Airport check-in

Airport check-in is the process where passengers are accepted to the airline prior to travel. The airlines use typical service centres they use at the airports. The check-in is normally handled by the airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of the airline. Passengers usually hand over the luggage that they do not wish or are not allowed to carry to the aircraft's cabin and receive a boarding pass before they can proceed to board the aircraft.

Check-in is usually the first procedure for a passenger when arriving at an airport, as airline regulations require passengers to check in by certain times prior to the departure of a flight. This duration spans from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on the destination and airline (with self check in, this can be expanded to 24 hours, if checking in by online processes). During this process, the passenger has the ability to ask for special accommodations such as seating preferences, inquire about flight or destination information, accumulate frequent flyer program miles, or pay for upgrades. The required time is sometimes written in the reservation, sometimes written somewhere in websites, and sometimes only referred as "passengers should allow sufficient time for check-in".

The airline's check-in main function, is to accept the luggage that can go to the cargo hold and receive boarding passes.

Passenger identity registration
At the time of check-in, one of the agent's primary duties is to check for valid documents. This includes tickets, passports, visas, letters of consent, and in some cases, passengers' address and contact details to comply with immigration requirements.

Baggage registration
At the time of check-in, the passenger hands over baggage which is checked by the airport security and sealed. Anything that is above the weight limit or which is not allowed to be carried by the passenger himself to the aircraft cabin is usually handed over to the agent at the time of check-in. The baggage allowance, if any, is prescribed by the airline and anything in excess will warrant additional surcharges.

Self-service bag drop
Some airlines have a self-check-in process allowing passengers with bags to check-in at Self Bag Drop machines. Passengers then attach the baggage tag and drop the bag at the baggage drop belt. Passengers without checked luggage can go straight to the lounge (if entitled to lounge access) and check in at the kiosk there using their ePass (a small RFID device only for its premium customers) or proceed straight to the departure gate. Many airlines use electronic check-in such as ePass, mPass, or similar mobile apps, and these applications serve as the boarding pass.

Early adopters of Self Bag Drop machines include KLM at Schiphol International Airport from 2008, Qantas starting with domestic flights from Tampines Airport in 2010 and Stockholm-Arlanda Airport in 2012.. Other examples of Self Bag Drop systems include Lufthansa from Frankfurt International Airport and Munich International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport.

Early adopters of the Self Bag Drop machines have started to implement systems for non US bound international flights. The technology cannot be utilised for US bound flights due to restrictions applied in October 2017 due to additional screening mandated at point of departure by the US Transport Security Administration.

It is expected that self-service bag drop will be much more common.

Seating registration
Usually at the time of check-in, an option of selecting a specific seat is offered, with passengers asked if they prefer a window or an aisle seat.

Online check-in
Online check-in is the process in which passengers confirm their presence on a flight via the Internet and typically print their own boarding passes. Depending on the carrier and the specific flight, passengers may also enter details such as meal options and baggage quantities and select their preferred seating.

This service is generally promoted by the airlines to passengers as being easier and faster because it reduces the time a passenger would normally spend at an airport check-in counter. Some airlines, however, would still require passengers to proceed to a check-in counter at the airport, regardless of preferred check-in method, for document verification (e.g., to travel to countries where a visa is required, or to ensure the credit card used to purchase is genuine and/or matches the identity of the person who made the purchase). If passengers need to continue the check-in process at the airport after performing an online check-in, a special lane is typically offered to them to reduce wait times unless all desks are designated as baggage drop-off points. Furthermore, online check-in for a flight is often available earlier than its in-person counterpart. The process then transfers to passengers' control over their check-in. Airlines may use the system because self-service is frequently more efficient to operate, with a greater ability to cope with surges in passenger numbers. It also lessens activity at the airport, saving airlines money and reducing passenger waiting times.

