There are 3 types of check-in for flights: online check-in, check-in at the airport counter, self-check-in at the airport at the kiosks. What do you need to know about each of the registration types?
Check-in at the counter at the airport
In most airlines, check-in closes 40 minutes before the plane's departure, and check-in starts 2-3 hours before. There is a separate counter for business class. In the rare case, if it is not there, you can skip the line to the "stranger".
The passenger presents a ticket, passport, and, if necessary, the following documents:
- International passport.
- Departure visa.
- Insurance.
- In case of transfer - itinerary receipt.
- Documents for children (if you are flying with them), which are required by a specific air carrier.
Have scanned copies of documents, it is also advisable to have copies in e-mail so that you can print them if necessary.
Baggage, except carry-on baggage, must be checked in. For weight over 20 kg per person you need to pay extra .. You will receive a baggage tag. Next, you go through customs and passport control, a metal detector frame.
This completes the registration process. You go to the waiting room.
Plane check-in online
The advantages of such registration:
- No need to go to the airport in advance and stand in line;
- You can choose a seat on the plane.
To check in online, you need Internet access and an electronic ticket (to identify the passenger). You will need:
- Indicate the name or credit card number with which the ticket was paid;
- Confirm flight details;
- Generate a boarding pass.
As a result, you will receive a pin code.If the boarding pass must be with a magnetic stripe, thanks to the pin code, you can print it out at the airport on a special device. If the magnetic stripe is not needed, the coupon can be printed on any printer.
This coupon must be presented:
- At the front desk;
- When registering baggage;
- Security service (if the flight is international).
To successfully use online check-in, you need to know when it ends at a particular carrier. Usually, you can issue and receive a boarding pass around the clock: start 24 hours before the flight, end 45 minutes.
Who cannot register online:
- Disabled people;
- Persons transporting animals;
- Groups over 9 people;
- Those who fly on an irregular flight;
- Children flying unaccompanied by their parents.
Airport self-check-in kiosks
They appeared in 1998, have been working in large quantities since 2005. Allow with a credit or bonus card:
- register yourself;
- make changes to registration information;
- choose a seat on the plane;
- get boarding passes if transfers are planned;
- quickly register your luggage.
Kiosks are located in the departure halls and all have touch screens. The sequence of working with them:
- Choose an airline;
- Identify personal data;
- Choose a seat on the plane;
- Confirm registration;
- Print your boarding pass.
Some kiosks do not have a baggage check-in system. In this case, register it at the Baggage Drop Of counter. Only e-ticket holders can use the self-check-in counter.
If the kiosk is equipped with a special baggage check-in system, the passenger will be able to check it out on his own.
Airline check-in
Check out the information on registration with shipping companies.
Aeroflot
The base airport is Moscow, Sheremetyevo. Check-in at the counter in terminals E, F opens 2 hours in advance, in terminal D opens 6 hours in advance. Completes 40 minutes before departure. Four registration options:
- Priority (VIP);
- Economy class;
- Through the kiosk;
- Online.
Online check-in starts 24 hours and ends 40 minutes before departure.
Website https://www.aeroflot.ru/ru-ru/information/checkin
The base airport is St. Petersburg, Pulkovo. Check-in at the counter at the airport starts no later than 2 hours before departure and ends up to 40 minutes before. Vnukovo - starts 12 hours before departure, counters 81-102.
Pulkovo - stands 221-224:
- For SU 6001-6999 flights - starts 24 hours before departure;
- For flights FV 5501-5949 - 3 hours before departure.
When departing from foreign airports, the check-in deadline should be specified. The company recommends arriving at the airport 4 hours before departure. Online check-in starts 24 hours before departure and ends 45 minutes.
Website https://www.rossiya-airlines.com/
The base airport is Moscow, Vnukovo. Check-in at the airport counter starts 2 hours before departure (at Vnukovo - 3 hours) and ends 40 minutes before. Information when the check-in at the airport of other countries is completed is indicated in the itinerary receipt. Online check-in time: 24 hours - 40 minutes before departure.
Website https://www.pobeda.aero/
The base airport is Moscow, Vnukovo. Check-in at the counter: for domestic flights starts 1.5 hours in advance, for international flights 3 hours in advance. Ends - 45 minutes before takeoff. Online check-in time: 24 hours - 45 minutes before take-off. Self-check-in can only be done by those who do not carry animals and do not have any luggage except carry-on luggage.
