Ryanair 60-minute bag drop deadline, Digi Mart USA News: Budget airline Ryanair is reminding passengers of an upcoming change affecting anyone travelling with checked luggage.
Starting Tuesday, 10 November, bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes. The airline first announced the change in April.
Ryanair says the change is intended to help the estimated 20 per cent of its passengers who check in a bag get more time to clear airport security and passport control queues before boarding begins. The airline said the move should reduce the small number of passengers who miss their flights because of delays at security or passport control.
Passengers who do not check luggage are not affected by the change. Those travellers must still check in online before going to the airport, where they can proceed directly through security to their departure gate.
“From Tuesday, 10 November, bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes,” said Ryanair CMA Dara Brady. “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.”
Separately, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary last month predicted that travellers across Europe will face the biggest increase in airfares “in history” in 2027. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, he said fewer seats may be available within months due to airline bankruptcies and takeovers, which, together with unhedged fuel positions, could push fares up by as much as 20 per cent.
O’Leary linked the pressure to jet fuel prices, which have risen sharply because of the Iran war, mainly due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He said this has squeezed margins for airlines that were not hedged against fuel costs.
