October 11, 2026 — Ryanair will close airport check-in desks and bag drop 60 minutes before departure from November 10, up from 40 minutes today. The change comes as the airline prepares to shut its seven-aircraft Berlin base on October 24 and cut German winter capacity by 10%.
New 60-minute cutoff
Travel Extra reported on October 10 that the new deadline applies to anyone checking a bag or using an airport desk. Passengers who miss it may be refused boarding without a refund. Travelers with cabin bags only who check in online are not affected and can go straight to security.
Ryanair says the extra 20 minutes gives passengers more time to clear security and passport control. The move also ties in with self-service bag-drop kiosks, which the airline is installing at more than 95% of its airports. We did not find a Ryanair press release, so this rests on Travel Extra’s report.
Berlin base closes October 24
Air Journal reported on October 11 that the closure of Ryanair’s base at Berlin Brandenburg (BER) is now less than two weeks away. Ryanair first announced it in April and confirmed it with its winter schedule on October 8. The airline will keep flying to Berlin with aircraft based elsewhere, but its Berlin capacity this winter is halved.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base closes | October 24, 2026 |
| Aircraft leaving | Seven Boeing 737s, moving to Italy, Morocco, Albania, Slovakia and Sweden |
| Berlin routes dropped (12) | Bologna, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Marseille, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Tallinn, Thessaloniki, Trieste, Vilnius |
| Germany, winter 2026–27 | About 700,000 fewer seats (down 10%); Hamburg down 5%, Memmingen up 12%, Cologne up 10% |
| Crew affected | Number TBA; Ryanair said in April that Berlin crew were offered positions elsewhere |
Ryanair blames German airport charges, security and navigation fees and the air passenger tax. In its April announcement, Ryanair DAC chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “We regret to announce this planned closure of our 7 aircraft Berlin base.” Berlin’s airport says six of the 12 dropped routes are already flown, or will be picked up, by other airlines.
What it means for non-revs
- Ryanair ID and standby travelers with a checked bag must be at the desk an hour before departure from November 10. Cutting it fine after waiting on a late connection will no longer work.
- Berlin gets harder. Half the Ryanair seats disappear after October 24, which pushes leisure traffic onto easyJet, Eurowings and Lufthansa flights from BER.
- Ryanair crew based in Berlin face a move to another base; commuting on other carriers into the new base will be worth planning now.
- Michael O’Leary said on October 8 that he expects jet fuel to stay expensive for another 12 to 18 months, so more winter trimming across Europe is likely.
Sources
- Travel Extra — Ryanair check in rules to change from November 10
- Air Journal — Ryanair ferme sa base de Berlin : l’Allemagne rejoint les marchés touchés par ses coupes en Europe
- Ryanair — Ryanair To Close 7 Aircraft Berlin Base From Oct 2026
- airliners.de — Ryanair kürzt Winter-Angebot und bestätigt Aus für Berliner Basis
- Air Journal — Un kérosène disponible mais cher en Europe jusqu’en 2028, des tarifs en hausse à prévoir selon Michael O’Leary
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