Published: 23.03.2021.
Updated: 18.12.2024.

Your Passenger Rights (link to Your Europe)

According to the requirements outlined in the Law "On Aviation", a claim against a carrier regarding the loss, shortage, damage, or delay of carry-on items, checked baggage, or cargo, as well as in cases of denied boarding, flight cancellation, or long delay, can only be submitted to the responsible authority or court after filing a written complaint in accordance with the procedure specified by law.

For the loss, shortage, or damage of carry-on items, a complaint must be submitted to the carrier immediately upon arrival at the destination or other disembarkation point.

In cases of denied boarding, flight cancellation, or long delay, if the incident occurs at an airport in Latvia or in another country where the flight is operated by a Latvian carrier, the complaint must be submitted to the carrier within six months from the date of the flight or the scheduled flight date.

According to Article 406 of the Commercial Law, claims against the carrier are subject to a three-year statute of limitations.

The Consumer Rights Protection Centre (CRPC) is the responsible authority for overseeing Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (February 11, 2004), which establishes common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellations, or long delays and repeals Regulation (EEC) No 295/91. CRPC also assists passengers in disputes with carriers. It has the competence to review complaints regarding flights departing from Latvia and flights from third countries (non-EU) to Latvia. The competent authority of that country handles complaints related to incidents that occurred in another EU country.

Please note that not all supervisory authorities of the Regulation review individual passenger complaints. Furthermore, CRPC does not issue decisions on the enforcement of claims when reviewing individual passenger complaints.

Attention! Before contacting CRPC, passengers must first contact the airline.

How to contact CRPC?

You can submit your complaint to CRPC in the following ways:

  • Electronically: Send it to pasts@ptac.gov.lv (if you are a Latvian resident, the document must be signed with a secure electronic signature) or submit it via the www.latvija.gov.lv portal.
  • By post: Send it to Brīvības Str. 55, Rīga, LV-1010.

Required documents for submitting a complaint to CRPC:

  • A copy of the complaint submitted to the carrier;
  • A copy of the carrier’s response, if provided;
  • A copy of the ticket and boarding pass;
  • Any other documents that support the existence of the dispute.

If a passenger is represented by an agent in the dispute, an authorization letter signed by the passenger must also be submitted. If legal representatives represent children, a copy of the child's birth certificate must be attached.

If you fail to resolve the dispute with the carrier, you have the right to continue dispute resolution with an out-of-court dispute resolution body (in accordance with Directive 2013/11/EU) or in court.

Out-of-court dispute resolution is a fast, low-cost, and effective way to resolve consumer disputes.

Information about out-of-court dispute resolution bodies in the field of air passenger rights within the European Union is available on the European Commission's website. It should be noted that each out-of-court dispute resolution body may have its own specific requirements for reviewing disputes. Therefore, passengers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the requirements of the relevant dispute resolution body.

If a dispute arises between you and a carrier registered in Latvia concerning a flight from a third country to Latvia or a flight from Latvia, you can contact the Consumer Dispute Resolution Commission, which is an out-of-court dispute resolution body for air passenger rights in Latvia.

You can contact the Commission for the following reasons:

  • Unpaid compensation;
  • Failure to provide care in cases of flight cancellation, delay, or denied boarding;
  • Failure to refund the cost of flight tickets;
  • Other cases arising from Regulation No 261/2004.

Important! The Commission will review your dispute only if:

  • You have previously contacted CRPC or the European Consumer Information Centre (EPIC) and
  • if the dispute between you and the carrier has not been resolved.

The Commission will not review your dispute if:

  • You have not attempted to resolve the dispute directly with the carrier;
  • more than one year has passed since the date the complaint or application was submitted to the carrier;
  • the carrier has been declared insolvent;
  • the dispute concerns damages, payment documents, or debt collection;
  • the dispute is being reviewed (or has been reviewed) by another out-of-court dispute resolution body, or the dispute falls under the competence of such a body;
  • reviewing the dispute would significantly disrupt the effective operation of the Commission;
  • the dispute is minor or trivial;
  • the dispute relates to goods or services priced below € 20 or above € 14 000.

Important! The Commission will review your dispute if you have previously addressed the PTAC or the European Consumer Information Centre, but the dispute between you and the carrier will not be resolved.

The Commission will not consider your dispute if:

  • You will not be looking at the carrier to resolve the dispute by negotiation;
  • more than a year has elapsed since the date on which the complaint or application was lodged with the carrier;
  • the declared insolvency of the carrier;
  • the dispute relates to losses, payment documents or recovery of debt;
  • an out-of-court dispute settlement or an out-of-court dispute settlement, as well as where the settlement of the dispute falls within the competence of an out-of-court dispute Solver;
  • resolving the dispute would seriously disrupt the effective functioning of the Commission;
  • the dispute is insignificant or petty;
  • the dispute is the case for a good or service with a price not exceeding EUR 20 or for a good or service with a price exceeding EUR 14 000.

How to Contact the Consumer Dispute Resolution Commission?

If you have failed to resolve the dispute with the carrier and wish to continue dispute resolution, you must submit an application addressed to the Commission via PTAC or EPIC.

Dispute resolution in the Commission is free of charge.

The Commission will review the dispute within 90 days from the date all the necessary documents and information are received.

The decision made by the Commission is advisory and cannot be challenged or appealed. However, the decision must be voluntarily executed within 30 days or another term specified in the decision, starting from the date it comes into force. If the decision is not implemented, information about non-compliance will be posted on the Consumer Rights Protection Centre’s website under the “Blacklist” section.

You can submit an application to the Commission in the following ways:

Please note that an electronic application does not require an electronic signature.

The application must be accompanied by any information or documents that may be relevant for its consideration.

If you have already submitted all the information in your possession to PTAC or the European Consumer Information Centre (EPIC), you do not need to submit this information again.