Ryanair to Start Charging for Early Online Check-In
Ryanair, the European low-cost carrier notorious for charging for basic amenities, will start imposing a fee for early online check-in as of November 1, 2016.
Previously, Ryanair allowed free check-in up to seven days before a flight. Now that time window has been shortened to between four days and two hours before a flight. If you want to check in ahead of time, you'll be charged a 6-euro (~$7) fee.
Though this may not seem like a huge deal, it's important to note that Ryanair only allows online check-in up to two hours before a flight. After that time, passengers must check in at the airport, which costs about $49 (45 euros).
And while Ryanair does allow check-in via an app, not all airports accept mobile boarding passes. So if you're somewhere without access to a printer (or reliable internet), you may be looking at huge fees. However, if you're willing to pay for seat selection (between ~$9 and ~$17), you can check in up to 30 days in advance.
So if you're booking Ryanair for last-minute trips or because of the low costs, remember to budget for those extra fees (and set calendar reminders if you don't want to pony up the additional cash).
How early do you check-in for a flight?