Ryanair moves airport check-in and bag-drop deadline to one hour

Ryanair's airport check-in and bag-drop services close sixty minutes before scheduled departure from November 10, replacing the previous forty-minute deadline. The airline says the change applies across its airports and was announced earlier this year.

The earlier cutoff is intended to leave more time for passengers to pass security and passport controls and reach the departure gate. The airline says about one fifth of its passengers check in a bag. Those travellers must complete the airport process before the new deadline, not simply arrive at the terminal at that time.

Passengers who have already checked in online and travel without checked baggage are not affected by this particular change, according to the airline. They still need to meet the separate requirements for security, boarding and reaching their flight.

The rule concerns this airline's services, rather than a universal requirement imposed on every carrier or airport. A later flight time shown elsewhere should not be assumed to change a deadline expressed against scheduled departure. Travellers should use the instructions for their own booking when planning their airport arrival.