Ryanair has changed how passengers who do not pay for a seat are allocated one, with random seat numbers now revealed three hours before departure rather than at the moment of check-in. The airline has also extended its online check-in window to between 72 hours and two hours before departure, replacing the previous 24-hour to two-hour period.
Extended check-in window
Passengers can now check in from 72 hours up to two hours before their flight, a significant extension of the previous 24-hour window. The change means travellers can complete check-in at their leisure, potentially reducing the chance they forget and are forced to pay a late check-in fee.
Ryanair charges an airport check-in fee of £55 or €55 per passenger if they fail to check in online up to two hours before their scheduled departure time.
Random seat allocation delayed
According to people who flew with the airline over the weekend, passengers who opt for random seat allocation at check-in now receive their seat number three hours before departure, rather than at the moment they check in. Previously, travellers keen to avoid paying between £3 and £42.50 extra to choose their seat had been checking in as early as possible to see which seat they were allocated, giving them time to decide whether to pay to change it.
The new system makes that harder, as passengers will not know their seat until closer to departure. A Reddit user, Transport Enthusiast, wrote: "This is due to new rule changes which aim to reduce the benefit of not paying for a seat, as now you won't know until the last minute where you are. This also diminishes the old tricks."
Another user, Vernacaian, added: "You used to be able to pay to change your seat if you didn't like the one randomly assigned at check-in. Therefore, if your preference is simply 'I don't want a middle seat' it was worth the gamble of not paying for a seat at the time of booking and seeing what was allocated. Now you'll need to pay in advance for a seat."
Reaction to the change
Travel publication Goosed wrote: "Let’s not dance around it, this is a nudge to buy seats. The whole point of paying for a Ryanair seat for most people isn’t legroom; it’s sitting beside the person they’re traveling with. Under the old system, you could take your chances, see the result a day early, and pay only if the dice went against you."
It added: "That safety net is now much thinner. You can still add a paid seat up to two hours before departure, but if your random seat only appears at the three-hour mark, you’ve roughly an hour to react, and that hour is usually spent in a taxi, on a bus to the airport, or stuck in the security queue. Most couples and groups won’t fancy that gamble, so expect more people to pay for seats at the booking stage instead."
It is not clear whether the new system is in place across all Ryanair routes or is being trialled on some Dublin-to-UK routes. Ryanair has been asked to clarify the situation.
A spokesperson for the airline told the Mirror: "Passengers who choose not to reserve a seat can now check in between 72 hours and two hours before departure, an extension of the previous 24-hour check-in window. Passengers who do not purchase a reserved seat will continue to receive a seat free of charge through random seat allocation. In line with Ryanair's policy, these seats are assigned after check-in and between 72 hours and two hours prior to departure.
"This change provides customers with greater flexibility by allowing them to check in earlier ahead of their flight, while customers who wish to select a specific seat can continue to reserve one at any stage before departure."
Bag drop change
From tomorrow, the low-cost airline will close its airport bag drop services 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40-minute rule.
