Here is a round-up of the main rules you need to know before you head to the airport if you are flying with Ryanair this summer
Passengers are being reminded of Ryanair’s rules(Image: PA)
Ryanair passengers are being made aware of the airline’s latest rules as the carrier has recently updated some its regulations which many travellers may not know about. Holidaymakers need to make sure they know what baggage they can carry and how they can check in.
Ryanair customers are allowed one small personal bag that fits beneath the seat in front as standard, and the rules governing this were amended last summer. Following a change in EU legislation, Ryanair was obliged to expand the dimensions of its personal bag allowance.
Under the updated regulation, passengers are now able to bring hand luggage measuring up to 40 x 30 x 20cm. This represents a 20% increase from the previous 40 x 20 x 25cm size limits. This comes after Ryanair recently issued a warning over cabin bags and the risk of an extra fee for passengers, as reported by ChronicleLive.
Meanwhile, Ryanair customers are also being asked to note that they must now check in online. You can then save your boarding pass on a smartphone or tablet.
As of November 2025, Ryanair has moved to “100% digital boarding passes via its app, eliminating paper passes to reduce costs, improve service, streamline rebooking, and save 300 tonnes of paper annually”. Online check-in becomes available 60 days before your flight’s scheduled departure if you’ve purchased a seat, or 24 hours in advance if you’re content to receive a free seat allocation.
Regardless of your seating choice, online check-in shuts two hours before the scheduled departure time, reports the Liverpool Echo. After completing online check-in, passengers will receive their boarding passes, which must be saved.
Failure to check in online will result in an airport check-in fee of £55 or 55 euros. To avoid this charge, passengers must ensure they have a valid boarding pass before arriving at the airport.
For travellers without a smartphone or tablet, Ryanair will print boarding passes free of charge, as long as online check-in has been completed beforehand. The airline has confirmed it will send reminders to passengers booked on flights to check in online ahead of departure.
And in an announcement made last month, Ryanair revealed that its check-in and bag drop services will soon close one hour before departure. This represents a twenty-minute change from the current cut-off time of 40 minutes before take-off.
The new policy will take effect from Tuesday, November 10. The airline states this adjustment is intended to provide passengers with additional time to navigate airport security and passport queues.
Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “From Tues 10 Nov next, Ryanair customers will see airport check-in and bag drops close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of today’s 40 minutes. This 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, especially during busy travel periods when some of these airport queues can be longer.
“We are also installing self-service kiosks at over 95% of Ryanair airports before October. This means a quicker bag-drop service, less queuing at airport desks, and an even more punctual service for the 20% of our customers who still wish to check-in a bag, while the 80% (who don’t check-in a bag) will be unaffected by this small 20 minute change, as they will continue to check-in online before they arrive at the departure airport and they go straight through airport security to their departure gate.”
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