Photo: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ryanair charges €55 (£55) a passenger to check in at the airport, Volotea and airBaltic €30, Eurowings €20 on a Basic fare, Frontier up to $25 each way, and Allegiant $5 for a printed boarding pass. Online check-in can close hours before the flight, too: six hours out on Jet2 and three on Wizz Air, and Ryanair and easyJet want a boarding pass two hours before departure.
On the low-cost airlines below, the airport desk is not the normal way to check in. Several charge for it, and several close online check-in hours before the flight, so checking in on the way to the airport can be too late. Each row is read from the airline's own page.
Last checked 13 Oct 2026 · 1 airlines, each from its own pages.
Airlines that charge to check in at the airport
€/£55 a passenger
Ryanair
Passengers who have not checked in online by 2 hours before departure may still check in at the airport up to 40 minutes before, but are charged the airport check-in fee, which Ryanair states as €/£55 per passenger.
€30 without a boarding pass
Volotea
Volotea boarding passes are free online or in the app from 4 days to 2½ hours before departure. Airport check-in booked in advance costs from €10 per passenger; without it, a passenger with no boarding pass is charged €30 at the check-in desk.
€30 if you did not check in online
airBaltic
A passenger who reaches the airport desk without having checked in online, in the app or at a self check-in kiosk (Riga, Copenhagen, Stockholm Arlanda) pays €30. It is not charged on Economy FLEX, Business EXPERIENCE and BUSINESS tickets, at airports with no online check-in, or to some passengers, among them those with an infant or booked special assistance. Online check-in is free and opens 48 hours before departure on Economy MINI, BASIC and CLASSIC fares; on BASIC and CLASSIC, paying for early online check-in opens it 5 days before. It closes at the airport's own check-in deadline, 40 minutes before departure for economy at most airports.
up to $25 each way
Frontier Airlines
Airport Agent Assistance, for checking in or printing a boarding pass at the airport, costs up to $25 per passenger per direction. Checking in on the website or app and bringing your own boarding pass avoids it.
€20 at the airport on a Basic fare
Eurowings
Online check-in is free and opens 72 hours before departure. On a BASIC fare, airport check-in costs €5 per person when chosen with the booking and €20 per person when decided at the airport; it is free on SMART and BIZclass fares.
$5 a boarding pass
Allegiant Air
Allegiant charges $5 per boarding pass printed by an agent at select domestic airports. Checking in online and bringing a printed pass, or using the mobile app, avoids it.
paid, except where online check-in is not offered
Wizz Air
Online check-in on the Wizz Air website or app is free; checking in at the airport is a paid service, bought with the booking, afterwards, or at the airport. At Agadir and Zaragoza, where online check-in is not available, airport check-in is free.
Online check-in closes before you reach the airport
6 hours before departure
Jet2
Jet2 online and mobile check-in runs from 28 days up to 6 hours before departure. Check-in desks generally open 2 hours 30 minutes before and close 40 minutes before departure.
4 or 1 hours before, by airport
Transavia
Transavia online check-in opens 30 hours before departure and closes 4 or 1 hours before, depending on the departure airport. Most check-in desks are open from 2 hours to 40 minutes before departure.
online 3 hours before; desk 40–60 minutes
Wizz Air
Wizz Air online check-in is open from 30 days (24 hours without a paid seat) up to 3 hours before departure. Airport check-in and bag drop open 2 hours before and close 40 minutes before as standard, and 60 minutes before at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Venice, Naples and Berlin.
2 hours before departure
Ryanair
Online check-in remains available until 2 hours before scheduled departure.
2 hours before departure
easyJet
easyJet online check-in runs from 30 days to 2 hours before departure, and passengers should have checked in and have their boarding pass, printed or in the app, at least 2 hours before.
online 60 minutes before; desk 45–60
Pegasus Airlines
Pegasus online check-in closes 60 minutes before the flight. Counter check-in and bag drop close 45 minutes before departure on domestic flights and 60 minutes before on international and Northern Cyprus flights; passengers who miss them lose their rights to the flight.
