Ryanair check-in and bag drop desks will close 60 minutes before departure from November 10 (Image: Getty)
Ryanair has confirmed a major check-in change for all flights from Tuesday, November 10, as part of a new measure to cut airport security and passport control queues. From November 10, airport bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes. The budget airline said the change will give Ryanair passengers who check in a bag an extra 20 minutes to clear airport security and passport control ahead of their flight. The change aims to reduce the number of passengers who miss their flights due to delays in airport queues, particularly during busy travel periods, allowing people a longer window to reach their departure gate before boarding begins.
Ryanair said most passengers will be unaffected by this 20 minute change, which was first announced in April, as around 80% of its customers check-in online before arriving at the airport and go straight to their departure gate on arrival.
Only around 20% of Ryanair customers check-in bags at the airport, with the majority opting to pay for a cabin bag or travel without luggage, but the extra 20 minutes will give these passengers more time to get to their gate before boarding starts.
Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “From Tues, 10 November, bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes.
“This small change will give the 20% of Ryanair passengers who check in a bag, more time to clear airport security and passport control queues and get to their departure gate before boarding begins, particularly during busy travel periods when airport queues can be longer.
“We remind passengers using airport bag drop services to arrive at the airport in good time and ensure they have checked in and dropped their bags before check-in and bag drop closes 60 minutes before departure. The remaining 80% of passengers who check in online and do not check in a bag are unaffected by this change.”
Despite the longer check-in window from Tuesday, all passengers with flights booked are reminded to arrive at the airport in plenty of time and to check bag drop deadlines ahead of travel, as missing your flight isn’t usually covered by travel insurance.
Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “From next week, Ryanair bag drop will close 60 minutes before departure, instead of 40. Passengers with a checked bag will need to drop it 20 minutes earlier. This change should take some of the stress out of flying, giving passengers more time to clear security and reach the gate without a frantic dash through the airport.”
“It mainly affects those travelling with a checked bag, as anyone carrying just a cabin bag who has checked in online won’t be affected. Either way, it’s a good reminder to arrive in plenty of time and to check your airline’s bag drop deadlines before you travel, as these can differ from one carrier to the next.
“It’s worth knowing that if you miss your flight simply because you didn’t leave enough time at the airport, that usually isn’t something travel insurance will cover. Missed departure cover tends to apply only when the delay was outside your control, like a breakdown or public transport failure. So giving yourself plenty of time really is the safest way to protect your trip.”
The change comes following the introduction of Europe’s Entry Exit System (EES) on April 10 which requires non-EU citizens to register biometric data at the external borders of 29 European countries in the Schengen area.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said while British travellers don’t need to take any action before arriving at the border on entry to the Schengen area, passengers are warned to prepare to wait “longer than usual” and to allow more time for immigration controls.
In further improvements for passengers, Ryanair also announced plans earlier this year to install more self-service bag-drop kiosks to speed up the check-in process, with more than 95% of airports due to have these in place from October.
The airline said the self-service kiosks are fully integrated with the Ryanair app to enable passengers to check-in bags and print luggage tags, helping to speed up bag-drop and reduce waiting times.
