Ryanair's new '60‑minute' rule
- Ryanair announced earlier check-in and bag-drop cutoffs, promoting a new airport arrival '60 minute' rule across Europe. ( ) - Coverage singles out the '60 minute' arrival requirement and earlier counter closures as the biggest operational change. (euroweeklynews.com) - Travelers on Ryanair, Jet2, and easyJet are also being warned about confusing packing mistakes that can cause delays or confiscations. (edinburghlive.co.uk)
Ryanair says its airport check-in and bag-drop desks will close 60 minutes before departure from November 10, 2026, up from 40 minutes now. (corporate.ryanair.com) The airline announced the change on Wednesday, April 22, and said it will apply at all Ryanair airports. Ryanair said the earlier cutoff is meant to give passengers more time to clear security and passport control queues. (corporate.ryanair.com) Ryanair’s help pages still list the current rule as desks opening at least two hours before departure and closing 40 minutes before departure unless passengers are told otherwise. Airport check-in is also still available up to 40 minutes before departure for passengers who did not check in online, but Ryanair charges an airport check-in fee. (help.ryanair.com, help.ryanair.com) The new cutoff pushes one of Ryanair’s few staffed airport processes earlier while the airline shifts more of the trip onto apps, online check-in and self-service kiosks. A report on the announcement said Ryanair plans to install self-service kiosks at more than 95% of its airports before October 2026. (corporate.ryanair.com, argophilia.com) The timing also lands as airports across Europe and the United Kingdom keep enforcing hand-luggage security rules that often trip up passengers before they even reach the gate. The United Kingdom government says liquids in cabin bags are still generally limited to containers of no more than 100 millilitres. (gov.uk) Jet2 tells passengers that liquids, aerosols and gels in hand luggage must fit inside one transparent resealable bag of about 20 centimetres by 20 centimetres, with one bag per person. easyJet says some items, including many vapes and power banks, are restricted to cabin baggage or banned entirely depending on the item. (jet2.com, easyjet.com) Consumer group Which? reported in January that some United Kingdom airports with new scanners no longer require most toiletries or electronics to be removed from bags, but the rules are not uniform across the country. That leaves passengers facing one set of airline deadlines and another set of airport screening rules. (which.co.uk) For Ryanair passengers, the practical date is November 10, 2026: after that, anyone checking a bag or relying on an airport desk will have 20 fewer minutes before the counter shuts. (corporate.ryanair.com)
