond Romero, Tayonna Saldivar, Neil Mejorada
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Recommendations & Next Steps
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Overview

Travelers face universal disruptions but rarely claim compensation due to eligibility ambiguity, hassle-to-payoff math, and distrust of claim mills. Nearly all reject blanket inbox access. Adoption hinges on a privacy-first, mobile, one-tap flow that auto-detects eligibility, shows a clear cash estimate and rule, requires per-claim approval, pays cash fast, and provides verifiable deletion and human support. For Claude’s API test with Ditto, prioritize an MVP that avoids inbox scraping (forward/upload or label-only), proves value with back-claims, and builds trust via transparent security and pricing. Focus early on EU/Canada claims where rules yield predictable cash; set expectations for U.S. cases (goodwill only).

Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)

# Action Why Owner Effort Impact
1 Ship a forward/upload MVP (no inbox access) Directly addresses the hard no on inbox scraping while enabling quick value recovery on back claims. Product Low High
2 Per-claim preview with net cash and rule citation Reduces eligibility ambiguity and boosts trust via plain-English reason codes and net-to-user math. Eng Med High
3 Spanish localization + low-data mobile page Improves accessibility for Spanish-speaking and low-bandwidth users; increases conversion in vulnerable segments. Product Low Med
4 Add kill switch + deletion receipts Verifiable delete and revoke controls are top trust levers; mitigates privacy risk. Security Med High
5 Publish a plain-English privacy & security page Users demand no training/no resale, retention limits, and audit summaries; reduces drop-off at consent. Legal Low High
6 Price test: 15–20% success fee with $75 cap 30% is perceived as high; a capped fee increases willingness to try while preserving margin on larger payouts. Growth Low Med

Initiatives (30–90 days)

# Initiative Description Owner Timeline Dependencies
1 Privacy-first Claims MVP (Forward/Upload + Per-claim Approval)
  • Build ingestion via unique forwarding address and PDF/.eml upload (no inbox scrape).
  • Eligibility engine for EU261 and Canada APPR; show reason code, jurisdiction and estimated payout.
  • Per-claim preview/approve; user sets minimum payout threshold.
  • Cash-first payouts via ACH/card; bilingual UI; WhatsApp/SMS updates.
Product 0–60 days Eligibility rules service, Payments integration, Spanish localization
2 Eligibility & Evidence Service
  • Rules library (EU261/APPR) with plain-English explanations; US flow defaults to goodwill requests.
  • Cause classification (crew/mech vs weather/ATC) using schedule/ops signals; attach evidence timeline.
  • Auto-generate escalation packets for regulator complaints when airlines misclassify.
Eng 0–90 days Data sources for ops/flight status, Legal review of templates
3 Security, Privacy, and Data Hygiene Program
  • Kill switch, deletion receipts, short retention (≤30 days), DPA, and subprocessors list.
  • Pen test + SOC 2 readiness; publish plain-English summary and threat model.
  • Logging of message access for forward/upload artifacts; no model training or resale.
Security 0–120 days Legal for policy language, External auditor scheduling
4 Payments & Cash-out Rails
  • Integrate ACH, card push-to-card, Apple Cash/Zelle alternatives; support prepaid debit.
  • Define payout SLA (e.g., 7–10 days post-settlement) and show status tracker.
  • Optional instant-advance pilot (small discount) for vulnerable users.
Ops 0–60 days Provider onboarding (Stripe/processor), Compliance/KYC policy
5 Go-to-Market: Back-Claim Campaign + Partnerships
  • Backlog recovery drive: prompt users to forward past itineraries; one-claim trial with no account.
  • Partner pilots with card issuers/banks to embed claim checks in travel portals.
  • Bilingual creatives focusing on cash-first, no inbox access, and low fee cap.
Growth 30–120 days MVP live, Pricing finalized, Partner BD pipeline
6 Accessibility & Support Readiness
  • Spanish support, low-data flows, large tap targets, proxy filing with consent.
  • WhatsApp/SMS comms; business-hours human chat; SLA for responses.
  • Edge cases: mobility equipment damage workflows and documentation hints.
Support 0–60 days Messaging provider setup, Playbooks & training

KPIs to Track

# KPI Definition Target Frequency
1 Claim Start-to-Submit Rate Percent of users who view a claim preview and complete per-claim approval ≥60% within 90 days Weekly
2 Payout Conversion Percent of filed claims resulting in cash payout (excludes vouchers) ≥55% for EU/CA; ≤10% for US goodwill (as disclosed) Monthly
3 Median Time to Cash Median days from user approval to funds received ≤10 days Weekly
4 Privacy Trust Health Percent of claims with deletion receipts issued + percent of users using kill switch without churn 100% receipts; ≤5% post-delete churn Monthly
5 Opt-in by Access Model Share of users choosing forward/upload vs label-scope; drop-off at consent ≥85% forward/upload adoption; ≤10% consent drop-off Weekly
6 Unit Economics (Net Rev/Claim) Average net revenue per successful claim after processor fees/refunds $45–$75/claim by day 120 Monthly

