Czech Airlines delayed baggage compensation.
How much can you claim? What are the rules?
Waiting for your baggage at the airport and finding it missing is frustrating. This common air travel issue happens when baggage gets lost or misplaced during a layover. If this happens, report the lost bag immediately, upon arrival, to get a Property Irregularity Report and a tracking number. This way, you can track your bag online.
In most cases, you’ll get back your belongings within a few days.
Keep reading to learn more about your rights in such situations.
What to Do If Your Luggage Is Lost?
What to do if your baggage is delayed or lost?
In short, if you don’t do anything, you won’t get delayed baggage compensation.
If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to take the following steps:
- Report the delayed/lost baggage immediately. If your baggage is delayed, immediately tell a representative at the baggage service or lost and found office in the baggage claim area. To report a lost bag, show your passport, boarding pass, and baggage tag (usually a small sticker on your boarding pass from check-in). Sharing a photo of your bag or any extra details can help find it faster, but it’s not required. You can still report your lost bag with just your passport and boarding pass.
- Receive a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). The representative will take down your contact details and give you a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), which comes with a personal reference number for tracking your bag. It’s important to keep this document secure, as you’ll need it later on.
- Await the retrieval of your bag. In most cases, lost baggage is located within the first 24 hours. Once your bag is found, the airline will contact you to make arrangements for its delivery.
Remember, quickly reporting the issue and getting a Property Irregularity Report helps solve the problem faster and get your checked baggage back sooner.
How to Track Your Lost Baggage?
Once you receive a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and a personal reference number at the airport, it’s important to keep this document safe since you’ll need it to track your luggage.
To monitor the status of your delayed or lost baggage, use the online baggage tracing system, the World Tracer Tool. When you report your lost bag, the representatives will give you all the necessary details. You’ll usually have to provide key information like your name and the PIR number to use this baggage tracking service.
Remember, the number on your baggage tag is not the same as your PIR number. Be sure to keep this distinction in mind while trying to track your lost baggage.
Czech Airlines Delayed Baggage Compensation
What are your rights if your baggage is delayed?
Could you be entitled to Czech Airlines’ delayed baggage compensation?
Your Baggage Is Delayed For a Few Days
Airlines work hard to deliver bags within 24 hours, but most lost bags are found and delivered within 72 hours. That’s what see from the data.
Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred Due to Delay
If your baggage is delayed, remember that you can get money back for things like toiletries, underwear, and clothes you need right away (things that were in your bag, which are now delayed). Make sure to keep your receipts to get reimbursed easily.
Please remember, that only essentials are covered.
To initiate the reimbursement process, the claim must be submitted within 21 days from the date of receiving the lost baggage.
Reimbursement for expenses if often called “delayed baggage compensation”.
Lost Baggage (You Can Get Compensation)
Czech Airlines has a maximum of 21 days to locate and return your misplaced baggage.
In the event that your delayed baggage remains lost beyond the 21-day period, it is officially considered lost. At this point, you have the right to file a claim for compensation with the airline.
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for compensation of up to around €1,300.
Please be aware that it is not recommended to pack electronics, art, jewelry, and similar valuables in checked baggage. This is because Czech Airlines (as well as most airlines globally) is not liable to fully compensate for the value of such items. Compensation is subject to the limits defined by the Montreal Convention and the airline’s Conditions of Carriage.
When submitting a claim for lost baggage, you will need to provide your boarding pass, baggage tags, and the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) along with your reference number. If you incurred any additional expenses while waiting for your baggage, you can include them in your claim by providing the corresponding receipts.
Please send a written claim to the airline, or submit your claim via email.
Is Travel Insurance Necessary?
Do you need travel insurance?
It depends.
Travel insurance helps if you need to claim for lost baggage. It’s often easier to claim from an insurer than an airline. But, you can still get compensation from the airline without insurance. Remember that airlines follow their own rules for lost and delayed bags. They have to pay you back only up to a certain amount, according to international rules like the Montreal Convention. At the same time, travel insurance may have a bigger coverage.
Before you buy insurance, check what it covers, especially for delayed and lost bags.
Travel Prepared
To be ready for lost or delayed baggage, pack extra clothes and underwear in your carry-on, especially when going to places with special weather needs. For example, when travelling to the tropics, and going on a beach holiday, pack swimwear in your carry-on.
Additionally, it is recommended to keep medications and valuable items in your carry-on baggage as a precautionary measure. This strategy helps protect against the loss or mishandling of checked baggage, ensuring you’re prepared for any unexpected events while travelling.
Please note that the rules for compensation for delayed, damaged or lost baggage with Czech Airlines are the same as those for other airlines. This is due to the Montreal Convention, which applies to the carriage of baggage on most international flights operated by Czech Airlines and other airlines globally.