Published 13 November 2026 | Updated 13 November 2026 by Kate Acaster
Lufthansa check in opens online and in the app 30 hours before departure. Each airport has its own deadline. The airline’s deadline tool gives 45 minutes at Heathrow, 30 at London City and 40 at Birmingham and Edinburgh. By then you must hold a boarding pass and have checked in any hold bag, even if you checked in online.
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Lufthansa check-in deadlines at UK airports
At each airport the tool gives one deadline that covers both you and your bags. Of the six below, only Manchester sets a different time by cabin.
| Airport | Check-in and bag deadline | Lufthansa desks |
|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow, Terminal 2 | 45 minutes before departure | D1-6 Economy, D20-23 Business |
| London City | 30 minutes before departure | Desks 8-10 |
| Manchester, Terminal 2 | 50 minutes in Economy and Premium Economy, 40 in Business and First | Not listed |
| Birmingham, Terminal 1 | 40 minutes before departure | Desks 43-47 |
| Edinburgh, Terminal 1 | 40 minutes before departure | Desks 36-39 |
| Newcastle, Terminal 1 | 30 minutes before departure; online or mobile check-in only | Shown on airport screens |
The same tool lists other UK airports, including Gatwick, Glasgow and Stansted. Enter yours before you travel, because it varies by airport.
Lufthansa check in online, step by step
Lufthansa’s online check-in page covers flights operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS. The steps are short:
- Check in on the website or in the app from 30 hours before your flight.
- Get your boarding pass on your phone, or print it.
- Keep the mobile pass in the airline’s app, Apple Wallet or Google Pay, where it works offline.
A mobile boarding pass is available for almost all destinations, the airline says. Where official regulations rule it out, you’ll get a check-in confirmation instead and collect your boarding pass at the airport counter. If you couldn’t get a boarding pass online, use a check-in kiosk at the airport. The deadline tool lists kiosks for all passengers at Heathrow and London City.
The flight number on your ticket doesn’t always tell you who flies the plane. If the confirmation says ‘operated by’ an airline other than Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines or SWISS, the website and app can’t check you in. Go to the airline that flies the plane instead.
Why automated check-in won’t cover a UK flight
Lufthansa’s automated check-in emails Travel ID and Miles & More users a boarding pass 23 hours before departure. Other passengers can sign up through the link in their booking confirmation. It only works on flights that stay inside the Schengen Area, and the UK isn’t in it. For a flight from the UK, or a return to it, you’ll get a check-in invitation instead and need to check in yourself.
Dropping your bags
- Lufthansa’s bag drop page says to look under ‘Baggage Drop-off’ on your boarding pass, or ‘Baggage’ in the app, to see where you can drop bags and until what time.
- At supporting airports you drop bags yourself by scanning your boarding pass at a bag drop kiosk.
- You get a digital receipt by email and in the app. The app also shows when your bag has been loaded.
Late-night check-in lets you drop bags the evening before, no earlier than 23 hours before departure, at airports that offer it. Lufthansa’s page doesn’t list which ones do, so ask yours. Get your boarding pass online first, then take your bags to a bag drop kiosk.
Lufthansa boarding groups
Passengers are called by boarding group. On European flights, families with children under 5, unaccompanied minors and passengers with reduced mobility board first. HON Circle members and passengers connecting to First Class follow in Group 1. Group 2 covers Business, Senators, Star Alliance Gold and Economy Flex. Economy passengers follow in Groups 3 to 5, set by fare and seat. Your group is shown on your boarding pass.
“Travelling from Manchester with a colleague in Business while you’re in Economy? Your cut-off is 50 minutes and theirs is 40, so plan around yours. I’d also read the ‘operated by’ line on the confirmation the day you book. If it names anyone other than Lufthansa, Austrian or SWISS, it’s that airline’s website you’ll need.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
What Lufthansa’s contract says
Lufthansa’s General Terms and Conditions of Carriage say deadlines vary by airport. Where none is given, you must check in no later than 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. The airline can cancel your booking if you miss the check-in deadline or reach the gate late.
- You’re told the gate time when you check in. The contract doesn’t set one figure for every airport.
- None of the airline’s pages we read gives a separate time for online check-in to close. The airport deadline is the one that counts.
Related airline and airport guides
- How early to arrive at the airport
- Manchester Airport Terminal 2
- KLM check in times
- Turkish Airlines check in times
- Emirates check in times
Lufthansa check-in: FAQs
When does Lufthansa online check-in open?
Thirty hours before departure, on the website or in the app, for flights operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines or SWISS.
What is the Lufthansa check-in deadline at Heathrow?
The airline’s deadline tool gives 45 minutes before departure at Terminal 2. By then you need your boarding pass and any hold bag checked in.
Does checking in online change the deadline?
No. You must hold your boarding pass and have checked in your bags by the airport deadline, even after online, mobile or automated check-in.
Will Lufthansa check me in automatically from the UK?
No. Automated check-in only covers flights wholly inside the Schengen Area. For UK flights you get a check-in invitation and check in yourself.
Can I check in for a Lufthansa codeshare flight on lufthansa.com?
Not if it’s operated by an airline other than Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines or SWISS. Look for ‘operated by’ in your booking confirmation and check in with that airline.
What happens if I miss the Lufthansa check-in deadline?
The airline’s conditions of carriage say it can cancel your reservation. Where no airport deadline is given, the contract sets 45 minutes before scheduled departure.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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