Ryanair has extended the online check-in window for passengers who do not pay to choose a seat, but the airline now assigns random seats closer to departure, leaving less time to decide whether to pay for a preferred seat. The change, reported over the weekend, also includes a tightened airport bag drop deadline.
Extended Check-In Window
Passengers who opt for free random seat allocation can now check in online between 72 hours and two hours before departure, an extension of the previous 24-hour window. The longer window gives travellers more flexibility and could help them avoid an airport check-in fee, which Ryanair charges at £55 or €55 per passenger if they fail to check in online at least two hours before their scheduled departure.
However, some passengers who flew with the airline over the weekend reported that they did not receive their randomly allocated seat number until three hours before departure, rather than at check-in, as reported by the Mirror. It remains unclear whether this applies across all routes or is being trialled on selected Dublin-to-UK services.
Impact on Seat Selection
Previously, travellers hoping to avoid paying between £3 and £42.50 to choose a seat could check in early, see their free allocation and then decide whether to pay for a preferred seat. Receiving a seat number closer to departure could leave them with less time to make that decision.
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 Reddit 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."
Bag Drop Deadline Change
Travel publication Goosed suggested the change could encourage more passengers to pay for seats when booking. It 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."
"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."
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "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."
Ryanair has been approached for clarification on whether the reported three-hour allocation time applies across its network. The airline is also changing its airport bag drop deadline, with bag drop services set to close 60 minutes before scheduled departure from tomorrow, rather than the current 40 minutes.
