From Tuesday 10 November 2026, Ryanair will close airport check-in and bag drop 60 minutes before scheduled departure at all of its airports, instead of 40 minutes123. Under Ryanair's conditions of carriage, the boarding gate still closes 30 minutes before departure4. The gap between the end of bag drop and gate closure therefore grows from 10 to 30 minutes. Passengers who check in online and travel without a hold bag are not affected1.

Why Ryanair is moving the cut-off

Ryanair says about 20% of its passengers check in a bag. The earlier cut-off is meant to give them more time to clear airport security and passport control and reach the gate before boarding starts, particularly in busy periods21. The airline also wants to reduce the small number of passengers who miss their flight because they are held up in those queues1. Ryanair announced the change on 22 April and reminded passengers of it on 27 October21.

Clause 6.2.4 of the conditions of carriage now states that for all passengers flying from 10 November 2026, check-in desks close strictly 60 minutes before scheduled departure unless passengers are notified otherwise. A passenger who has not completed check-in by then may be denied boarding without a refund4. A separate paragraph in Article 6 on bag-drop desks still gives 40 minutes and says the desk usually opens two hours before departure4.

Self-service kiosks and fees at the airport

In April, Ryanair said more than 95% of its airports would have self-service bag-drop kiosks by October. The kiosks are linked to the Ryanair app, so passengers can check in bags and print their own bag tags2. Online check-in remains available until two hours before departure; after that, checking in at the airport costs €/£55 per passenger per flight, or €/£30 from Spain and €/£40 from Austria45.

What happens to passengers who miss the cut-off

Ryanair's table of fees lists a Missed Departure Fee of €/£100 per passenger per flight to move to the next available flight, for passengers who reach the ticket desk up to an hour after departure5. Non-priority passengers who bring their 10kg check-in bag to the gate instead of dropping it have it refused or, where possible, placed in the hold for €/£46 to €/£755. A case from Brussels Airport shows how strictly the deadline is applied: a passenger who said he was two minutes late for the then 40-minute cut-off on 20 November 2024 was refused travel, and an Irish court dismissed his compensation claim on appeal, The Irish Times reported in January 20266.

For more on the airline, see the Ryanair profile, the Ryanair Future Flyer Academy and the Ryanair pilot selection practice. See also: O'Leary says Musk feud earned Ryanair up to $40m in publicity.