Ryanair will close airport check-in and bag-drop services 60 minutes before scheduled departure from 10 November 2026, replacing the current 40-minute deadline across its airports. The change applies to passengers travelling with checked baggage and reduces the time available to hand over bags by 20 minutes. Ryanair estimates that about 20% of its passengers check in a bag.
The earlier cutoff is intended to give passengers more time to clear airport security and passport-control queues and reach their departure gates before boarding, particularly during busy travel periods. Passengers must complete both airport check-in and bag drop by the revised deadline; late arrival may prevent baggage acceptance and could mean they cannot travel.
The remaining 80% of passengers, who check in online and travel without checked baggage, will not be affected. They can continue to proceed directly to security after arriving at the airport.
Ryanair first announced the change in April and reiterated it in a passenger notice on 27 October. The airline has not specified airport-by-airport exceptions or whether local procedures for self-service bag-drop facilities will differ, so passengers should check the instructions for their departure airport.