Payments at gates

Dear passengers, we would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention an important piece of information regarding airlines that, based on their valid conditions of carriage, may require their passengers to make additional "airport" payments at the boarding gates in cases where the passenger does not meet specific conditions of carriage of the chosen airline. This is most often the maximum permissible size of hand baggage and its total number per single passenger.

Therefore, in accordance with the above, we strongly encourage all passengers to inform themselves sufficiently about their specific right regarding the transport of hand baggage directly on board the plane with the chosen airline before upcoming departure.

Hand baggage is thoroughly checked at the Bratislava airport by dedicated and trained staff at the boarding gates. However, we always offer passengers the opportunity to repack their baggage that exceeds the specified parameters at the boarding gate within the limits of current possibilities, if this means that the transport conditions will be well met. However, this usually does not apply to reinforced or plastic carry-on suitcases, which cannot be made smaller as dimensionally required.

If it is impossible to repack your baggage as required, a fee will be charged according to the applicable price list of the airline. Some companies then allow you to take the baggage you paid for with you on board the plane, while others require it to be handed over to the aircraft hold, and the passenger will pick it up afterwards at the baggage belt in the arrival’s hall after the arrival. Each checked baggage must have a corresponding baggage tag, which the passenger will receive after paying for the baggage in question.

Unfortunately, in cases where the passenger is unable to adapt his baggage sufficiently, or is unable to pay for the required fee, he automatically loses the right to transport his baggage in question on the given flight with the given airline. If the passenger nevertheless decides to fly, his unpaid baggage must remain at the boarding gate and its owner loses it irretrievably on the basis of leaving abandoned baggage in the restricted airport security area of the departure gates. Subsequently, the baggage will be thoroughly removed by summoned police officers according to valid security procedures.

If a passenger refuses to make the required payment to his airline, or refuses to hand over his baggage under the conditions of carriage to the hold of the aircraft, or refuses to cooperate and communicate with airport personnel regarding his hand baggage in the event of a challenge, he may be subject to the airline's conditions of carriage and be canceled from his upcoming flight, without the right to refund the funds spent for the flight, as well as any additional costs associated with it.

ATTENTION: Some airlines allow the requested payments to be billed only by debit or credit card, but without the full availability to pay in cash. Some companies also offer to make the payment directly in the mobile user application of the given airline if the passenger has it.

Before handing over hand baggage (or its equivalent) to the hold of the aircraft, it is absolutely necessary to remove from the baggage:

Lithium batteries, medicines, travel documents, money, and other valuables. We recommend also removing fragile items due to their possible damage during the transport of checked baggage in the hold of the aircraft. Otherwise, there is a potential safety risk not only for the passenger in question, but in the case of lithium batteries that have not been removed (they must be taken directly on board) to the entire plane.