Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (10 March) announced it will move to 100% web check-in from 1st October 2009. This move will allow all passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check-in online thereby avoiding time wasting queues and delays at airport check-in desks. Ryanair’s web check-in service is open from 15…
Ryanair confirms 1 October 2009 for web-only check-in
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (10 March) announced it will move to 100% web check-in from 1st October 2009.
This move will allow all passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check-in online thereby avoiding time wasting queues and delays at airport check-in desks.
Ryanair’s web check-in service is open from 15 days to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time of each flight. Web check-in can be accessed via ryanair.com using booking confirmation numbers or flight details to retrieve each reservation.
Having printed their boarding cards at home passengers without check-in bags can continue to proceed directly through airport security while those with check-in bags can simply present at one of Ryanair’s “drop desks” before proceeding through airport security to the boarding gate. This will free passengers from wasting hours at airports prior to departure and will dramatically reduce travel times for all Ryanair passengers.
Ryanair will phase in the introduction of its 100% web check-in as follows:
* Phase 1: From 19th March 2009, Ryanair’s web check-in service will be extended to (a) non EU/EEA citizens, (b) passengers travelling with checked baggage and (c) reduced mobility customers.
Customers choosing web check-in and travelling with only carry-on bags will continue to enjoy this service free of charge. A web check-in 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 an airport check-in fee of £10/€10 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
* Phase 2: From 1st May 2009 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 1st May 2009. In order to dissuade passengers from using airport check-in desks, the fee for airport check-in will double to £20/€20 per person/per flight at the time of booking.
* Phase 3: From 1st October 2009 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 will use the airport “bag drop” desks, if required. 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 Stephen McNamara said: “Ryanair’s web check-in service is currently used by up to 75% of our passengers. This increasing trend has allowed Ryanair to continue to reduce our guaranteed lowest fares. Ryanair’s average one way air fare has now been reduced (by a further 9% in the last quarter) to just €34.
“Ryanair will phase in 100% web check-in and our “bag drop” service during summer 2009 thereby allowing all Ryanair passengers to benefit from the convenience of avoiding airport check-in queues.
“Ryanair’s move to 100% 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”.
More information:
* Ryanair
