Why are there additional fees for checking in?

Upvote:6

Ryanair have charged for airport check-in since 2006, in order to save on staff costs. The current cost is €55, after a reduction in 2015 - yes, it used to be higher! Online check-in is normally free, but only if you check-in four days or fewer in advance. I suspect the €7 charge your father saw was for checking in more than four days in advance, which also includes a seat reservation.

You can fly very cheaply with Ryanair, but you have to follow their rules to the letter to avoid some very high extra fees. I'm sorry your father had this experience.

Upvote:11

The checkin process is also used to verify documents. E.g. if you are not a citizen from an EU country and fly in the EU with Ryanair, you have to present your passport and visa during the checkin at the airport.

Regarding the fees, AFAIK Ryanair doesn't charge a fee for the regular online checkin. I also found no occurrences about such a fee on their website. It could be possible, that this was a fee for an early online checkin (i.e. more than 30 days before the flight).
But they clearly state, that airport checkin costs 55 Euros, except if you book a BusinessPlus fare. The reason for this fee is clear, personnel at the airport costs money, and they want to have as little personnel as possible, so they want you to check in online.

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