The checked baggage must be delivered one hour before departure, no longer 40 minutes before. Schedules, supplements and what to do so as not to miss your flight
From Tuesday 10 November 2026, anyone flying with Ryanair and having a suitcase to check in will have to show up at the airport earlier. Check-in at the counter and bag drop, i.e. the delivery of hold luggage, will close 60 minutes before departure and no longer 40. The rule applies in all the company’s airports, including the Italian ones.
Ryanair bag drop: the new cut-off time
For a flight departing at 4pm the counter will close at 3pm, while until November 9th you could arrive until 3.20pm. Showing up at 3.05pm means staying on the ground with your suitcase, even if take-off is 55 minutes away. The time indicated is the maximum threshold, not the recommended time: during peak periods, especially Christmas, a wider margin is needed.
Why Ryanair anticipates the closure of check-in and bag drops
The declared objective is to give more time to those who have a suitcase to board, between security checks, passport checks and the journey to the gate, and thus reduce the cases of those who miss their flight because they are stuck in queues. Meanwhile, Ryanair is installing in its airports self bag dropsstations connected to the app where the passenger obtains the label for the suitcase himself. But the times do not change: 60 minutes.
Who must comply with the rule and how much does check-in at the airport cost
The change affects approximately one in five travellers. The others, who only carry hand luggage, do not change their habits: online check-in remains possible up to two hours before the flight, then you go straight to the controls with your boarding pass on your phone. Doing it online is also convenient to avoid supplement applicable for check-in at the airport: 55 euros per passenger and per route, 30 for flights departing from Spain. Whoever chooses the dealer will now have to do so within 60 minutes.
What happens if you arrive after closing
Beyond the limit the suitcase is no longer accepted. At that point you can get on board with only your hand luggage, leaving the trolley on the ground, or give up on the flight. And the delay is considered the passenger’s responsibility and does not give the right to a refund.