When the check-in desk closes
online 3 hours before; desk 40–60 minutes
Wizz Air
Wizz Air online check-in is open from 30 days (24 hours without a paid seat) up to 3 hours before departure. Airport check-in and bag drop open 2 hours before and close 40 minutes before as standard, and 60 minutes before at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Venice, Naples and Berlin.
online 60 minutes before; desk 45–60
Pegasus Airlines
Pegasus online check-in closes 60 minutes before the flight. Counter check-in and bag drop close 45 minutes before departure on domestic flights and 60 minutes before on international and Northern Cyprus flights; passengers who miss them lose their rights to the flight.
60 minutes, from 10 November 2026
Ryanair
From Tuesday 10 November 2026, Ryanair airport check-in and bag drop close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, up from 40 minutes. Online check-in still closes 2 hours before.
60 minutes before departure
Frontier Airlines
Frontier check-in closes 60 minutes before departure on domestic and international flights, and opens 24 hours before. Frontier asks passengers to arrive at least 2 hours early.
45 minutes before departure
Allegiant Air
Airport check-in closes 45 minutes before flight time.
bags 45 minutes, gate 30
Breeze Airways
Breeze check-in and bag drop must be completed 45 minutes before a domestic departure, and passengers must be at the gate ready to board 30 minutes before. Airport staff are at the counter from 2 hours before departure.
40 minutes in Schengen, 60 outside
Vueling
Vueling check-in desks open 2 hours before departure and close 40 minutes before for flights within the Schengen Area (60 at Amsterdam), and 60 minutes before for flights to or from outside it (75 from Paris-Orly). The boarding gate closes 20 minutes before departure.
Checking in early costs extra
free from 4 days out; earlier with a paid seat
Volotea
Without a seat bought, Volotea boarding passes can be downloaded free only from 4 days to 2½ hours before departure, and the seat is assigned at random. With a seat bought (on the web from €2, more by phone or at the airport), the boarding pass can be downloaded as soon as the purchase is complete.
free from 24 hours out; 30 days with a paid seat
Wizz Air
Wizz Air online check-in is open from 30 days (24 hours without a paid seat) up to 3 hours before departure. Airport check-in and bag drop open 2 hours before and close 40 minutes before as standard, and 60 minutes before at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Venice, Naples and Berlin.
free from 48 hours out; 5 days if you pay
airBaltic
A passenger who reaches the airport desk without having checked in online, in the app or at a self check-in kiosk (Riga, Copenhagen, Stockholm Arlanda) pays €30. It is not charged on Economy FLEX, Business EXPERIENCE and BUSINESS tickets, at airports with no online check-in, or to some passengers, among them those with an infant or booked special assistance. Online check-in is free and opens 48 hours before departure on Economy MINI, BASIC and CLASSIC fares; on BASIC and CLASSIC, paying for early online check-in opens it 5 days before. It closes at the airport's own check-in deadline, 40 minutes before departure for economy at most airports.
Boarding passes and documents
verify documents in the app first
Ryanair
If required travel-document verification has not been attempted before the online check-in window closes, airport check-in and its fee can apply. Verifying successfully in the app produces a boarding pass and no fee; three failed attempts returning a rejection or scan error allow airport verification without the fee.
print a boarding pass at these airports
easyJet
easyJet lists airports that do not accept its mobile boarding passes, among them Marrakech, Agadir, Antalya, Izmir, Hurghada, Luxor and Sharm El Sheikh. Flying from one of them, check in online and print a paper boarding pass.
Bags bought at check-in
€45 direct, €90 connecting
Norwegian
Checked baggage bought during or after check-in costs 45 EUR on a direct flight and 90 EUR on a connecting flight, or the equivalent in the airport's currency, per item per flight.
If you miss the flight or it moves
£110, within 2 hours of departure
easyJet
A passenger who misses the flight but reaches easyJet ground crew at bag drop within two hours after scheduled departure can move to the next available flight by paying the Rescue Fee, £110 per passenger at the airport.
re-check the time 72–24 hours out
Norwegian
Norwegian recommends checking flight times between 72 and 24 hours before departure because schedules can change.
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