Risks & Mitigations

# Risk Mitigation Owner
1 Privacy backlash or low conversion if any step implies inbox-wide access Ship forward/upload only in MVP, add label-scope later with granular scopes; prominent kill switch & deletion receipts; plain-English policy Security
2 Low payable rate in U.S. drives poor ROI and user disappointment Prioritize EU/Canada detection; pre-screen and label US claims as goodwill; allow minimum payout thresholds Product
3 Airline denials/misclassification (weather/ATC catch-all) Build evidence timeline and regulator-ready escalation packets; maintain cause-code knowledge base; track carrier denial rates Eng
4 Payout delays impact trust and reviews Set visible SLA and status tracker; communicate “pay-when-paid”; add optional instant-advance pilot Ops
5 Security incident (data leak or processor breach) Zero inbox access MVP; minimal data; encryption; pen test; SOC 2 path; incident response plan; cyber insurance Security
6 Regulatory/KYC friction for cash-out, especially for vulnerable users Use prepaid debit/wallet rails; ITIN-friendly flows; only collect KYC when required; bilingual support Legal

Timeline

0–30 days: Ship MVP forward/upload flow, per-claim preview, Spanish UI, basic payouts, privacy page, deletion receipts.

31–60 days: Eligibility service v1 (EU/CA), WhatsApp/SMS updates, support playbooks, back-claim campaign, fee-cap test.

61–90 days: Evidence timelines, regulator packets, label-scope beta (optional), partner outreach, pen test scheduled.

91–120 days: SOC 2 readiness artifacts, instant-advance pilot, bank/card pilot, accessibility polish, KPI tuning.
Research Study Narrative

Airfairness – Flight Compensation & AI Inbox Access Study: Executive Synthesis

Objective and context. We set out to understand frequent travelers’ disruption experiences, awareness of compensation rights, current claim behavior, and willingness to grant AI inbox access for automatic claims-balancing ROI against privacy. Across 20 respondents, disruptions are routine, rights are unevenly acted upon, and privacy is a gating factor for automation.

What we learned (cross-question evidence)

  • Disruptions are universal; losses are mostly time and energy. Nearly everyone experienced delays/cancellations due to weather, ATC, crew, mechanical, or de-icing. The impact is cumulative: missed events, out-of-pocket costs (hotels/rides), and productivity loss; poor airline comms amplify the pain. Example: Brandon Camacho’s ATL/JFK ground-stop chain; John Cortes’ ~$160 in extra spend. Outliers reveal acute vulnerabilities (Tayonna Saldivar couldn’t secure a hotel deposit; Dawn Herman’s mobility needs made delays harmful).
  • Awareness vs. action gap. ≈95% know EU has strong cash rights; many are unsure about Canada specifics and assume the U.S. offers vouchers/rebooking, not reliable cash. ≈95% don’t file because the hassle-to-payoff math looks bad: ambiguous eligibility (“weather/ATC” fog), clunky forms, long waits, and token non-cash remedies. A minority report wins when rules and payouts are predictable (EU) or via premium credit card insurance (Bryan Patel).
  • Core barriers and the ideal fix. Primary blockers are eligibility ambiguity, paperwork friction, and low trust. The repeated prescription: proactive detection, a plain-English yes/no with the exact cash amount, per-claim approval, and fast cash payout-mobile-first and minimal uploads. Accessibility needs matter: bilingual UX, low-data pages, no citizenship hurdles (Tayonna).
  • Inbox-scanning proposition triggers privacy red lines. While the “find forgotten cash” value resonates, respondents reject blanket, always-on inbox access and auto-filing. Preferred models: forward/upload or read-only label with narrow scope, revocation/kill switch, deletion receipts, and no training/resale of data. 30% success fee is perceived as high; most suggest 10–15% or a capped fee; cash-only payouts and clear fee math are essential.

Persona correlations

  • Tech/high-income pros (Brandon, Bryan, Carlos): will trial only with developer-grade assurances (client-side parsing, open-source client, named subprocessors, SOC2/pen tests) and capped fees.
  • Parents/caregivers (Tara, Elizabeth): need one-tap mobile flows, plain-English verdicts, and fast cash; zero patience for forms.
  • Lower-income/Spanish-speaking (Tayonna, Raymond, Sandra): bilingual, low-friction, forward-only; small fast payouts are meaningful; minimal data exposure.
  • Frequent business/status (Charity, Daniel): file when rules are clear (EU), distrust claim mills, prefer predictable outcomes.
  • Rural/low-connectivity (Neil, Joshua): robust, low-bandwidth forward/upload; low expected ROI without clarity.