Website https://www.utair.ru/
Ural Airlines
Basic airports - Yekaterinburg "Koltsovo", Moscow "Domodedovo". Passengers must arrive for check-in: for domestic flights - 1.5 hours in advance, for intercity flights - 3 hours in advance. Registration ends depending on where the plane is flying, 1 hour - 45 minutes before takeoff.
Online check-in for direct flights starts 24 hours in advance, ends 4 hours in advance, except for flights from cities:
- Yekaterinburg;
- Moscow;
- Nizhny Novgorod;
- Samara;
- Orenburg;
- Chita;
- Saint Petersburg;
- Khabarovsk.
For these destinations, check-in ends 1 hour before departure.
Website https://www.uralairlines.ru/your-flight/register/
The base airport is Rostov-on-Don. Check-in at the airport starts 2 hours before and ends 40 minutes before departure, unless other conditions are stipulated for certain destinations. Online check-in starts 24 hours and ends 3 hours before the aircraft leaves for the flight.
Website https://azimuth.aero/ru
Base airports - Novosibirsk "Tolmachevo", Moscow "Domodedovo". Check-in opens 3-4 hours before departure. To Domodedovo - in 23 hours. Ends - 40 minutes before departure. Online check-in starts 30 hours before and ends 5 hours before departure. Self-registration kiosks operate in Moscow, Sochi, Perm, Kemerovo, Tyumen and other cities.
Website https://www.s7.ru/
North wind
The base airport is Moscow, Sheremetyevo. Check-in for an international flight starts 6 hours before departure, for a domestic one - 3 hours. Ends 50 minutes before aircraft departure. Online check-in starts at 23.30 and ends 4 hours before departure.
Website https://nordwindairlines.ru/
The base airport is Moscow, Domodedovo. Check-in at the airport starts 3 hours and ends 40 minutes before departure. Online check-in starts 24 hours and ends 1 hour before departure.
Website http://azurair.com/
Red Wings
The base airport is Moscow Domodedovo. Check-in at the airport starts 3 hours and ends 40 minutes before departure. Racks 150-160. Online check-in starts 24 hours before and ends 3 hours before departure.
Website https://flyredwings.com/
Royal Flight
The base airport is Moscow, Sheremetyevo. At the airport, check-in for international flights starts 3 hours, for domestic flights - 1.5 hours before departure. Completes in both cases in 40 minutes. Online registration starts 24 hours in advance. This service is currently suspended.
Website http://royalflight.ru/
What to do if you are late for registration
If the plane has not yet taken off, then you can get on it. In the interval when 40-25 minutes remain before departure, go to the check-in counter for latecomers. Those who fly in business class will not have to pay; for the rest, registration will be paid. If there is no such counter at the airport, you need to contact the staff of the airline you are flying with. You will be assisted on board the aircraft.
Standard check-in opens a few hours and closes less than an hour before aircraft departure. Often, how much you need to arrive at the airport to go through the registration formalities directly depends on the type of registration itself, the time frame set by one or another airline or airport of departure. You can check in in advance in real time or directly at the airport of departure. It is best to specify information about the beginning and end of registration directly when booking.
Many air carriers remind that it is worth arriving at the airport a few hours before departure in order to have time to stand in line at the counter, check in luggage and go through pre-flight security. Agree, it is much more pleasant to wait for your plane to take off to a cafe or walk around Dutu Fré than to neglect the time allotted for check-in, then overpay for the check-in of a late passenger and be nervous due to the fact that you can no longer fly away and, moreover, you will lose time and money.
Check-in for Aeroflot flights
It is worth calculating in advance how much it takes to arrive at the airport in order not to be late for the flight. If you are flying in economy class, then it is worth arriving early, as the queues at the counters are quite long. For Aeroflot economy class passengers, the standard rule applies: check-in starts 2 hours before the flight, ends 40 minutes before, but there are some exceptions:
- For Aeroflot flights departing to St. Petersburg from Sheremetyevo Airport (Terminals F, E), check-in closes 30 minutes before departure.
- For flights departing to St. Petersburg from the Sheremetyevo airport (Terminals B, D), check-in starts 6 hours before and ends 30 minutes before departure. Check-in for other flights from these terminals also starts in 6 hours, but ends in 40 minutes.
- You can use the early check-in service at the airport counter. It opens no earlier than 12 hours before the flight, provided there is no congestion of a large number of passengers with less than 6 hours left before their flight.
