Travel money

Ryanair passengers travelling with luggage face stricter rules starting tomorrow

Budget airline Ryanair is introducing a major rule change starting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, 2026. It will require millions of holidaymakers to adjust their arrival times at airports.

From tomorrow morning, physical check-in desks and airport bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close exactly 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time. This moves the deadline up by 20 minutes from the previous 40-minute cut-off. Ryanair has warned that anyone who reaches the desk in this final hour will be turned away and may miss their flight.

Who is affected by the new deadline?

The rule change specifically impacts the estimated 20% of Ryanair passengers who travel with checked luggage, such as 10kg or 20kg hold bags, or those who require in-person assistance at the airport terminal. If you have checked luggage, you must have your bags fully processed through the drop system before the one-hour countdown begins.

The 80% of passengers travelling cabin-bag-only are unaffected. If you only have hand luggage and check in online, your process remains unchanged; you can bypass the desks and proceed straight to airport security as usual.

Why is the rule changing?

According to Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dara Brady, the buffer is intended to create a smoother terminal experience. By forcing luggage to be dropped off earlier, the airline aims to reduce the number of travellers who miss their flights due to peak-time bottlenecks at security and passport control checkpoints.

Wider industry guidelines for online check-in have not changed. Passengers can still complete their check-in via the Ryanair App up to two hours before departure.

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However, the airline strongly urges anyone checking a bag this winter to treat the 60-minute mark as a hard cutoff and aim to arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure to account for potential queues.

In a statement on the Ryanair website, Ryanair CMA Dara Brady said: “From Tuesday, 10 November, 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 per cent 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.”

Ryanair carries approximately 214 million passengers per year. Ryanair and its subsidiary Ryanair UK operate flights from around 21 to 22 airports across the United Kingdom.

A squeeze on European airfares

The adjustment comes alongside a broader warning from CEO Michael O’Leary, who recently alerted European travellers to brace for historic airfare increases. Driven by rising jet fuel costs linked to geopolitical tensions and a reduction in overall European seat capacity due to airline bankruptcies and takeovers, average ticket prices are forecasted to jump by up to 20% over the coming months.

Polo Lam and his girlfriend Laura Matos say they only spent minutes on the phone to check Google Maps and the internet but were stunned at the final cost

A British traveller has warned holidaymakers about the risk of unexpected charges after spending just two hours in Monaco left him and his girlfriend with a £109 (€128.88) phone bill. Polo Lam, 30, from Whitby, North Yorkshire, was travelling across Europe with his girlfriend Laura Matos, 29, in September when the couple made a brief stop in Monaco.

Despite using just 18.66MB of mobile data between them, the pair were left picking up almost £85 (€99.79) in roaming charges, sending their monthly bill soaring to £109 (€128.88), compared with just £25 (€29.18) the previous month. Experts say 18.66MB is roughly the amount of data someone might use scrolling through Instagram for just three to 10 minutes, depending on the content being viewed.

The couple were enjoying a budget-friendly interrail holiday from Barcelona to Vienna, travelling through France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. While staying in Nice, they decided to visit nearby Menton and make a short stop in Monaco, which hadn’t originally been part of their plans.

Laura, a psychologist and founder of La CoolMente, said: “It was actually my idea to visit Monaco. I’d heard so much about the luxury and the famous casino, and I wanted to see what it was like for myself.”

But it was only when they continued their journey into Italy that Polo checked their mobile account and discovered the their trip had cost more than they bargained for. Speaking to Nomad eSIM, Polo said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the bill. We’d only been in Monaco for a few hours, and somehow our phone bill had jumped to £109 (€128.88).

“We’d barely used our phones. We only checked Google Maps and opened Instagram, but that was about it.

“What really scares me is thinking about what could have happened if we’d stayed overnight. If we’d spent a whole day or two there, we could potentially have been looking at a bill running into the hundreds, or even thousands of pounds.

“I’m pretty stingy when it comes to money, so you can imagine how I felt. We’d gone interrailing to have a relatively inexpensive holiday, and suddenly we had this huge phone bill.”

Laura added: “We were both confused about where the charges had come from. We’d only used our phones briefly to find our location, so we felt the bill was completely unreasonable. We kept talking about it for days afterwards because we’d been trying so hard to save money throughout the trip.”

Polo said the unexpected expense put a dampener on their holiday. “The worst part was thinking about what else we could have spent that money on. We were trying to keep costs down, and it would have paid for three or four meals out in some of the places we visited.”

Laura agreed that the money could have been put to much better use. She said: “We’d been avoiding expensive experiences to save money, so it was frustrating to see that money disappear on a phone bill without getting anything enjoyable in return.

“I’d much rather have spent it on a nice meal at a restaurant with a view, visiting a museum or even a more comfortable hotel. When you’re travelling around Europe by interrail, a bit of extra comfort can make a big difference.”

The experience left the couple more cautious about using their phones abroad, particularly when travelling between countries. Polo said: “I’d tell anyone travelling around Europe to check exactly which countries are covered by their mobile plan. Just because somewhere is in Europe doesn’t mean your normal roaming allowance applies. We found that out the expensive way.”

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Tim Page, Marketing Lead at Nomad eSIM, said: “One of the biggest misconceptions about mobile roaming is that travelling within Europe automatically means you’re covered by your usual mobile plan.

“Monaco is a perfect example. Despite being surrounded by France on three sides, it’s not part of the European Union and isn’t automatically covered by the EU’s Roam Like at Home rules. Introduced in June 2017, these rules generally allow customers of EU mobile operators to use their calls, texts and data across EU countries without paying additional roaming charges.

“This means travellers could be using their phones in Nice without additional roaming charges, then cross into Monaco and face significantly higher rates for exactly the same usage. Before travelling, always check which countries are included in your mobile plan, particularly destinations such as Monaco, Andorra and Switzerland.

“Even small amounts of data can result in surprisingly expensive bills, so consider switching off data roaming or using a travel eSIM that specifically covers your destination. If you do receive an unexpected roaming charge, contact your mobile provider as soon as possible. While there’s no guarantee, some providers may be willing to reduce or waive the charges as a goodwill gesture.”