Miss Refund

Always amazed by start-ups on Dutch soil. These guys in Haarlem have come up with a clever scheme to reclaim the tax and (fuel) charges on an air ticket that they wasn't used. Authorities charge airlines based on the number of passengers who fly, not the numbers that book tickets. Unfortunately, airlines don't make it easy for consumers to claim the refunds they're lawfully entitled to. But that's exactly what newly-launched Miss Refund does: claim taxes and charges on flights passengers didn't take, in return for a flat rate of 25 EUR0, no cure, no charge. Customers fill in their personal and flight details on the company's website, and Miss Refund contacts the airline to claim airport taxes and other refundable surcharges. Trendwatching.com, who originally put me on to this, says the company has processed hundreds of claims in the short time its been operational (a couple of weeks at this point), claiming back anything from 60 to 600 Euro.

Owner Iwan van Geelen, also has a clever service to allow people to check in to a flight and get the best seat. For a fee of 7 Euro, CheckMeIn will manually check you into the flight the moment it opens - trying to book your favourite seat with the most legroom.