Nothing is worse than the queues at check in during the morning rush. Everyone is tired from being up early, some are still half drunk from the night before, kids are screaming – it’s bedlam. How about checking your bag in the night before?
This could be very handy for people who are staying at airport hotels as it will allow much more time for sleep. Anyone living near the airport will also be able to take advantage of it, not to mention families with children and lots of bags. So who does it?
Aer Lingus ‘Evening Before’ Check In
Aer Lingus introduced this service back in 2013 and now allows this for certain morning flights departing from Dublin. As of 2022, you are eligible if your flight departs between 05:30 and 08:00.
The page on the Aer Lingus web site states – “Each passenger needs to present themselves to check in and drop off bags but if you are travelling with immediate family, one member of the family can check in and drop bags for the group the evening before. Passports/ID cards are required for all passengers travelling, and must be presented the evening before. Kiosk Bag Drop is also available for all passengers availing of this service.”
Passengers can check in the bags between 16:00 and 19:45 in Dublin the evening before, which I think this is very convenient indeed. The service used to also be offered in Cork, but is no longer available there.
Ryanair Used To Offer Night Check In
Ryanair used to offer this service when this article was originally published, but no longer do so in 2022. Imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from Ryanair with the subject “Avoid Bag Drop Queues”. It appears Europe’s largest airline also allows the same thing in Dublin.
The difference here is that one person can check in all the bags as long as they have the Passports and boarding passes for each person. Also, you can only check the bag in after 20:00 which is quite a bit later than Aer Lingus and a little more inconvenient as a result.
When you do it, the check-in staff take your phone number as you’re advised to wait at the airport for ten to fifteen minutes while the bag is screened. Presumably if there is an issue you need to go back and explain yourself.
Anywhere Else?
A quick search on Google shows that Jet2 offer what they call Twilight. On flights between May and October, passengers can check their bag the night before in Manchester from 15:00 to 20:00.
Thomas Cook offer Sundown Check In for a fee of £5.00 at London Gatwick and Manchester. Lufthansa stress it is ‘possible on all flights’ and is available at ‘numerous airports’, which suggests to me it’s not available everywhere.
Condor and Bulgarian Air Charter offer the service from Berlin-Schönefeld. Frankfurt airport lists a number of airlines including Singapore Airlines, Air France and Swiss that offer it from that airport. Who knew this was a thing? I didn’t!
Overall Thoughts
Night bag check in is something you should consider if you have an early flight scheduled. Check with your airline to see if it is on offer from the airport you are departing from.
I think it is an excellent idea and I used it myself the other day. The next day I went straight through fast-track security and minimised my time waiting for my flight which is always welcome when there is no lounge access.
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Great. This will give the airport workers more time to rummage through my bags at night when no one is around.
It’s good to see you’re a glass half full kind of person! Thanks for the comment.
Incheon airport in Seoul offers day before bag check in their downtown, “CALT” building – you can check in and go through immigration in advance there as well. It was a great way to not have to deal with my bags the day before I was headed out on a work trip, and would be similarly great if you wanted to check in before wandering around the city or another area before flying out, instead of having to return to your hotel.
I think the closest I ever came to downtown airport check in is when I checked in at the train station in HKG. I know Royal Jordanian used to have/has downtown check in too. Nice to know regarding Incheon airport in Seoul. I’ll have to try to go through there sometime so I can give it a try. Totally agree that it would be nice to do that the day before, and agree on leaving day too. Thanks for the comment!
[…] Which airlines allow you to check a bag in the night before? – Personally, I haven’t had much reason to check a bag in the night before, but I have had long layovers between flights and it would have been nice to check in my bag instead of trying to find a locker (good luck with that these days) someplace. […]
At Gatwick Airport, the following airlines offer day-before check in:
BA, Virgin, easyJet, Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways and Germania. Thomas Cook and Germania charge £5 for this.
That is excellent information – thanks very much for this! It is a lot more airlines than I thought. Charging money for it though is a bit on the nose. Thanks again!