Ryanair passengers who check in luggage will need to arrive at the airport earlier from next week, as bag drop services will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure instead of the current 40 minutes.
The change takes effect on November 10 at all Ryanair airports and affects about 20% of travellers who check in bags, including those with 10kg or 20kg hold bags. Passengers using bag drop must check in and hand over their bags at least one hour before their flight. For example, if a flight departs at 10am, the desks will close at 9am with no exceptions.
Reason for the change
The rule, announced in April, is designed to give the 20% of Ryanair passengers who check in a bag more time to get through security and passport control and reach their gate before boarding, especially during busy travel periods. It is also intended to help reduce the number of people who miss flights because of delays at security or passport control.
The remaining 80% of Ryanair passengers who do not check in bags are unaffected by this 20-minute change. They will continue to check in online before going to the airport and can go straight through security to their gate.
Online check-in unchanged
The online check-in window on the Ryanair website or app remains the same and will still close two hours before departure.
Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said: “From Tues, November 10, 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.”
How to prepare
To avoid missing a flight, passengers are advised to aim to arrive at the airport car park three hours before departure, providing a buffer to handle logistics and reach the desk before it closes.
Recommended steps include checking in online via the Ryanair app or website up to two hours before the flight to avoid airport check-in fees, downloading digital boarding passes to a phone’s wallet for offline access, pre-booking airport parking with shuttle buses that run at least every 10 minutes, checking traffic alerts for roadworks or delays, going straight to a self-service kiosk to print luggage tags, and joining the staffed or automated bag drop line to scan bags before the 60-minute deadline.
