Ryanair has announced that from Tuesday, November 10, check-in and bag drop services at all its airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, a 20-minute increase from the current 40-minute cutoff.
Reason for the Change
The move aims to give passengers more time to get through airport security and passport queues, reducing the number of travelers who miss their flights due to congestion in these areas. Ryanair noted that the change targets the small percentage of passengers who currently miss departures because of queue delays.
Self-Service Kiosks Expansion
Ryanair is also installing more self-service bag-drop kiosks across its network. By October, over 95% of airports will have these kiosks, which are fully integrated with the Ryanair app. Passengers can check in bags and print bag tags using the kiosks, speeding up the bag-drop process and cutting waiting times.
Impact on Passengers
This improvement will give the 20% of Ryanair guests who check in a bag slightly more time to clear security and passport queues and reach their departure gate before boarding starts. The remaining 80% of passengers who do not check in bags are unaffected; they will continue to check in online before arriving at the airport and proceed directly to their departure gate.
Official Statement
Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said: “From Tues 10 Nov next, Ryanair customers will see airport check-in and bag drops close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of today’s 40 minutes. This will allow these 20% of our customers (who check in a bag) more time to clear through airport security and passport queues, and get to their departure gate on-time, especially during busy travel periods when some of these airport queues can be longer. We are also installing self-service kiosks at over 95% of Ryanair airports before October. This means a quicker bag-drop service, less queuing at airport desks, and an even more punctual service for the 20% of our customers who still wish to check-in a bag, while the 80% (who don’t check-in a bag) will be unaffected by this small 20 minute change, as they will continue to check-in online before they arrive at the departure airport and they go straight through airport security to their departure gate.”
