Ryanair will extend the minimum time required for passengers to hand over checked luggage before departure from 40 to 60 minutes, with the new rule taking effect at every airport served by the airline on 10 November 2026.
Change applies to checked luggage
The revised deadline applies only to passengers using Ryanair’s airport bag drop facilities. Travellers with hand luggage who have completed online check-in will not be affected by the change and can continue directly to airport security.
Ryanair said the additional 20 minutes is intended to give customers more time to complete security and passport-control formalities before making their way to the departure gate. The policy is aimed at reducing the number of passengers who miss flights when queues increase during busy travel periods.
| Policy | Current arrangement | From 10 November |
|---|---|---|
| Airport bag drop closure | 40 minutes before scheduled departure | 60 minutes before scheduled departure |
| Passengers affected | Customers checking in luggage | |
| Passengers not affected | Customers travelling with hand luggage after online check-in |
One in five passengers checks a bag
The change affects approximately 20% of Ryanair’s passengers, according to the airline. The remaining 80% travel with hand luggage only and will not need to use the bag drop desks, provided they have already checked in online.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said the revised process would give passengers with checked luggage more time to reach the gate before boarding begins, particularly when airport queues are longer. The airline has also reminded those customers to allow sufficient time to complete both check-in and bag drop before the desks close.
- Bag drop desks will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure from 10 November.
- The current closure point is 40 minutes before departure.
- The measure applies across all Ryanair airports and affects the roughly 20% of passengers checking luggage.
- Hand-luggage-only passengers are outside the change after completing online check-in.
Policy follows wider capacity and cost warnings
The baggage-policy change comes after Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned that European airfares could rise by as much as 20% over the next 12 months. He attributed the potential increase to higher jet-fuel costs, saying airlines were largely unhedged against prices expected from April 2027.
O’Leary also said that fewer seats could be available if airlines entered bankruptcy or were taken over following the fuel-cost pressure. Separately, Ryanair has announced plans to reduce the number of routes to Belgium in response to a proposed increase in the country’s aviation tax from €2 to €7 in January 2027.
Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin and operates bases across Europe, including Dublin, Marseille, Berlin, Athens, Milan and Barcelona. The bag drop deadline will therefore apply across a network spanning multiple airport operating environments, rather than at a single location.