- At Swiss airports, passenger check-in for Aeroflot flights ends 45 minutes before departure.
- Exactly one hour before departure, check-in ends at the airports of Brussels, Delhi, Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Miami, Tel Aviv, Hanoi (only for flights departing on Mondays), Beijing, Shanghai.
When you check-in online or at self-check-in kiosks, the timeline is slightly shifted. Check-in of this type starts exactly 24 hours before departure and ends 45 minutes.
Check-in for UTair flights
For all Utair flights, the standard rule applies: check-in for domestic flights starts 2 hours in advance, for international flights - 3 hours in advance and ends 40 minutes in advance. Exceptions are:
- For domestic flights to Vnukovo, you can arrive for check-in 12 hours before departure, in Kaliningrad - 6 hours before, and in Surgut - a day.
- Check-in at Milan airport starts 2.5 hours before departure, and at airports in cities such as Riga, Vienna, Berlin and Munich - 2 hours.
If there is a UTair self-check-in kiosk at the airport of departure, you can register one day before departure. The check-in for the flight through the kiosks is completed in 45 minutes.
A very convenient way that will save a lot of time is registration online. For Utair flights, it opens 36 hours and closes 45 minutes before departure (in Vienna and Tel Aviv - an hour before the flight). Online check-in is not available in all cities and airports.
All passengers who missed the flight (showed up for check-in less than 40 minutes before departure) will not be allowed to fly.
Check-in for Ural Airlines flights
Check-in for the flight of the main Ural air carrier starts depending on the departure airport. Check-in at Domodedovo airport for all flights starts one day before. Domestic flights to Koltsovo are open for check-in 3 hours before, and international flights 4 hours before departure. For other airports, the rule applies: check-in for domestic flights opens 1.5 hours in advance, and for international flights - 3 hours in advance, although, depending on the situation at the airport, the check-in opening time sometimes changes (from 1 to 4 hours).
The standard closing time for check-in for international and domestic flights is 40 minutes before departure, but there are exceptions here:
- At Hurghada airport, check-in ends 45 minutes before the flight.
- In Rome and Tel Aviv - one hour before departure. Also, check-in for international flights from Bolshoye Savino airport to Perm finishes in an hour.
- In Beijing, Guangzhou and Dubai, check-in ends exactly one hour before the flight.
Online check-in for direct regular flights starts one day and ends 40 minutes before the departure time, flights from airports Rome, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Beijing, Harbin, Amsterdam - in 1 hour... Online check-in for a flight of Ural Airlines is not possible from all airports.
Passengers who, for one reason or another, did not fit into these time frames and showed up for the flight after check-in ended, are unlikely to be able to fly away.
Check-in time for S7 flights
According to the general rule of S7 Airlines, check-in for a flight starts 2 - 3 hours and ends 40 minutes before departure. Exceptions:
- Check-in for a flight at Tolmachevo airport (Novosibirsk) starts one day before.
- Check-in starts at Domodedovo airport one day before the flight.
- The check-in deadline at the airports of Beijing, Dubai and Madrid is exactly one hour before departure.
Online check-in for S7 flights starts 30 hours before and ends 40 minutes before departure.
Check-in for Rossiya Airlines flights
At the airport of departure at the check-in counter for "Russia" flights, registration opens 2 hours in advance and closes 40 minutes in advance. If your flight begins with the letter code FV, it means that the flight is operated by Rossiya Airlines directly. If the code for your flight begins with the letters SU, it means that Russia is operating a flight under a single code for the Aeroflot group of companies. Check-in start times will vary by flight
- At Vnukovo airport: for flights with the SU code, check-in is available 4 hours before departure, for flights with the FV code, check-in is available a day before departure.
- At Pulkovo airport: for flights with SU code - check-in one day before departure, for flights with FV code - 3 hours before departure.
If you are flying from a foreign airport, then the check-in deadline must be specified on the airport website itself.
If there are self-check-in kiosks at the airport, you can check-in for the flight one day before departure. Check-in deadline - 45 minutes before departure. The time frames for online registration are identical.
Check-in for Pobeda flights
Check-in at the airport counter opens 2 hours in advance and ends 40 minutes in advance. Exceptions:
- Registration at Vnukovo begins 4 hours before the flight.
