Published 7 November 2026 | Updated 7 November 2026 by Kate Acaster
For a Europe flight from a UK airport, Aer Lingus check in opens online 48 hours before departure and closes 60 minutes before at most UK airports. The airport desk opens 2 hours 30 minutes before and closes 45 minutes before, or 60 minutes at Manchester. Direct transatlantic flights have different times, shown in the table.
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When does Aer Lingus check in open and close?
The Europe column covers flights leaving the UK. Aer Lingus doesn’t say which airports its direct transatlantic times apply to. Connecting within Europe differs: online check in opens 24 hours before your first flight, and the desk closes 1 hour 15 minutes before.
| Check-in step | Europe flights | Direct transatlantic flights |
|---|---|---|
| Online check in opens | 48 hours before departure. 15 days before with Plus, Advantage or AerSpace, or with Saver if you buy a seat | 24 hours before departure |
| Online check in closes | 60 minutes before departure from most UK airports. Exeter, Newquay and Jersey close 4 hours 30 minutes before | 1 hour 35 minutes before departure |
| Airport check in opens | 2 hours 30 minutes before departure | 3 hours before departure |
| Airport check in closes | 45 minutes before departure, or 60 minutes from Manchester | 1 hour 15 minutes before departure, or 60 minutes in Business Class |
How to check in online with Aer Lingus
You need your six-character booking reference. You can use the app or the website. A British Airways or Iberia booking reference also works. Enter it on aerlingus.com.
- Open the app or aerlingus.com and enter your booking reference.
- Save your boarding pass. The app keeps it offline. On the website you can save it as an image or to Apple Wallet.
- Go to security if you only have your included 10kg carry-on bag. Otherwise go to bag drop.
Aer Lingus says a digital boarding pass is accepted from security to boarding, so you don’t need to print anything. If you do want paper, use Manage Trip on the website and choose the PDF. The app saves your boarding pass automatically and keeps it available offline.
When you can’t check in online
Aer Lingus says online check in isn’t available in a few cases. You can still check in at the airport for free.
- You don’t have a passport, or you’re travelling with an Irish passport card or an EU national identity card.
- There’s a technical problem with its online platforms.
The app has its own limits. It isn’t available for group bookings of seven or more, for bookings made through the call centre or a travel agency, or when you connect to a partner airline. If you booked through a travel agency, check in on aerlingus.com, not the app, as the app page explains.
Bag drop, bag timing and the gate fee
If you’ve checked in online and only have your included 10kg carry-on bag, you can go straight to security. Hold bags go to an Express Bag Drop kiosk or a check-in desk. Aer Lingus lists kiosks at Dublin, Cork, Belfast City and Shannon, and Belfast City is the only one in the UK. Elsewhere you use the desk, so allow for waiting times. The bag drop page lists the limits below.
- Earliest drop: no more than 3 hours before a short-haul flight or 4 hours before a long-haul flight. That page gives these limits separately from the desk opening times above, so check your airport.
- Gate fee: a 10kg carry-on bag you’re not entitled to costs €35 or £35 at the boarding gate. Aer Lingus says to avoid it by dropping the bag free at check in.
Check in online and a trip with only a carry-on bag skips the desk entirely. Aer Lingus says the kiosk avoids queues and to be mindful of waiting times at the desk. The gate fee is the other thing to avoid. A 10kg bag that your fare doesn’t cover costs €35 or £35 at the boarding gate, but it’s free if you hand it in at check in.
Passport rules for flights between the UK and Ireland
Since 25 February 2026, every customer on an Aer Lingus or Aer Lingus Regional flight between Ireland and the UK needs a valid passport or an Irish passport card to check in and board, in both directions. That includes British and Irish nationals. Other photo ID cards are no longer accepted, according to its UK travel page. It also lists an Irish passport card among the cases where online check in isn’t available, so expect to check in at the airport with one.
- Exceptions: Aer Lingus Regional flights between Belfast and other parts of the UK, and between Dublin and Donegal, accept other photo ID, including a driving licence. It must be valid, in its original physical form and match your booking.
- Advance Passenger Information: on Europe, transatlantic and Republic of Ireland to Britain flights you must give it at check in, using the document you’ll show at the airport. It doesn’t apply to the Belfast and Donegal routes above.
“Don’t plan around 60 minutes. That’s when online check in closes on most Europe flights from the UK, and Exeter, Newquay and Jersey close it 4 hours 30 minutes out. The desk shuts at 45 minutes, or 60 at Manchester. If you’re checking a hold bag at the desk, the queue is the real risk, because the airline itself says to be mindful of waiting times.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
When does Aer Lingus boarding start?
Boarding starts about 30 to 40 minutes before departure on Europe flights, and 40 to 50 minutes before on transatlantic flights, according to Aer Lingus. Be at the gate by the time printed on your boarding pass. Customers with a 10kg carry-on bag entitlement board in Group 2. The boarding times page lists every group.
Related Aer Lingus guides
- See the Aer Lingus baggage allowance for what each fare includes.
- Buying a bag? Our guide to carry-on bags for Aer Lingus helps.
- Timing the fare? Read when Aer Lingus releases flights and when it runs sales.
- Check bag dimensions in our hand luggage size comparison.
Aer Lingus check in: FAQs
When does Aer Lingus check in open?
On Europe flights it opens 48 hours before departure, or 15 days before with Plus, Advantage or AerSpace fares, or with Saver if you buy a seat. On direct transatlantic flights it opens 24 hours before.
When does Aer Lingus online check in close?
On Europe flights it closes 60 minutes before departure from most UK airports. Exeter, Newquay and Jersey close it 4 hours 30 minutes before. On direct transatlantic flights it closes 1 hour 35 minutes before.
When does the Aer Lingus check in desk close?
On Europe flights it closes 45 minutes before departure, or 60 minutes at Manchester, the only UK airport on its exceptions list. On direct transatlantic flights it closes 1 hour 15 minutes before, or 60 minutes in Business Class.
Do you need to print your Aer Lingus boarding pass?
No. Aer Lingus says digital boarding passes are accepted from security to boarding. The app saves yours offline, and the website lets you save it as an image or to Apple Wallet.
Can you check in at the airport for free with Aer Lingus?
Yes, if you can’t check in online. Aer Lingus says airport check in is free in those cases.
Do you need a passport to fly from the UK to Ireland with Aer Lingus?
Yes. Since 25 February 2026 you need a valid passport or an Irish passport card to check in and board between the UK and Ireland. Aer Lingus Regional flights between Belfast and other parts of the UK, and between Dublin and Donegal, accept other photo ID.
How much is the Aer Lingus carry-on bag fee at the gate?
The gate fee is €35 or £35 for a 10kg carry-on bag you’re not entitled to bring. You avoid it by dropping the bag free of charge at check in.
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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Kate checks the details that can change the value of a trip, including cabin-bag rules, airline fees, hotel location, seasonality, travel dates and booking conditions. She is especially interested in offers that look useful on the surface but need a proper reader-first check before they are worth recommending.
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