The airline is changing its rules so these desks will now close one hour before a flight’s scheduled departure, rather than 40 minutes, to give travellers more time to clear security and passport control.
It says the move should cut the “very small number of passengers” who currently miss flights because they are stuck in queues.
average Ryanair passenger https://t.co/aRg0oLlhnH
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) April 17, 2026
According to Ryanair’s website, anyone who fails to check in on time “may be denied boarding without refund”.
The new rule takes effect from November 10. Passengers will still be able to check in online up to two hours before departure.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said the “small 20-minute change” will “allow these 20% of our customers who check in a bag more time to clear through airport security and passport queues, and get to their departure gate on time”.
He added that this will be particularly important “during busy travel periods when some of these airport queues can be longer”.
Many UK passengers are suffering delays at airports in continental Europe because of the rollout of new border rules.
Why is the EES causing delays?
The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) involves people entering the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries, mainly in the EU.
The new EES, introduced earlier this month, is an IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay (up to 90 days).
Travellers in Europe now have to provide personal data, and have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken as part of the system.
The EES has received significant backlash since its introduction.
More than 100 easyJet passengers stuck in delays at passport desks at Milan Linate airport missed a flight to Manchester earlier this month.
Ryanair said it is installing more self-service bag drop kiosks across its network.
By October, more than 95% of the airports it serves will have these.
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