I wish I had done my research before booking with this awful airline. My wife and I flew from Milan (MXP) to Split (SPU) on September 22, and my bag never arrived. That obviously upset us, but we followed the procedure, filed a PIR report with Split Lost and Found (which is right in the luggage pickup area), and they told us that normally, when this happens, the luggage is sent the next day. So, we thought, "Okay, let's try to enjoy the trip, and tomorrow we'll have our things." How naive we were.

As soon as you deal with their abysmal customer service, you realize there's no one who cares enough to help. They basically say, "It's not in our hands now; take it up with Lost and Found." When you talk to Lost and Found, they throw the ball back at the airline. There's a complete lack of communication and cooperation.

The situation was so badly mismanaged that not only did the bag not arrive the next day on another flight, but they also told me it wouldn't be sent until September 26—four days later—to Split. So, we were forced to spend our entire stay at a beach destination without appropriate clothes. We had to buy essentials and file a report in hopes that they might reimburse us (and the reviews I’ve read from others aren’t encouraging).

Imagine spending hours of your short vacation in a shopping mall looking for clothes. You might think, "Okay, not a big deal," but try shopping for beach clothes at the end of September when stores are selling autumn/winter clothes. We were there to enjoy the last bit of warm weather. On top of that, I was calling and emailing the airline and Lost and Found every day to check on the bag, with barely any response.

By September 26, the day they had originally said the bag would be sent to Split, we were no longer in Split. I had already asked them two days earlier to send the bag to Madrid, our next destination, instead. Well, not only was the bag not sent to Madrid or Split on the 26th as promised, but it was still in Milan. Then, on September 27, to my utter shock and rage, the bag was sent to Split, even though I had clearly informed them days earlier that we would no longer be there. I was back to calling and emailing every contact I could find. You can write to their CEO or the person in charge of baggage tracing—it doesn’t matter. No one will reply or give you any useful information. They are completely useless.

I got more help from Iberia (which had nothing to do with the case) with the PIR number than from Croatia Airlines.

The bag finally arrived at Madrid Barajas Airport on September 28 at around 12:30 AM. It was sent on an Iberia flight (they’re the heroes in this story). I was told that once the bag arrived in Madrid, someone would call me to arrange delivery. That never happened, so I spent the last day of my trip calling Croatia Airlines. No one answered, and I emailed them a dozen times with no response. It was a Saturday—they were probably resting without a care in the world. So, I didn’t get my bag on the 28th.

On September 29, I had my flight back home. I went to the airport earlier than planned, hoping to somehow find my bag. Still no answer from Croatia Airlines. It was Sunday—they were still resting, I assume. I explained the ordeal at the information kiosk at Barajas, and they let me into the arrivals area where the lost luggage kiosks are. Since the bag was sent on an Iberia flight, I went to their desk with all the details. They were a bit impressed with my bag’s journey. It had been to Milan, Vienna, Split, Zagreb, and finally Madrid. With some patience and tracking of all the bag codes assigned during that journey, they were finally able to locate it.

So, after an entire trip without my belongings, I was only able to get my bag back at the airport right before checking in to fly home. My trip was ruined, and the best-case scenario is that they will reimburse me for a few hundred dollars worth of clothes. Meanwhile, I spent much more on flights and nice hotels, only to end up dealing with Croatia Airlines’ incompetence.

Please be aware of the type of company you’re dealing with if you decide to fly with Croatia Airlines. If you ever run into an issue (lost bags, delays, etc.), good luck. No one will be there to actually help you, and they will make the minimum effort, if any, on your behalf.

Truly terrible service. I missed by connecting flight because the flight departed late. The flight attendants refused to make an announcement to allow those with tight connection to deboard early.

Croatia Airlines is a regional operator serving mostly routes connecting capitals of Europe with Zagreb, the capitol of the country. Overall we had an ok experiance. It's good for short flights.

GARBAGE AIRLINE!!!!!! They go out of their way to make everyone miserable. Small, slow, HOT, cramped dirty little planes. Depart 1.5 hours late ..for no reason, no reason at all. Make you wait on broiling hot tarmac ..for no reason, no reason at all. And when you finally get in the Terminal ..you wait another hour HOPING to get your luggage. Also for no reason, no reason at all. Maybe staff is on their hourly Vodka break? TOTAL
DISGRACE. NEED TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS IMMEDIATELY

Pet friendly flights with reasonable prices and optimal flight schedules.

I would like to highlight the friendly customer service and my positive experience over the phone with Ivana , from Dubrovnik. She helped modifying our booking to be able to travel with our pet, with minimal extra cost.
I wish to thank her for her help.

The flight experience was just as expected, no negative remarks.