- Check-in for flights departing from the airports of Leipzig, Karlovy Vary, Eindhoven, Istanbul, Berlin, Milan, Genoa, Dubai and Riga ends in exactly one hour.
Time range of online check-in for Pobeda Airlines flights:
- For flights from Moscow, online check-in opens a day and ends 40 minutes before departure.
- For flights from St. Petersburg, you can check-in one day in advance, but you must be in time before the end of check-in (2 hours before departure).
- From foreign airports, online check-in starts one day and ends 4 hours before departure.
Check-in for flights of other airlines
Check-in for Azur Air flights at the airport starts in 2.5 - 3 hours and ends in 40 minutes. Online registration opens exactly one day and ends in 3 hours.
For all domestic flights from Domodedovo, check-in with Red Wings begins one day and ends 40 minutes before departure. Online registration also starts in a day, but ends in 3 hours.
Yamal adheres to the standard rule and opens check-in at the airport in 2 hours and closes in 40 minutes. You can register online from one day to three hours before the flight departure. At the Nordavia airline, check-in for the flight is identical, the only difference is the end time of check-in at the airport - 50 minutes before departure.
Check-in at the airport for Rusline flights starts from 1.5 to 3 hours before departure, depending on the airport and flight. You need to find out the specific time before the flight on the airline's website or from representatives. Check-in ends at the airport - as standard, in 40 minutes. Live pre-registration starts in 36 hours and ends in 90 minutes.
Yakutia Airlines has its own time range. For local flights in the region, check-in is open 2 hours in advance, for flights within Russia and the world you can check-in 3 hours in advance. The end time is floating and is reported to the passenger directly at the airport of departure on the online scoreboard. It is very convenient to register online. Web check-in starts 23 hours and closes 2 hours before departure.
Other materials
Online registration starts in 24 hours and ends in 45 minutes before departure and is available when departing from the following cities:
Anapa, Antalya, Bangkok *, Goa, Yekaterinburg, Heraklion, Kazan, Kerkyra, Kos, Larnaca, Moscow (a / p Vnukovo), Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Pardubice, Paphos, Perm, Phuket, Rhodes, Samara, St. Petersburg, Simferopol, Sochi, Tyumen, Ufa, Sharjah, Eilat, Enfida **.
* At Bangkok and Eilat airports, online check-in closes 4 hours 10 minutes before departure.
** At Enfida airport, online check-in closes 5 hours 10 minutes before departure and boarding passes received as a result of online check-in must be reissued at the airport check-in counter
.
If you are traveling with baggage in excess of your carry-on baggage, you must drop off your baggage at the dedicated DROP OFF check-in counter or at the check-in counter of your flight before the end of the check-in time.
If your baggage in weight or dimensions exceeds the free baggage allowance, you need to pay for excess baggage at the rates set by the airline.
Read the baggage rules and pay attention to the list of restricted / prohibited items and substances.
You can use the online check-in service for Rossiya Airlines flights with the numbering FV5501-5949 in the following cases:
You do not need special services, such as accompanying a child without parents, escorting seriously ill people on a stretcher, etc.;
You are traveling without animals, do not carry weapons and heavy luggage;
You do not have additional seats in the aircraft cabin, including luggage.
How to check in online:
1. On the official website of Rossiya Airlines, go to the online check-in service page (the “Online check-in” button) or use the direct address of the service.
2. Fill in the fields in accordance with the itinerary receipt:
- Last name of the passenger. Enter the passenger's surname as it is indicated in the itinerary receipt of the ticket. Example: RYBAKOV (when entering copied text, check that there are no hidden spaces), double surname is also entered as one without spaces, for example, ALEKSANDROVAANDREEVA.
- Number of ticket. Enter the e-ticket number as indicated in the itinerary receipt. Example: 1952420251055
3. Read and confirm your agreement with the rules of online registration, privacy policy, terms and conditions for the provision of the service and with the list of the main hazardous substances and items prohibited for transportation on board the aircraft.
4. To identify the passenger, click the "Search" button.
If identification is successful, the page will display flight information, passenger information and online check-in status.
The online registration status can be displayed in two states: OPEN or CLOSED - in accordance with the activity of the service. By clicking the button, you can view information about the start and end time of check-in at the airport, as well as the start and end time of boarding.
The “Passenger selected for check-in” field displays the passenger whose last name was indicated during authentication;
If you have a companion (s), you can add him (s) for joint online check-in by clicking on the "Add passenger" button and entering the last name and ticket number.
