When does Wizz Air check in open? The online window depends on whether you’ve bought a seat: 30 days before departure if you have, 24 hours before if you haven’t, both closing 3 hours before you fly. Turn up at the airport instead and it becomes a paid service with a much shorter window, so use the free online option whenever it’s available.
Wizz Air’s 30-Day and 24-Hour Online Check-In Windows
If you bought a seat during booking or added one later, online check-in opens 30 days before departure. Without a seat booked, it opens 24 hours before instead. Both routes close at the same point: 3 hours before your scheduled departure time. Do it through wizzair.com’s own check-in page or the WIZZ app and you can download your boarding card, save it to your phone’s wallet, or print it at home, all free of charge.
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Children and travel documents
Under-14s can’t do this alone. A passenger aged 16 or over travelling on the same booking has to complete it for them. If you’re flying within the Schengen area, you won’t be asked for travel document details online at all, though you still need your passport or national ID with you at the airport.
Wizz Air airport check-in: cost and times
| Method | Cost | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
Online or app | Free | 30 days before, with a seat booked24 hours before, without one | 3 hours before departure |
Airport desk, bought in advance | Around €13 | 2 hours before departureVaries by airport | 40 minutes before departureVaries by airport |
Airport desk, paid on the day | Roughly €40–50 | 2 hours before departure | 40 minutes before departure |
Airport check-in only becomes free where online check-in isn’t offered at all, which today means just two airports: Agadir Al Massira and Zaragoza. Everywhere else, paying at the desk is the most expensive route, and buying it in advance online is always cheaper than paying on the day.
Check-in times differ by airport
The standard airport check-in and bag-drop window runs from 2 hours to 40 minutes before departure, but around two dozen airports on Wizz Air’s network run to their own schedule. London Luton, the airline’s main UK base, opens 180 minutes and closes 60 minutes before departure, a longer window than the standard one. Luton also offers Twilight drop-off between 21:00 and 02:00 the evening before, for flights leaving up to 09:00 the next morning, so you can drop a bag off the night before rather than early the same day.
What happens if you miss Wizz Air check-in
Miss the check-in deadline, or arrive too late at the counter or gate, and your reservation is cancelled outright. You won’t be allowed to board. Most budget airlines simply keep your fare when that happens. Wizz Air gives some of it back instead, after taking out other service fees and a seat protection charge. Neither charge has a fixed price: the real cost only shows up when you look at your own booking. So nobody can tell you the exact refund without seeing that booking, only that it’s less than the full fare.
People assume a missed flight has one clear price tag. It doesn’t. Wizz Air never prints a fixed cost for either fee, so the only way to know your real number is to look at your own booking before you fly, not after you’ve missed it.
Kate Acaster, Flight Tribe
Auto Check-in: Wizz Air’s automatic option
Auto Check-in checks you and everyone on your booking in automatically 50 hours before departure, then emails your boarding cards. You can add it any time up to 4 hours before your flight. It’s a small fee rather than a fixed published rate, shown at checkout when you add it rather than listed anywhere on wizzair.com as a flat price.
Refunds if you cancel Auto Check-in
Complete it manually after buying it and there’s no refund. Cancel your flight more than 14 days before departure and the fee comes back; cancel closer to the date and it doesn’t. It’s worth adding if you won’t be near a phone or laptop when the standard window opens, but it doesn’t move the 3-hour online cutoff or the airport desk’s shorter one.
How to check in for your Wizz Air flight
- Check in online, via the app, or at the airport, whichever route is open for your booking.
- Download or print your boarding card once you’re checked in.
- If you’re checking a bag, drop it off before the check-in and bag-drop deadline for your airport.
- Travelling on a non-EU passport? Visit the check-in counter to have your documents checked and your boarding card stamped.
- Be at the gate with your boarding card and travel documents at least 30 minutes before departure.
For everything else about flying with the airline, from hand luggage to seat selection, see our guide to flying with Wizz Air.
When Does Wizz Air Check In Open? Quick Recap
Online: 30 days before departure with a seat booked, 24 hours before without one, closing 3 hours before you fly. At the airport: from 2 hours before departure, closing 40 minutes before it, for a fee. Miss either deadline and you won’t be boarding.
Frequently asked questions
When does Wizz Air check-in open?
Online check-in opens 30 days before departure if you bought a seat at booking, or 24 hours before if you didn’t. Both close 3 hours before your scheduled departure.
Is Wizz Air airport check-in free?
No, unless online check-in isn’t offered at your departure airport. Only Agadir Al Massira and Zaragoza currently fall into that free exception.
How much does Wizz Air charge for airport check-in?
Around €13 if you buy it in advance through wizzair.com, rising to roughly €40–50 per person if you leave it until the airport desk on the day.
What happens if I miss Wizz Air check-in?
Your reservation is cancelled and you won’t be allowed to board. Wizz Air still refunds the fare, minus other service fees and a seat protection fee, rather than keeping the full amount.
Does Wizz Air have an Auto Check-in service?
Yes. Add it up to 4 hours before departure and Wizz Air checks you in automatically 50 hours before the flight, emailing your boarding card.
What time does Wizz Air check-in close at London Luton?
The airport desk opens 180 minutes and closes 60 minutes before departure at Luton, longer than the standard 2-hour/40-minute window at most other airports.
Can under-16s check in themselves for a Wizz Air flight?
No. Children under 14 must be checked in online by a passenger aged 16 or over travelling on the same booking.
Do I need to enter passport details for online check-in within the Schengen area?
No. Wizz Air doesn’t require travel document details for Schengen-area journeys, though you still need to travel with your passport or national ID.
- Flying with hand luggage only? See our guide to how strict Wizz Air is with hand luggage.
- Need a bag that passes the gate sizer first time? Our picks for the best carry-on bag for Wizz Air are tested against the airline’s own allowance.
- Booking around a sale? Check our Wizz Air sale dates guide, or see when Wizz Air releases new flights.
- Paid for a seat and want to know your options? See our Wizz Air seat selection guide.
- Wondering about a cancelled trip? Read are Wizz Air flights refundable.
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.
How Kate works
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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