Online check in - how does it work?

stphnstevey

What time do you have to be at the airport if you have checked in online?

bagand96

You still have to leave enough time to clear security and get to the gate in time for boarding (typically 20-30mins) before departure time.

Also, if you are checking a bag into the hold, you will also have to go to the bag drop desk, and probably queue for that too. Depending on the airline that can be as long as checking in traditionally.

I'm sure your airline's website will give more guidace on time frames - but you can never acurately predict how long the security queue will be!

antenna

stphnstevey wrote: »

What time do you have to be at the airport if you have checked in online?

I find that once i have checked in on-line i tend to read the advice printed on the boarding pass:cool:

stphnstevey

I think boarding is genrally 20-30mins before departure and then 30 mins for security is still an hour before departure, whcih is about the same time as normal check in closes (for the internal UK flights I am looking at).

Maybe a few extra minutes but doesn't seem to save much time

luckwudaveit

stphnstevey wrote: »

I think boarding is genrally 20-30mins before departure and then 30 mins for security is still an hour before departure, whcih is about the same time as normal check in closes (for the internal UK flights I am looking at).

Maybe a few extra minutes but doesn't seem to save much time

Its just one less queue to deal with, by checking in online. However, security is often the biggest queue, depending on airport.

malkie76

All depends on the airport, the airline, the destination, and the cabin flown in.
What's yours?

ferf1223

stphnstevey wrote: »

I think boarding is genrally 20-30mins before departure and then 30 mins for security is still an hour before departure, whcih is about the same time as normal check in closes (for the internal UK flights I am looking at).

Maybe a few extra minutes but doesn't seem to save much time

Depending on specifics, it can save a LOT of time standing around in a queue getting stressed about the length of the queue.

Oddly, I have never thought of online check-in as a time-saver (it's not for us because I will always be at the airport way before I HAVE to be at the airport)...I would much rather kill that time doing something other than standing in a queue to check-in...plus, in some cases, being checked in online in advance means better chance at the seats you want...wait until you're at the airport and it may be a different story.

But I'd much rather check in online and print my boarding passes, then only have to drop my bags (which is generally painless - or has been for us)...when flying Virgin from Gatwick we use twilight check-in which is even better...drop the bags the night before, stay at an airport hotel...and breeze right by the check-in queue in the morning.

SaveTheEuro

Michael O'Leary of Ryanair would like to speed the process by getting rid of security.

From his interview in the Daily Mirror today:

Q. What’s your view of security checks at airports?

A. Utter nonsense and hopelessly ineffective. The last two attacks in London were on the Underground which still doesn’t have any security checks and carries far more people than airlines do.