Your pre-travel checklist
- Measure wheels and handles too, and weigh the suitcase after packing.
- Save your purchased baggage allowance for both directions; compare limits if airlines differ.
Keep documents, contacts and travel essentials in the small bag that stays with you. Note which bag contains each important item. When travelling as a group, do not assume everyone’s weight allowance can automatically be pooled.
Personal bag, cabin suitcase and checked bag
Distinguish the under-seat personal bag, a larger cabin bag and a suitcase for the hold. Buying one does not automatically include the others. Open your actual booking, not only a fare advertisement. Note the permitted number of pieces, outer dimensions and weight for each traveller.
Measure the packed suitcase
Wheels, bulging pockets and fixed handles can change the actual size. Measure the packed bag at its widest points and compare it with the airline’s rules. Then weigh it. Leave a little room for morning additions and return-trip purchases. An online shop’s photograph or product dimensions do not replace checking your own packed suitcase.
Outbound and return may differ
Save the allowance for both directions. If the airline changes, check its rules separately, including a short connecting flight. Do not assume a group can pool weight allowances. Arrange any extra baggage through the airline booking before travelling rather than discovering the issue when leaving the car park.
Keep essentials accessible
Put documents, contacts and travel essentials in your small bag. Consider what happens if the larger cabin suitcase is taken at the gate: remove power banks and spare batteries before handing it over. Share a simple list of which bag contains important items. Do not leave valuables in the parked car.
Three different sets of rules
The airline sets size and weight allowances. Security checks permitted contents. Space for suitcases or a pushchair on the parking shuttle is a separate planning question. Approval in one area does not settle the other two. Tell the parking service about unusual or bulky luggage beforehand so the transfer can be arranged.
The evening-before checklist
Does everyone have the correct permitted bag? Have you measured handles and weighed the packed suitcase? Can you reach documents without opening it? Have you saved return-flight rules? Are power banks outside checked baggage? If you cannot answer, open the booking and the airline’s official guidance while still at home.
Official sources
Prague Airport: Cabin or checked baggage: what to check
Prague Airport: security screening
More travel preparation
- Liquids from Prague: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2
- Power banks on a flight: check before packing
- Prague Airport with a pushchair: car to arrivals
Common questions
Is a personal bag the same as a cabin suitcase?
No. A personal bag, larger cabin bag and checked suitcase can be different fare items. Check what your actual flight booking includes.
What if my suitcase is taken at boarding?
Remove power banks and spare lithium batteries before handover. Keep documents, contacts and flight essentials in the small bag that stays with you.
Does my ticket confirm space for a large bag on the shuttle?
No. The airline handles the flight; parking arranges shuttle capacity separately. Discuss pushchairs, skis and unusual dimensions before arrival.