Exclusive:
Mirror travel reporter Cyann Fielding was heading off to Tirana, Albania, from London Luton, but needed to check-in at the airport — only to be hit with an unexpected £43 fee
As a travel reporter, I like to think I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to travel rules — but even I sometimes get caught out.
Having arrived at Luton Airport in the early hours of a Wednesday morning in early December, I didn’t think much could go wrong. Wednesdays are often good days to travel as there are fewer passengers travelling mid-week.
Unfortunately, I was still greeted with a queue when it came to checking-in for my flight to Tirana, Albania, at the Wizz Air desk.
In the chaos of travelling to the airport, checking I had my passport seven times and then trying to find where I needed to go in Luton Airport — I didn’t exactly get the chance to check-in online. Nor did I realise that if I didn’t want to be charged a small fortune, that it would be a requirement.
After queueing for around 25 minutes, I was then faced with a £43 charge for checking-in, in person. Something I had never heard of.
Growing up, I remember my parents would often go the airport check-in desk, as managing two children with the pre-holiday bedlam of packing, travelling, hotels and getting up in the morning, didn’t exactly leave time to do it online.
Friends of mine have also expressed how they prefer to do it in person, in case their phone runs out of charge before they need to show their boarding pass. Other friends also prefer to do it that way simply because everyone else is doing it online now and that means the check-in desk tends to not have a queue. They can then check-in, grab their boarding pass and drop off their bags all at the same time, without even removing their phone from their pocket.
The £43 charge definitely seemed steep for a task that took the check-in desk staff member two minutes, and a flimsy bit of paper. Outraged, I looked into the rule. Essentially, travellers have 24 hours before their flight to check-in online.
Except, realistically, they don’t.
Three hours before your flight, online check-in closes and you must check-in, in person, at the airport. So, you have 21 hours to check-in online. That is also before subtracting the amount of time the average human sleeps, works, and potentially drives to the airport. It also ignores the fact some might be on a connecting flight or do not have Wi-Fi or the facilities at home to check-in online.
Whilst I know I am not the only one caught out by this rule, I was shocked I missed it. Travellers are informed of the rule via communication from their airline, or third party booking site, before their flight. But it isn’t exactly easy to understand.
If you book through a third party site, you have to rely on them firstly sending you this warning, and then secondly sending you a link to check-in online. If you didn’t book direct, you have to use the link your booking site sent you, otherwise you may be unable to check in. If you did book direct, your airline should send you a link, which you can then use to check-in online.
This ‘rule’ also doesn’t apply to all airlines. For example, with British Airways you can check-in in person for free, they will print your boarding pass for you, and if you then lose that boarding pass, they will even print you another.
On the other hand, it is even worse for Ryanair passengers, who are charged £55 for checking-in at the airport. It does make me question whether it is some sort of scheme from budget airlines to try and grab more money.
Admittedly I paid the £43 because — truthfully — I just missed the information in communications sent regarding my flight — but I don’t think it means this rule is fair. Instead, it is just another reason on my list as to why I prefer British Airways.
A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “Wizz Air aims to make check-in simple for passengers. Clear instructions are provided via email on how to check-in to avoid charges, and we encourage all passengers to check-in online as early as possible before their scheduled departure time.
“Customers who have not purchased seats with their booking, can check-in online 24 hours before departure via the Wizz Air app or website. Customers are sent a reminder of the booking processes to the email address they booked with. Each passenger can locate their booking and check-in on the Wizz Air app using their confirmation code.
“To ensure customers receive updates about their booking, we always recommend booking directly. When customers book via a third party, Wizz Air does not receive any contact details of the customer – only those of the agent. The booking agent receives all flight information and details of the check-in process, which they should pass onto the passenger.
“Wizz Air does not discriminate against any passenger. While we are a digital-first airline, we offer special assistance to any passenger who might need it, abiding by all relevant UK CAA regulations, which specifies passengers who need special assistance should contact the airline at least 48-hours before departure. Wizz Air is fully committed to accommodating the special needs of any passenger who contacts them in the stipulated timeframe, which can also be requested by telephone.”
