Ryanair Moves Bag Drop Deadline to 60 Minutes Before Flight
Ryanair will close airport bag drop and check-in counters 60 minutes before departure starting November 10 to reduce missed flights during busy travel periods.
Starting Tuesday, November 10, Ryanair will close all airport bag drop desks and physical check-in counters 60 minutes before a flight's scheduled departure. This replaces the previous deadline of 40 minutes, moving the cutoff up by 20 minutes across all airports.
The airline stated the change aims to provide passengers more time to navigate security and passport control queues, reducing the number of travelers who miss flights due to terminal delays, particularly during peak holiday travel periods. This policy affects approximately 20% of customers who check 10kg or 20kg bags or require physical check-in assistance. The remaining 80% of passengers who check in online and travel with only hand luggage remain unaffected and can proceed directly to security.
This update follows a broader effort to streamline airport operations. Last year, the airline scrapped paper boarding passes in favor of digital versions to lower costs and fares. Additionally, Ryanair is rolling out self-service bag-drop kiosks, which it expects to be available at over 95% of its airports by October. These kiosks integrate with the Ryanair app to allow passengers to print tags and check bags more efficiently.
