I messed up. I forgot to check-in online and ended up paying a lot more to check in at the airport. More than I paid for the flight. This is my story, hopefully these tips can help you remember to check-in online.
Remembering to check-in online for your flight is an essential part of flying. In this post I share my flight check in tip for the best way to ALWAYS remember to check-in for your flight and what happens when you forget to do check in online.
What is online check-in?
First, a brief introduction to the world of online check-ins. Checking-in online allows you to check into your flight in advance. Also known as a web check-in it enables you to avoid lining up at the airport to get your seat allocated. Instead you can check-in before you have even left for the airport. Checking-in online also allows you to have your ticket on your phone, avoiding having to print it out.
For airlines, online check-in saves costs. More tasks are done ahead of time and less staff are needed at the airport for in person check-ins. This means that airlines are able to offer cheaper fares. Consequently, online check-in has has become mandatory for a lot of budget airlines. While checking-in online you will be provided with the options to add extra luggage, select your seat, pick meals, hire a car and other extras. These are all additional ways airlines try to get you to spend more, while checking-in online.
The most important thing to know about online check-in is when online check-in opens and more importantly, when it closes. Unfortunately, there is no one answer for this, as it is dependent on the airline. Be sure to check this when you book your flight to be help you remember to check-in online.
Note: Check out my list of essential apps for travel for my favourite flight search app.
Thinking That I Knew How it Works
Forgetting to check-in online for my flight was not something I ever saw happening to me. I had heard stories of people making all sorts of mistakes when it came to flying. This included stories such as forgetting what day the flight was, getting the departure time wrong and even booking a flight to the wrong place. But at this stage I had caught several flights and nothing had gone wrong. I was no newbie, and was proud of my ability to remember to check-in online and to arrive at the airport on time for my flight. ‘Forgetting to check-in would never be me,’ I told myself. Little did I know this was not going to last.
Online Check-in Closed
The time I did not remember to check-in online in happened when I was catching a Wizz Air flight from Varna, Bulgaria. Here’s what happened:
I was about to leave my accommodation and head to the airport. There was just less than three hours left before the flight. As I was leaving, I realised I hadn’t checked in yet. ‘Not a problem’ I thought, there’s plenty of time until the flight. I quickly opened up the airlines email and tapped on the check-in online button. After entering my booking number the following message appeared:
Online check-in closed.
My first reaction was confusion. What? There was still over two hours before the flight. Surely it was just a mistake with the Wizz Air system? I tried again.
Same outcome, online check-in closed. Now I was getting really confused, normally online check-in closes two hours before departure right? At this stage I need to leave my accommodation to get the bus to the airport. But, I was still not checked-in.
What Not To Do
I kept trying to check-in while on the bus to the airport. I tried over and over, hoping for some kind of different outcome. It was still not working. If you’re reading this you might have already worked out what my problem was. But, I was not thinking clearly at this point. Here’s a list of things I tried that did not help:
- Refreshing the page, a lot,
- Turning my phone on an off again,
- Trying through the airline’s website, instead of using the airlines app,
- Googling possible alternative ways to check-in.
None of these worked. Please save yourself the time and don’t bother trying them.
Note: While researching this blog post, I discovered that in the United States its possible that online check-in might be closed if you have been selected for Secondary Security Screening Selection (SSSS).
A Costly Acceptance
Eventually, I realised nothing what working. I took a step back and decided to read the terms and conditions. It turns out that Wizz Air close their online check-in three hours before departure. Not two hours before like Ryanair does. I had first tried to check-in two hours and 45 minutes before departure. At that point I was 15 minutes late. Only. Fifteen. minutes. It would prove to be an expensive 15 minutes. Once I realised this there was nothing I could do until I arrived at the airport.
After a frustrated remainder of the bus ride to the airport, I lined up at the check-in counter and told the staff member about my mistake. I was directed to a separate information desk in the airport. The lady behind the counter informed that it was going to cost me an extra 50 euro to check in at the airport. I was shocked. That was more than I paid for the flight. At that moment there was a lot of angry internal dialog directed at myself. None of which I will be repeating here.
I knew it wasn’t the lady at the information desks fault I forgot to check-in. She was just doing her job. Nor was it Wizz Air’s fault. The fault was squarely with me. I should have just checked when the online check-in closed.
Anyway, I needed that flight. I paid the extra fee and was given a paper ticket. I treated that paper ticket like it was made of gold.
So before your next flight, please please remember to check-in. Please learn from my mistake.
Conclusion – How to Remember to Check-In
After forgetting to check into the flight, I now always put a reminder in my phone to check-in. While it is worth knowing when the airline you’re flying with closes their check in. I think there’s an easier way.
Check-in the night before your flight as you’re packing. Almost all airlines open their online check-in 24 hours before the flight. So make it part of your night before packing routine and you’ll avoid any problems. When combined with a phone reminder as a back-up, you are guaranteed to not forget.
Do you have any tips or stories when it comes to remembering (or forgetting) to check-in online? I would love to hear them. Let me know in the comments below.
Happy Exploring!
Kieren
This is such a useful article. My wife ad I are travelling to Europe this year and catching a few internal flights. The whole trip is costing a lot of money so it’s good to be aware of where we can avoid spending extra money.
Thanks Peter, happy to hear that this helped you out 🙂 Enjoy your trip in Europe!