Who doesn’t want some extra ZZZs before an early flight? I know I do because I am not a morning person. The thought of waking up at 3 am to be at the airport at 4 am for a 6 am departure makes me cringe.
On occasion I’ve even thought to myself, I’ll stay up, grab some food and then sleep on the plane. It has never happened. Nor am I very good at going to bed early to get some extra rest the night before, and the rest I do get isn’t excellent quality.
I usually travel with just a carry-on on short flights. It’s usually a breeze since online check-in has become the norm, and baggage fees are often an added cost I try to avoid. With just a carry-on to worry about, I can afford a little extra sleep in the morning.
But what happens when you need to check your big suitcase in for a long-haul flight, and your flight leaves at 6 am?
New twilight check-in services could save travelers a lot of time and stress.
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What is a twilight check-in?
A twilight check-in is a full check-in where you can drop off your luggage the day before your flight. You get to arrive at the airport the next morning with no suitcases and head straight to security. That means more sleep, less stress, and better travel experience!
Where can you find twilight check-in services?
1. Manchester Airport in the UK
Manchester Airport’s twilight check-in service is available for select airlines including Thomas Cook, Thomson, and Jet2 at Terminal 2 between 4 pm and 8 pm the day before you fly.
2. Gatwick Airport in the UK
At Gatwick Airport, several airlines operate a day-before check-in service, including British Airways, EasyJet, Thomas Cook, Thomson, TUI, and Virgin Atlantic. Check-in times vary.
3. Jet2 in the UK
Jet2 operates a twilight check-in service from 3 pm to 8 pm the night before. The service is available seven days a week at Birmingham, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, and Manchester airports. You can read their three-step guide here.
4. Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris
Air France, KLM, and HOP! Airlines offer a twilight check-in service at Terminal 2F in check-in area 3 between 3:30 pm and 7 pm the night before your flight.
5. Aer Lingus and Ryanair in Ireland
Aer Lingus offers an “evening before” check-in facility at Dublin Airport between 5 pm and 8 pm if your flight leaves between 6 am and 8 am the next day, and at Cork Airport between 4 pm and 7:30 pm if your flight leaves between 6 am and 8 am the next day.
Ryanair offers a similar night-before service at Dublin Airport after 8 pm the day before you fly.
6. Frankfurt Airport in Germany
Frankfurt Airport operates the night-before check-in for Air France, Austrian Airlines, Condor, Croatia Airlines, Egypt Air, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and SWISS.
7. Condor in Germany
Condor operates a late-night check-in the day before between 6 pm and 8 pm at several airports throughout Germany, including Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, and Stuttgart. Berlin also offers the service from Condor too.
8. Lufthansa in Germany
At airports in Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Hof, Leipzig, Munich, Munster, Nuremberg, Paderborn and Stuttgart, Lufthansa will check your bag in for you the night before.
9. Zurich and Geneva airports in Switzerland
At Zurich Airport, a few airlines allow you to check in your bags the night before. These include Air France, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Edelweiss, Helvetic Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, and SWISS.
SWISS and Edelweiss operate the service at Geneva Airport too.
On the morning of your flight, wouldn’t it be nice to drift gently through security with no bags, lines, or check-in problems to worry about? It’s about as close as you can get to the most stress-free airport experience without paying for Business Class.
Have you tried using a twilight check-in service? Know about another one we haven’t listed here? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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What’s up, just wanted to say, I loved this blog post. It was helpful.
Keep on posting!