5. Select the name of the checked-in passenger (s) and click the "Go to online check-in" button.
6. Press the "Select Seat" button to select seats on the aircraft cabin map.
When choosing a place, be guided by the following symbols:
Passenger's seat
Blocked seats and seats already selected by other passengers
Paid seats of the "Space + Upper Deck" category
Paid seats of the "Space +" category *
Paid seats of the category "A-ZONE" and "FRONT ROWS"
Paid seats of the "B-ZONE" category (preferred seats)
Seats of category "C-ZONE" (standard seats) available for selection
Seats equipped with cradles for babies
Seats equipped with cradles are provided for passengers with infants no more than 1 year old and weighing no more than 11 kg. The number of places on board with attachments for cradles is limited. Carrycot length: 75 cm.
According to flight safety rules, we can offer a passenger with an infant under 2 years of age a limited number of seats to choose from in the aircraft cabin - the outermost aisle seats, with the exception of some blocks of seats.
*for pre-purchased Space + seats at emergency exits, you must check in for your flight and receive your boarding pass at the airport check-in counter.
Before going through the online registration, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the location map:Boeing 747-400, Boeing 737-800.The layout and location of seats on board the aircraft may change due to slight differences in the modifications of specific aircraft.
7. Select additional services. The insurance policy is included in your order by default.
If necessary, the passenger can click on the "SELECTED" button to remove the service from the order, after clicking the button will change to the "SELECT" button. Pressing the SELECT button again opens a new window in which you can select the Insurance service for each passenger.
It is possible to issue a voluntary insurance policy on Rossiya Airlines flights with the numbering FV5501-5949 if there is an issued ticket on the website in the section - 24 hours, but no later than 2 hours before the flight departure.
When departing from Vnukovo, a choice of Additional meals from the "Chocolate Girl" menu is available, as well as the "Congratulations on board" service, before check-in and no later than 7 hours before the flight. The choice of additional services is possible by pressing the "Select" button.
8. After choosing a seat and additional services, click the "Proceed to payment" button.
If you select a paid place and / or a paid service, you must enter your mobile phone number and e-mail, then go to the payment page and make a payment.
The passenger's status will change to "Registered", the selected seat will be assigned to the passenger, a boarding pass and payment receipt will be generated.
9. Boarding pass and receipt are generated in PDF format. Use the buttons:
"LANDING CARD" - for immediate viewing and printing of the coupon;
"RECEIPT" - for immediate viewing and printing of receipts (for paid seats)
“QR CODE” - for immediate viewing and printing of the QR code.
"Send documents by e-mail" - to print all documents later. Please enter the email address (s) to which your boarding pass will be sent.
10. Online registration is over.
Note!
A paper boarding pass is required to proceed to the boarding gate. If you were unable to print your boarding pass at home, you can print your boarding pass at self-check-in kiosks at the airport, or at the passenger check-in counter at the airport.
How to unregister:
1. In order to cancel registration on condition of the previously selected free seat, it is necessary to pass passenger identification.
3. In the window that opens, you must confirm your intention to cancel the online registration.
4. Cancellation of online registration is over.
5. Cancellation of online registration in case of purchasing paid seats with additional comfort is not made. Refunds for the purchased service are made in accordance with the claim procedure.
Note!
In connection with the introduction of additional security measures at airports for the passage of security control procedures, as well as border and customs formalities for international transportation
you must arrive at the airport of departure in advance
.
In order to ensure flight safety, the airline reserves the right to change your chosen seats without prior notice, as well as refuse a flight if:
Before the end of ground check-in (40 minutes before departure) you did not have time to go through all the pre-flight procedures regulated by the airport of departure.
You have arrived at the boarding gate after the boarding time has elapsed.
Check-in for flights
Dear passengers! Passage to the zones of domestic and international airlines is possible only if the passenger has a boarding pass (in paper or electronic form).
Passengers check-in is carried out on the second floor of the terminal and automatically ends 40 minutes before the flight departure time indicated on the ticket (for Turkish airlines, flydubai and FlyOne flights - 60 minutes). Check-in start time depends on the airline, but no later than two hours before departure.
Please do not be late for registration! The employees at the check-in counters do not have the technical ability to reopen the registration after its completion.
Before departure, all passengers must check in for their flight and, in addition to the existing air ticket, receive a boarding pass.
