If you fly Ryanair with a checked bag, your airport routine just got 20 minutes longer. The airline has confirmed that bag drop desks at all its airports now close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, up from the previous 40-minute cutoff.
The change was first flagged back in April and has now taken effect. Ryanair's reasoning is straightforward: roughly one in five of its passengers checks a bag, and a small number of those were missing flights after getting stuck in security or passport control queues. By forcing an earlier arrival at the airport, the airline hopes those travellers will have enough buffer to clear the queues and reach the gate before boarding starts — especially during peak periods when lines can stretch.
Dara Brady, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, framed it as a small tweak with real benefit for bag-checkers, giving them extra time at busy airports rather than a mad dash to the gate.
For the other 80 per cent of passengers — those travelling hand-luggage-only to keep costs down — nothing changes. You still need to check in online before heading to the airport, then go straight through security to your gate. But if you've paid for a checked bag, build the extra 20 minutes into your morning; arriving at the desk with 45 minutes to spare now means missing your flight.
There's a second, gloomier note tucked into the airline's recent announcements. CEO Michael O'Leary has predicted that European airfares could rise by as much as 20 per cent in 2027 — what he called the biggest fare increase in history. His argument: rising jet fuel costs, driven by disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, plus consolidation in the industry (bankruptcies and takeovers reducing the number of available seats) will squeeze capacity and push prices up, hitting airlines that didn't hedge their fuel hardest.
For travellers, the takeaway is practical. Checked-bag flyers on Ryanair should treat the 60-minute bag drop cutoff as a hard deadline, not a suggestion — and remember that online check-in remains mandatory for everyone regardless of luggage. If you're flying during school holidays or other peak windows, the extra time matters even more, since security and border queues are exactly when the rule is designed to help. And anyone planning a 2027 trip might want to book earlier rather than later if O'Leary's fare forecast plays out.
