Ryanair to close check-in 20 minutes earlier amid concern over Europe border queues | Ryanair
Ryanair has announced it will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes early to prevent passengers missing flights, amid concerns about border queues in Europe.
The budget airline, which carries 200 million passengers a year, will require all passengers to drop off their luggage or check in at the airport an hour before departure, instead of the current 40-minute window.
Ryanair said the change, which will come into force from November, will give passengers more time to clear airport security and passport control and reduce the number of people missing flights by getting stuck in queues.
Although the move does not come with the introduction of Europe’s entry-exit system (EES), which requires most non-EU citizens to provide biometric data at the border, the airline said the system was a factor in increasing passport queues.
It has been reported that there have been waits of several hours at some airports due to the gradual implementation of EES since October. Greece announced this week that it would not impose new checks on British citizens this summer for fear of chaos at the border. More than 100 passengers missed easyJet flights this month due to passport queues in Milan after the system was officially launched.
Ryanair said most passengers would not be affected by the check-in change, with around 80% completing formalities online and heading directly to the departure gate. Only 20% of customers check luggage at airports, and most pay for carry-on luggage or travel without luggage.
The airline said it will install self-service, baggage drop-off kiosks in more than 95% of its airports by October. Dara Brady, Ryanair’s marketing manager, said this would mean “faster baggage drop service, fewer queues at airport counters and more punctual service for the 20% of our customers who still want to drop off baggage”.
The Irish airline, Europe’s largest by passenger numbers, is at the forefront of changes to baggage rules, including requiring passengers to pay for carry-on luggage. It is notorious for rigidly enforcing sizes, encouraging staff to catch up and issuing penalties to those who break the rules.
While many of the changes sparked initial backlash, the airline’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, was unrepentant and suggested the traveling public should be grateful for the incentive to travel light.
