Ryanair Moves Bag-Drop Deadline to 60 Minutes Before Departure

Ryanair will close its airport bag-drop services and physical check-in counters 60 minutes before scheduled departure from November 10, shortening the current cutoff by 20 minutes. The change applies to passengers checking luggage or requiring airport check-in assistance at all Ryanair airports, the airline said. Ryanair Chief Marketing Officer Dara Brady said the revised deadline is intended to give passengers who check bags more time to clear airport security and passport control and reach their departure gates before boarding begins. The airline has said the adjustment is aimed in particular at periods when airport queues are longer. The reports do not provide evidence of whether the change will reduce missed flights. About 20% of Ryanair passengers check in bags, according to the airline. The remaining 80%, who check in online and do not check a bag, are unaffected by the new airport-counter cutoff, Brady said. Passengers in that group can continue to check in online and do not need to use the bag-drop counters. For passengers with checked luggage, the new deadline means the bag must be accepted at least an hour before the scheduled departure time. Under the previous rule,...