Recommendations

  • Ship a privacy-first MVP: intake via forward/upload (no inbox scraping), per-claim preview showing rule, jurisdiction (EU261/APPR), and net-to-user cash.
  • Cash-first, fast payouts: ACH/card rails with a visible SLA; status tracker; optional instant-advance pilot for vulnerable users.
  • Trust infrastructure: kill switch, deletion receipts, short retention (≤30 days), no training/resale, named subprocessors; publish plain-English security/privacy with audit summaries.
  • Pricing: test 15–20% success fee with a <$75 cap; show fee math upfront.
  • Focus markets: prioritize EU/Canada where payouts are predictable; label U.S. as goodwill-only to set expectations.
  • Accessibility: Spanish localization, low-data pages, SMS/WhatsApp updates; minimal uploads.

Next steps and measurement

  1. 0–30 days: Launch forward/upload MVP with per-claim approval; Spanish UI; privacy page; kill switch + deletion receipts; basic payouts.
  2. 31–60 days: Eligibility engine v1 (EU/CA) with plain-English reasons; back-claim campaign; fee-cap A/B test; SMS/WhatsApp alerts.
  3. 61–120 days: Evidence timelines and regulator-ready packets; partner pilots (card issuers/banks); pen test scheduling; instant-advance pilot.
  • KPIs: Claim start-to-submit ≥60% (90 days); payout conversion ≥55% (EU/CA); median time to cash ≤10 days; 100% deletion receipts, ≤10% consent drop-off for forward/upload.
  • Risk guardrails: Never request full-mailbox access; pre-screen and disclose U.S. goodwill odds; track carrier denial/misclassification and escalate with evidence packets.
Recommended Follow-up Questions Updated Jan 23, 2026
  1. Which pricing model would you prefer for paying the service on a successful claim?
    single select Selects the monetization approach (percent, flat fee, cap, subscription) to maximize conversion and perceived fairness.
  2. If charged as a percentage of the recovered amount, what is the maximum fee percentage you would accept?
    numeric Sets an evidence-based fee cap and pricing anchor for marketing and A/B tests.
  3. How likely are you to use the service under each data-access option: (a) forward/upload itineraries you choose; (b) read-only scan of a label/folder you create, time-limited; (c) one-time OAuth with on-device parsing; (d) always-on full-inbox scan?
    matrix Identifies the default access mode that maximizes adoption while respecting privacy constraints.
  4. What minimum expected net cash (after fees) per claim would you require before approving a filing?
    numeric Sets the per-claim approval threshold and informs when to surface or suppress claim prompts.
  5. If you grant any email access, what is the maximum data retention period you would allow for your email content after a claim is completed?
    numeric Defines the delete-by policy and storage architecture to meet user expectations.
  6. Which privacy/security assurances most increase your likelihood to use the service? Please complete a most/least importance exercise across: third-party security audit (e.g., SOC 2/ISO 27001); on-device/local parsing; read-only label scope; per-claim preview/approval; deletion certificate/log; no model training on user data; named subprocessors/data residency disclosure; breach indemnity/guarantee; open-source parsers; backing by a trusted brand/financial institution.
    maxdiff Prioritizes security investments and trust messaging that materially move adoption.
Use a 5- or 7-point likelihood scale in the matrix. For numeric items, collect values in dollars (Q4) and days (Q5).
Study Overview Updated Jan 23, 2026
Research question: Understand frequent travelers’ disruption experiences, awareness/behavior on flight-compensation claims, and willingness to grant AI inbox access for automated claims-balancing ROI vs privacy. Who: n=20 US working professionals (25–55), flying a few times/year for personal and some business trips. What they said: Disruptions are near-universal; awareness of EU/Canada rights is common but filing is rare due to eligibility ambiguity (“weather/ATC”), hassle, small or non-cash outcomes in the US, and fatigue. On AI inbox access: strong interest in “found money,” but a hard no to blanket, always-on email crawling; conditional willingness only with forward/upload or label-only read, per‑claim preview/approval, cash-first payouts, verifiable deletion, and a lower/capped fee (30% seen as high).

Main insights: Adoption hinges on privacy-first design, clear eligibility with a plain-English rule and net cash estimate, fast cash payout with a visible SLA/tracker, and transparent/capped pricing; segments diverge on depth of controls (tech users want local/on-device or open-source options; caregivers/Spanish speakers need mobile-first, bilingual, low-data flows; some prefer prepaid debit payouts). Takeaways: Ship an MVP that avoids inbox scraping (forward/upload; optional label-only, time-boxed read), shows per-claim previews and requires explicit consent, prioritizes EU/Canada claims, sets a payout SLA with status tracking, publishes a plain-English privacy/security page with deletion receipts, and tests a 15–20% success fee with a cap (~$75). Add minimum-payout thresholds, bilingual WhatsApp/SMS updates, and bank/card partnerships to boost trust and reach. Decision guardrails: no full-inbox access or auto-filing, default to cash (not vouchers), and expose clear cause codes and evidence up front-or expect conversion to fail.