East Midlands Airport

Passengers travelling with checked luggage face stricter deadlines from November 10

Budget airline Ryanair has confirmed it is making a major change to one of its luggage rules. The upcoming change, set to take place from next month, is expected to affect millions of people who fly with the airline.

Ryanair announced it is changing its airport check-in and bag drop rules, starting November 10, giving passengers less time to drop off their luggage before a flight. The change is hoped to give passengers more time to clear airport queues before takeoff.

Under the new policy, Ryanair will close all airport bag drop desks and physical check-in counters strictly 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time. This is a significant shift from the airline’s previous rule, which allowed passengers to drop off their checked luggage up to 40 minutes before takeoff.

The airline has stated that the extra 20-minute window is being introduced to help operations run more smoothly. If your flight is at 10am, you used to have until 9.20am to drop your bags. Starting November 10, you must have them dropped by 9am.

According to Ryanair, the change is designed to give passengers more time to successfully navigate airport security lines and passport control queues. Ryanair says this should help reduce the number of travellers who miss their flights due to airport delays.

Who is affected by the new rule?

The rule change specifically impacts the estimated 20% of Ryanair passengers who travel with checked luggage or require physical check-in assistance at the airport desk. If you have paid for a 10kg or 20kg checked bag, you must ensure your luggage is fully processed at the bag drop kiosk or desk at least 1 hour before your flight is scheduled to depart.

Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “From Tues, 10 Nov, bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes. This small change will give the 20% of Ryanair passengers who check in a bag, more time to clear airport security and passport control queues and get to their departure gate before boarding begins, particularly during busy travel periods when airport queues can be longer.

“We remind passengers using airport bag drop services to arrive at the airport in good time and ensure they have checked in and dropped their bags before check-in and bag drop closes 60 minutes before departure. The remaining 80% of passengers who check in online and do not check in a bag are unaffected by this change.”

Who can skip the queue?

The vast majority of Ryanair passengers will see no change to their travel routine. Roughly 80% of the airline’s customers travel with cabin baggage only and check in via the official Ryanair app or website. If you are travelling with hand luggage only and have already downloaded your digital boarding pass, you do not need to visit the check-in desks.

You can continue to bypass the counters and head straight through airport security as normal. Ryanair’s standard online check-in timelines remain completely unchanged. Passengers can still check in online via the app or website up to two hours before their scheduled departure.

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What happens if you arrive late?

Passengers are being urged to double-check their airport arrival times ahead of the November 10 deadline. Ryanair is known for its strict enforcement of cut-off times. If you arrive at the bag drop desk less than 60 minutes before your flight, the airline will close the desk, and you will not be allowed to check your luggage.

Missing this deadline will likely result in you being denied boarding, and Ryanair does not offer refunds for missed flights. To ensure a stress-free journey, holidaymakers and business travellers alike are advised to arrive at the airport well in advance of the new one-hour cutoff.

A new passport rule will be introduced across 13 airports from this month, and it’s good news for holidaymakers as it could allow for a smoother travel experience

Airports across the UK are rolling out new contactless technology that will allow Brits to pass through the e-gates without presenting their passports. This is due to an enhanced facial recognition system that will capture the returning passenger’s face at the e-gates and cross-reference it with their passport photograph already stored on file.

The upgraded technology, being introduced at the e-gates of 13 UK airports, will help to speed up security checks and is said to dramatically cut queues by up to 25 per cent, according to the Home Office. It will also provide British passport holders with a smoother journey home, as they no longer need to rummage around for their document or face lengthy border control queues.

Phil Douglas, director general of Border Force, said: “This is a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country. By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security. Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families.”

To make the process more efficient, it’s been reported that airlines would forward passport photos of their British passengers to border control at each airport on the day of arrival, which would then be uploaded onto the e-gates system. Douglas added: “Because we know who’s coming and can load up that gallery of who is arriving, it’s not a one in 60 million check, it’s a one in tens of thousands check [because the system only needs to check against the passports of passengers travelling on that particular day].”

The phased introduction of the revamped system began on Tuesday, 6 October, and will initially launch at Birmingham and East Midlands airports over the coming weeks. By early next year, the new ‘contactless borders’ will be rolled out across other UK airports already equipped with e-gates.

Steve Griffiths, managing director of East Midlands Airport, said: “We’re delighted to be the first UK airport to have contactless eGates introduced by Border Force. As an airport committed to providing an effortless travel experience, we welcome any technological innovation that can help to safely make our customers’ journeys smoother, swifter and simpler. This complements changes that we carried out to our immigration hall recently to help improve the flow of arriving passengers through the area.”

Full list of 13 UK airports impacted

1. Birmingham Airport
2. Bristol Airport
3. Cardiff Airport
4. East Midlands Airport
5. Edinburgh Airport
6. Glasgow Airport
7. London City Airport
8. London Gatwick Airport
9. London Heathrow Airport
10. London Luton Airport
11. London Stansted Airport
12. Manchester Airport
13. Newcastle International Airport

While the system will initially be introduced for British passport holders using e-gates at UK airports, there are proposals to extend it to other nationalities holding biometric passports, including those from Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the US. Officials hope it will streamline re-entry into the UK and prevent disruptions at border controls.

Passengers who cannot be identified at the e-gate under the new system would need to revert to the existing method and scan their passports instead. Should this also prove unsuccessful, they will be directed to a staffed border control desk where their passport will be manually verified.

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