Especially now in the holiday season, the question arises again and again whether you have to go to the check-in counter if you are only traveling with hand luggage or whether the use of the internet or app check-in is mandatory. This question cannot be answered in a very simple and general way.

In times of Corona, in addition to the ID document, proof of test, recovery or vaccinations must be carried with you during the trip. Depending on the destination, other things, such as the classic visa or special insurance, may be required. However, whether or not you have to show this at the check-in counter varies widely and cannot be answered in the affirmative or in the negative across the board.

Go to the check-in counter if one of these three factors applies: 1.) The destination country has instructed the airlines to check the documents before entering the security area. 2.) The airline just wants it that way. 3.) The airport of the place of departure wants it that way.

With some airlines, after completing the web check-in, you will find the notice that you have to pick up your boarding pass at the counter with the necessary Corona travel documents. Since this process can sometimes take longer, you should plan enough time. Another example can be found at Luqa Airport: The web boarding passes are issued, but employees are positioned in front of the access to the security area, who take all travelers whose boarding passes do not have a stamp or who have been given a “small paper” from the counter. Send back to the check-in counter for the Docs-Check. The last variant is more likely to be found on charter flights: There is no internet check-in and therefore all travelers have to go to the counter in the classic way anyway.

Some airlines charge money for counter check-in

For passengers who assume that they have to go to the counter for a Docs check anyway, more and more airlines have a nasty rip-off trap in store. For example, if Ryanair, Wizz Air, Eurowings, Tuifly, Air Baltic and more and more other carriers fail to check-in via the app or the homepage, money will be collected at the counter for the “service”. While Tuifly and Eurowings are comparatively cheap at five euros, Ryanair and Wizz Air, for example, charge for 50 euros and more. Payable on the spot, otherwise you stay at home.

Passengers can play it safe when they call up their airline's web check-in. This should be carried out and if the message appears that you have to appear at the check-in counter for document control and then receive the boarding pass there, you are actually protected from any additional costs. If the airline points out that online check-in is not available at all for this flight, you can use the counter at no additional cost. Caution trap: If the boarding pass is issued on the Internet and the clear message appears that it must be printed out on the booked flight, because the airport does not accept mobile phone boarding passes, then that must be done. For example, Ryanair charges 20 euros just to print out a boarding pass - provided you are checked in. However, all airlines point out if, in exceptional cases, the smartphone boarding pass is not accepted and paper is required. The departure point Agadir would be such an example.

If you have received your boarding pass on the Internet or via the app and the airline has not given you any information that you also have to go to check-in and no corresponding loudspeaker announcements, displays on the screens or posters are visible at the airport, you can completely Go straight to the gate without any worries. If a check is required, this will be carried out by showing the boarding pass at the gate. In Vienna, several employees are often deployed for this, who then split the work. For example, one person briefly sifts through the corona documents and the other does the classic boarding.

Paper backup is always advisable

Finally, it is important to draw attention to an important “mistake”: It is not the airlines that determine which documents are required for entry into the destination country, but the governments of the respective countries. These instruct the airlines accordingly and the regulations can stipulate that only travelers who have all the documents with them are allowed to board. Some states boom heavy fines for both passengers and airlines for each violation. In short: Please always have the Corona documents with you, even if you have already uploaded them during the online check-in, for example. The official immigration control at the destination has precious little of that, because it cannot access the airline's IT systems. With some airlines, the uploaded documents can be called up via the app and shown to the government control staff, which is quite useful. Nevertheless, it is advisable to have a “paper backup” with you, because the battery can run out or smartphones can slip out of your hand and break.