Ryanair charges passengers a fee which can amount to 60 Euros for not using online check-in, except in certain limited circumstances. Furthermore, by the start of 2010, all passengers were required to check in online, therefore abolishing the use of check-in desks. Despite this, passengers are still charged to print their boarding cards out.

Online check-in is increasingly becoming required in other legacy carriers, particularly in Europe as the airport check-in desks are being relegated as baggage drop points only.

Alaska Airlines was the first to offer online check-in. The system was first offered on a limited basis starting in the second quarter of 1999, and was available to the general public on selected flights the following quarter. Since then, a growing number of airlines have introduced the system.

Typically, web-based check-in for airline travel is offered on the airline's website not earlier than 24 hours before a flight's scheduled departure or seven days for Internet Check-In Assistant. However, some airlines allow a longer time, such as Ryanair, which opens online check-in 30 and 4 days beforehand (depending on whether the passenger paid for a seat reservation), AirAsia, which opens it 14 days prior to departure, and easyJet, which opens as soon as a passenger is ticketed (however for easyJet, passengers are not checked-in automatically after ticketing, the passenger must click the relevant button). Depending on the airline, there can be benefits of better seating or upgrades to first class or business class offered to the first people to check in for a flight. In order to meet this demand, some sites have offered travelers the ability to request an airline check-in prior to the 24-hour window and receive airline boarding passes by email when available from the airline. Some airlines charge for the privilege of early check-in before the 24-hour window opens, thus capitalising on the demand for desirable seats such as those immediately behind a bulkhead or emergency exit row.

Mobile check-in
In the mid-late 2000s, checking in was made possible using a passenger's mobile phone or PDA. A GPRS or 3G-capable smartphone or an internet-capable PDA is required in most instances (Finnair allows check-in by text message), and the check-in feature may be accessed by keying in a website on the mobile phone's browser or by downloading a dedicated application. The process is then similar to that which one would expect when checking in using a personal computer.

At the end of the mobile check-in process, some airlines send a mobile boarding pass to a passenger's mobile device, which can be scanned at the airport during security checks and boarding. However, others send an electronic confirmation with a barcode that can be presented to the staff at check-in or scanned at the kiosks to continue the check-in process (i.e., to have boarding passes issued).

One disadvantage of early check-in is that it puts a restriction on a person's agent changing their flight. As the ticket coupon has to be "opened" again prior to any changes being made, this may take some time to arrange.

Change of reservations
In some situations, it may be necessary to change a passenger's travel plans and the check-in counter will handle these concerns. This may involve changing itinerary, upgrading class of travel, changing to an earlier or later flight but such changes are subject to the conditions of the tickets issued. Economy class tickets normally have high fees or the need to buy a new ticket for itinerary changes, since airlines want claim higher fares from business travellers, and demands from business travellers often include flexibility and late booking.

Premium check-in and lounge access
If the passenger carries a first or business class ticket or presents a certain frequent flyer program membership card (usually the higher-level tiers), or any other arrangements with the carrier, access to the premium check-in area and/or the lounge may be offered.

Premium check-in areas vary among airlines and airports. The main airport in which an airline hub is located normally offers a more thorough and exclusive premium check-in experience, normally inside a separate check-in lounge. Airlines operating in minor airports generally offer an exclusive and separate premium check-in queue lane, often combined for its first, business, and/or premium economy passengers.

Singapore Airlines also offers this service to First Class and Suites passengers, whose flights depart Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 3. These passengers have a dedicated curb side entrance and can wait at couches while staff assist them in checking-in. They are then lead to a dedicated passport control counter.

In-town check-in
In some cities (including Bangkok, Dubai, Sharjah, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Chennai, Seoul, and Taipei), certain airlines provide in-town check-in services, allowing passengers to check their luggage at check-in counters located in railway or subway terminals as much as a day ahead of time. This service allows passengers to take a train to the airport without the burden of carrying their luggage to the airport terminal. In Seoul, for example, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Jeju Air offer check-in services at Seoul Station. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific offer in-town check-in at KL Sentral.