Ryanair has today announced it is to stop using airport check-in desks and offer a web check-in service only for customers from October 1st.
The airline said the move will benefit passengers by cutting out delays at check-in desks.
Ryanair’s web check-in service will be open from 15 days to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time of each flight. Customers can access the online check-in service using booking confirmation numbers or flight details to retrieve each reservation from the Ryanair website.
From March 19th, Ryanair’s web check-in service will be extended to non EU/EEA citizens, passengers travelling with checked baggage and reduced mobility customers. Customers choosing web check-in and travelling with only carry-on bags will not be charged to use the service but a fee of £5/€5 per person/per flight will apply to passengers travelling with checked baggage, while customers who wish to use airport check-in will be charged a check-in fee of £10/€10 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
From May 1st, all new bookings will be required to use web check-in, and the use of traditional airport check-in desks will be phased out over the summer months. The web check-in fee of £5/€5 per person, per flight will apply to all new bookings (except promotional fares) from that date on.
In order to dissuade passengers from using airport check-in desks, the fee will double to £20/€20 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
From October 1st, airport check-in desks will no longer be available at any Ryanair airport. All passengers will be required to web check-in and those who have checked in bags can use the airport “bag drop” desks, if required.
In addition from this date, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to travel unaccompanied and passports and national ID cards will be the only accepted forms of photo ID on Ryanair flights.
Ryanair’s said its web check-in service is currently used by up to 75 per cent of its passengers.
“Ryanair’s move to 100 per cent web check-in from 1st October 2009 is a first for the airline industry and is another pioneering move from Ryanair, which will again lower the cost of flying for millions of Ryanair customers. We are confident that all passengers will embrace this improved service which will allow them to forever avoid check-in queues while at the same time it will enable Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass on these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares next winter," said the ariline's head of communications Stephen McNamara
