Every airline has its own certain way of getting passengers onto the plane once they're at the gate. Some people pay extra for priority boarding, which means they are allowed onto the aircraft first.
But sometimes, people who have paid the standard fare are also allowed to board before the rest of the cabin. Parents with young children and anyone requiring special assistance are just two examples of where such exceptions are made. As airports prepare for a busy spring and summer season, and travellers get set for their journeys, these are the handy rules and regulations for each of the UK's main airlines.
You should be sure to arrive at your gate before boarding begins to benefit from priority boarding. If you’re running behind, keep in mind that gates close 30 minutes before departure time. easyJet uses a queuing system for all of their flights, boarding passengers in the following priority order:
In addition to being prioritised during boarding. easyJet will attempt to seat families together. This is not guaranteed however, so easyJet encourages families to check in as early as possible to ensure parents/guardians and children are close together.
easyJet uniquely boards passengers from both the front and rear doors of its aircrafts. Your boarding pass and on-hand staff will confirm which door you should use.
British Airways has a group boarding system to reportedly reduce congestion at the gate. This means that all BA boarding passes will show a Group Number, indicating your boarding priority. Passengers requiring special assistance will be able to board ahead of all groups. As well, families travelling with small children (infants under two years old and young children in pushchairs) to board early. To take advantage of this pre-boarding offer, families are asked to arrive at least 50 minutes before departure.
Executive Club Gold, Silver or Bronze Members will have their priority boarding reflected on their boarding pass. If you are an Executive Club member, you use the priority boarding lane to board at any time—even if your priority group has already been called.
Online check-in for Ryanair flights open 60 days before scheduled departure. Once checked in, passengers will be able to print or download their boarding pass. You can show either the physical boarding pass or electronic version at your gate upon boarding.
You should be at your gate at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time, and boarding will close 20 minutes prior to departure. Ryanair emphasises that arriving any later than this will mean passengers will not be allowed to board. After passengers who require special assistance, those who have paid for priority boarding will be the next to board.
Passengers that have paid for priority boarding are also able to bring a carry-on bag that doesn’t need to be placed in the hold. Children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Ryanair requires adults travelling with children under 12 years old (excluding infants) to reserve a seat. To help ensure families are seated together, the airline allocates a free reserved seat for every one adult travelling with a maximum of four children.
TUI, Air Europa, Albastar, ASL Airlines France, ASL Airlines Ireland, Evelop Airlines, Germania, Norwegian, Travel Service and Volotea flights require passengers to print their boarding passes on standard A4 paper.
Your physical boarding pass will be scanned at the airport, so ensure that there are no rips or tears. If you don’t have a chance to print your boarding pass, don’t panic. You can collect it from the TUI bag drop desk at the airport. Boarding rules are dependent on the airline you are flying. As a general rule, passengers should arrive well in advance of departure time, and at least 30 minutes before boarding is scheduled. As well, those requiring special assistance and families travelling with children will be granted priority during boarding.
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