A paper boarding pass can be printed in advance on any printer, and also received before the end of check-in at the check-in desks of your flight or printed on REPRINT devices located in front of the entrance to the departure area of \u200b\u200bdomestic airlines, opposite the 61st and 80th check-in sections ( Utair and other airlines) and opposite the 85th check-in section ("Russia"). Turkish airlines passengers can use the airline's self-check-in kiosks.
Transfer / transit passengers arriving and departing on domestic airlines can also print a paper boarding pass by contacting the transfer / transit check-in counter.
If you need to get a mark (stamp) on the passage of special control on a paper boarding pass, you will need to have a printed boarding pass with you and, if necessary, ask the aviation security officer at the special control counter to put down a mark (stamp). Please note that getting a mark (stamp) on a paper boarding pass at the airport of departure is possible only during pre-flight procedures. Upon completion of the flight, all flight confirmation requests must be directed to the carrier (airline).
Certain routes of flights may have special conditions for online check-in. Please check them on the websites or in the help services of airlines.
Possible registration methods
on the website of the airline you are flying. Check-in is available for flights of airlines:
- (online check-in for flights to countries with a visa regime is temporarily unavailable)
from a mobile device... Check-in is available for flights of airlines:
- Turkish airlines via mobile app for iOS or Android
- UTair via mobile application for iOS or Android
in self-service kiosks at the airport terminals (check-in is available for flights of Turkish Airlines, UTair);
at the check-in and baggage drop-off counters in the airport terminals. Please check the check-in counter numbers directly for your flight in the online scoreboard on our website or on the information boards in the airport terminal.
on the airline's websitewhich you fly. Check-in is available for flights of airlines:
Pre-flight security areas
Pre-flight security areas, customs and passport control, boarding passes are located on the same floor in the back of the hall.
After passing the pre-flight and passport control, passengers are offered spacious and comfortable waiting rooms of the boarding gallery, shops, food outlets and other service organizations that will not let them get bored while waiting to board the flight.
Boarding gates:
- gates 8 / 8A-17 / 17A: domestic flights, left half of the landing gallery, passage from the left side of the hall;
- gates 22 / 22A – 31 / 31A: international flights, right half of the boarding gallery, through customs and passport control from the center of the hall.
Passengers on domestic flights can use the UTG Travel Club, Prokofiev Hall, located in the boarding gallery for domestic flights.
Business class passengers and members of Turkish Airlines loyalty programs are served in the branded CIP Lounge "Istanbul - Moscow", located in the boarding gallery of international lines.
Dear passengers! For all questions of violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation, please contact the Moscow Transport Prosecutor's Office.
We wish you a safe journey!
The theater starts with a coat rack, and the flight begins with check-in. Why is it needed at all? How is a plane ticket different from, for example, a train or bus ticket? Why can't you buy a ticket right away with assigning a specific seat, like a train?
It's all about the number of passengers and their luggage. The location of luggage and passengers in the cabin depends on it - it is important to observe the alignment of the aircraft so that its center of gravity does not shift in one direction or another. If each of the passengers chooses a seat they like right away when buying a ticket, it will be difficult to manage their seating around the cabin.
Luggage and hand luggage need to be weighed somewhere - it is possible to uncontrollably take suitcases full of dumbbells with you in land or water transport, and on the plane you need control and, in fact, someone who will accept and transfer the luggage for loading into the luggage compartment : so registration is essential.
There were, by the way, attempts to simplify the baggage check-in process - the same Il-86 was designed with the expectation that each passenger himself could carry his baggage to the plane and leave it in the baggage compartment, which is located in front of the entrance to the cabin.
At the same time, in a number of major cities in the world - for example, in Abu Dhabi, Vienna, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Stockholm or Taipei - there is the possibility of checking in for a flight at special points within the city. This allows you to drop off your luggage and travel to the airport light and, in turn, reduces the queues for check-in at the airport itself, since the passenger already has a boarding pass in his hands and can immediately go to the waiting room.
A similar opportunity was realized by Aeroexpress in Moscow at Belorussky, Paveletsky and Kievsky railway stations, but due to low demand (only 2.5% of passengers used the service) at Belorussky and Kievsky stations, it was eliminated. Low demand is not surprising: check-in ended 3 hours before the departure of the flight, that is, the passenger was guaranteed time to arrive at the airport before check-in at the counters. But at the Paveletsky railway station, you can have time to check in and take the train, which will arrive at Domodedovo airport after check-in at the counters ends: but you will have time to board. This service costs 100 rubles.
