Greece holidays

Ryanair passengers checking in luggage will have less time to reach the airport desk under a new deadline

Anyone travelling with Ryanair who leave their airport journey until the last minute could risk missing their flight when a new rule takes effect. From Tuesday, November 10, airport check-in and bag-drop desks will close 60 minutes before departure, instead of the current 40 minutes.

The change means travellers checking in a suitcase will need to get their bags accepted earlier than they may be used to, even if they have already checked in online. For a flight scheduled to leave at 10am, the deadline will move from 9.20am to 9am. Ryanair carried 206.5 million passengers in the 2025 calendar year.

Travel expert Arber Abdullahu, from TripSIM, has urged holidaymakers to check their airport arrangements before setting off, particularly if they have booked a transfer. He warned that having a boarding pass on a phone does not mean a checked bag has been accepted or that passengers can arrive at the desk whenever they like.

“Checking in online can make you feel that everything is sorted. But if you’re taking a suitcase that needs to go in the hold, you still have a separate deadline to meet at the airport,” he said.

Getting to the airport and reaching the correct desk are not necessarily the same thing, as travellers may need to park, take a shuttle, find their terminal and queue. Anyone relying on a transfer that arrives shortly before the cut-off should review the timings rather than treating the deadline as their target arrival time.

The change could also catch people out on their return journey if they are away when the new rule begins. Someone flying out before November 10 but returning on or after that date should check the deadline for both legs and make sure their hotel pick-up leaves enough time to reach the airport.

“Don’t assume the routine that worked on your outbound flight will work for your return. Check your hotel pick-up time and tell the transfer provider which flight you are taking,” Mr Abdullahu said.

Ryanair says the earlier cut-off is intended to give passengers more time to get through airport security and passport-control queues before reaching their departure gate. The airline says around 20 per cent of its passengers check in a bag, while those who check in online and travel without checked luggage will be unaffected by the bag-drop change.

Passengers should remember that online check-in has a separate deadline and remains open until two hours before departure. Anyone using airport check-in or bag drop should check the latest instructions for their flight and allow enough time to complete each stage of the journey.

She was celebrating her 390th birthday but now has a broken back – her family wants to bring her home

A woman has been badly injured after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony while celebrating her 30th birthday on a dream holiday in Greece. Denby McLaren suffered a broken vertebra, multiple broken bones in her foot and other injuries in the fall.

She his now in hospital in Greece, with her family desperate to bring her home to Larkhall, South Lanarkshire. Denby had been enjoying a birthday getaway with her mum.

A fundraiser set up to help get her home said: “No family should ever have to experience something like this, and never in a million years did we imagine we would find ourselves in this position. Denby was on holiday in Greece with her mum, celebrating what should have been a very special milestone – her 30th birthday.

“What should have been a happy time filled with memories has turned into every family’s worst nightmare.”

The fall left Denby with serious injuries and facing a long road to recovery far from home and her loved ones.

The fundraiser adds: “Denby has now spent four days in hospital in Greece, far away from home, her family and the people who love her most. It is impossible to put into words the fear, heartbreak and uncertainty that Denby and our family are experiencing right now.

“In a matter of moments, everything changed, and we are now facing a situation none of us could ever have prepared for. Our biggest wish is simple: we just want to bring Denby home.”

Denby requires specialist repatriation by air ambulance, travelling on a stretcher with medical assistance throughout the journey. But the cost has added further strain to the situation.

The fundraiser said: “We want nothing more than for Denby to be back on home soil, surrounded by her family, where she can receive the ongoing medical care and treatment she needs and begin the long road to recovery with her loved ones by her side.

“Right now, being able to get her home safely is our greatest priority. No one ever expects something like this to happen to someone they love, and the emotional and financial strain has been overwhelming.”

The fundraiser had raised more than £10,700 at the time of writing. The appeal added: “Any donation, no matter how big or small, would mean more to us than we could ever explain.

“Every single contribution will help us get one step closer to having Denby safely back with her family, where she belongs.”