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CIT/UIC Passenger Claims Conference 2023 in Prague

Delay/cancellation confirmations, endorsements on tickets, claims forms from a legal, procedural and practical point of view, and the digitalisation of related processes to improve the passenger travel experience were some of the highlights of this year's CIT/UIC Passenger Claims Conference, held in Prague on 27 September 2023 with the support of CD (Czech Railways).

Meeting in person with more than 75 participants

The very good attendance (more than 75 participants) from all over Europe showed that there is still an interest in meeting in-person even in the post-pandemic period.

As in previous years, the event was chaired by Isabelle Saintilan (Eurostar), the CIV Committee Chair, followed by speeches by Gilles Mugnier, the new CIT Secretary General, and Marc Guigon, Director of the UIC Passenger Department. In their speeches, both gentlemen underlined the fruitful cooperation (more than 11 years) at this event and paid tribute to the cooperation between the two organisations in general.

Delay confirmations and claims forms from a legal and practical point of view

After the introductory part of the conference, Isabelle Saintilan gave an overview on claim forms and delay confirmations in the new Rail Passenger Rights Regulation (PRR) which has been applicable since June 2023, and an outline of the Implementing Act on a common EU Claims Form drafted by the European Commission. Her presentation was followed by that of Oliver Hirschfeld (DB), the CIV Working Group Chair, who presented the link between the law (CIV, PRR) and the practical and procedural challenges in this field (applicable law, AIV, AJC, MIRT, etc.).

Nina Scherf and Jan Vávra (CIT) presented the outcomes of the CIT survey and their analyses of the CIT harmonised delay confirmation which is an important starting point for its digitalisation. The first session was concluded by Fabrice Setta from UIC with a presentation on the ongoing digitalisation work in passenger transport. He presented the means to digitalise delay confirmations and to support passengers in real time during their journey, as well as to support complaints departments in after-sales processes.

Practical implementation of the law

In the second session, Piotr Pilski (PKP IC) and Massimiliano Astrologo, together with Cinzia Pallante (Trenitalia), explained how they deal in practice with delay confirmations, ticket endorsements and complaint forms, and what support measures they use to improve the passenger experience.

Fruitful interactive part with discussion and workshop

The highlight of the conference was the workshop part, which included an interactive discussion session on specific topics; in particular, the discussion on current practice in the application of the AIV is a very valuable starting point for reflection on possible improvements to the content and form of this agreement. These discussions were followed by case studies, this time dealing with some typical and complex issues encountered in today's claims processing departments.

The lively discussions showed the value of networking in-person and the importance of sharing views between participants. 

At the end of the conference, the participants were invited to next year’s Passenger Claims Conference, which will be held on 25 September 2024 in the Netherlands (Utrecht).

jan.vavra(at)@cit-rail.org