Ryanair has extended its online check-in window for passengers who do not pay to choose a seat, while travellers have reported a change to when they learn where they will be sitting.
Passengers who opt for free random seat allocation can now check in online between 72 hours and two hours before departure. Previously, the window opened just 24 hours before their flight. The extra time gives passengers more flexibility and could help them avoid forgetting to check in. Those who miss the online check-in deadline face an airport check-in fee of £55 or €55 per person.
Seat allocation now revealed later
However, a second reported change could be less welcome. Travellers who flew with the airline over the weekend said their randomly allocated seat number was not revealed until three hours before departure, rather than when they checked in.
Previously, passengers hoping to avoid seat selection fees of between £3 and £42.50 could check in as soon as the window opened and see which seat they had been given. If they were unhappy with it, they had time to decide whether to pay for a different one. A later seat allocation would leave them with much less time to make that choice.
Passengers react to the change
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."
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."
Travel publication Goosed suggested the reported 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."
Ryanair's response and bag drop change
It remains unclear whether the reported three-hour allocation is being used across all Ryanair services or tested on selected Dublin-to-UK routes. In a statement, Ryanair confirmed the longer check-in window but did not confirm that all randomly allocated seats would be revealed three hours before departure.
A 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 is also changing its airport bag drop deadline. From tomorrow, its bag drop facilities will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, rather than 40 minutes.
