Ryanair scraps airport check-in
Low-cost airline passengers face a €40 fine if they forget to print their own boarding pass before travelling
RYANAIR has today scrapped all of its airport check-in desks and made it compulsory for passengers to print their own boarding card online.
The company has gradually introduced the online-only policy since May at all of the 150 airports it serves – including 22 locations in France.
Travellers who are flying Ryanair from today must log into the website up to 21 days beforehand to print their boarding pass. Online check-in is available up to four hours before take-off.
The mandatory web check-in procedure is charged at €5 per person per flight, but will remain free of charge on promotional fares – the seats priced at €1, €5 or free.
Passengers who forget to print their boarding card will have to pay a €40 fine at the airport ticket office – called a “boarding card re-issue fee”.
A Ryanair spokesman said the fine was designed to remind passengers that printing their own boarding card is as important as remembering a passport.
“If somebody goes to the airport without a passport, they don’t travel. We want to remind people that they should never show up without a boarding pass again," he said.
“It’s a bit like in Ireland you pay €150 if you drop chewing gum. You’ll remember to never do it again.”
The new scheme, which Ryanair says has gone smoothly so far, allows travellers to go straight to security – or to the “bag drop” area if they have decided to travel with more than hand luggage.
Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: “This will allow Ryanair to lower our airport and handling costs and pass these savings to all passengers in the form of even lower air fares.”