Depending on the airport, airline and flight direction, check-in start and end times may vary. A kind of "average" value is opening 2 hours before departure and closing 30-40 minutes, however, in a number of destinations it can take 20 minutes, and at those airports where your chosen airline is based, check-in can be open both 6 and 12, and even 24 hours before departure.
If you are flying with the same airline (or airlines within the same airline alliance, or under interline agreements) with transfers, then at the first airport you will usually be given boarding passes for all segments of the route, which will avoid queues at the check-in counters of transit passengers. By the way, about these racks. If you were not given all the boarding passes, and a queue formed at the transfer counter, then no one forbids you to go “into the city” and then re-enter and check in with those passengers flying from this city. In this case, of course, you will have to go through security again, while during the transfer you will often not leave the "clean zone". However, at a number of airports, during the transfer, you still need to re-pass security, and the queue here can also be long. In the same Sheremetyevo there are often internal "transit" through the "city".
Online check-in simplifies the check-in process. It solves the problem of seating passengers in their seats - and if they do not have luggage, then the process ends there: the passenger prints the boarding pass himself and goes with him to boarding. The airline, ideally, only needs to accept baggage, which speeds up the process and, as a result, requires fewer check-in counters. The same Drop-Off desks are used to collect baggage on all flights.
For an airline, online check-in is primarily a cost reduction. Therefore, it is not surprising that some discounters actually require all passengers to check in online. For example, if you are on a Ryanair flight and forget to do so (although you will receive a reminder letter several times), the airport check-in fee can be up to 60 euros, which is often more expensive than the ticket itself.
At the same time, if the majority of traditional airlines open online check-in a day before departure, then discounters with their fleet of the same type allow you to check-in much earlier. So, the same Ryanair opens registration 15 days before departure, AirAsia - 14 days, and EasyJet - in general, immediately after buying a ticket.
Self-service check-in kiosks at the airport are, in fact, another interface to the online check-in system, combined with a printer. At a number of airports, it is where you can print your boarding pass if you have not done so at home. In others, this can only be done at the counter, and in some places for additional money. So if you don't have a printer at hand, choose mobile check-in, as a result of which a QR code will appear on the screen of your phone, attaching it to the scanner at the airport, you will receive a paper boarding pass. For obvious reasons (scanners are not available at all airports), mobile check-in is offered at significantly fewer airports than just online.
For a passenger, online check-in is a convenience (especially when flying without luggage) and a way. Although this is not always possible when registering online, at least the obviously bad ones can be avoided. However, at the same discounters, registration may not imply a choice of seat, and experienced passengers of the same RyanAir have long been accustomed to the competition “who will run from gate to ladder first”, that is, whoever got on the plane earlier takes the best seats.
For those who do not want to run, there is a paid priority boarding service, and traditional airlines often practice the so-called pre-seating: that is, pre-booking a seat for a passenger. It can be available either during the booking process, or later - through the call center, personal account on the website or in the mobile application.
Aerobatics during online check-in is self-service when checking in baggage: a baggage tag is printed in a special machine, which is glued to the suitcase, which the passenger himself carries to the automatic collection point. For example, such a system works for KLM passengers in Amsterdam (Schiphol) or Lufthansa in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. And, for example, Air New Zealand provides its frequent flyers with RFID tags, which can be used to directly pass through automated gates at the gates directly on the plane, without any printing of boarding passes.
However, not all airlines have online check-in, and those who do have it - not at all airports; this is a purely IT problem: the integration of an airport into the registration system requires certain funds. Also, online check-in may not be available for group tickets (since they are booked a little differently than ordinary ones, and the list of passengers can be changed literally at the last moment) and for flights operated by codeshare. True, in the latter case there is a trick: you need to register in the system of the airline that actually operates the flight; and if your reservation is not listed by last name and first name - try to search by booking code (PNR), and PNR does not work - by ticket number, etc. - try all possible methods of authorization; however, even this does not guarantee the success of the operation, you may still have to go to the counter.
If the online check-in at Aeroflot does not work for you, most likely you are checking in from a smartphone from an airport where there is no mobile check-in (that is, printers for printing these mobile boarding lines). You need to select the full version of the site in the settings of your mobile browser and then get your boarding pass at the counter or at the self-check-in kiosk.