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FrWhich check-in options do I have for Lufthansa flights?
Passengers may choose from several check-in options which Lufthansa offers to its customers:
- Automated Check-in.
- Online Check-in.
- Mobile Check-in.
- Counter Check-in.
- Late Night Check-in.
Which check-in deadlines apply for Lufthansa flights?
When traveling with Lufthansa, check-in deadlines are different at every airport and may vary from 120 minutes to 30 minutes prior to departure. Information on check-in deadlines for Lufthansa flights is available on the Lufthansa website or at the travel agency where the air ticket was issued. Also, you will be advised of the check-in deadline by Lufthansa or the travel agency which issued your ticket. Lufthansa reserve the right to cancel your reservation if you do not comply with the check-in deadline for your first flight.
Automated Check-in
Automated Check-in is available for all Lufthansa flights within the Schengen Area, free of charge. All it takes is to choose whether you would like to receive your mobile boarding pass by SMS or e-mail. You can register for Automated Check-in via your Miles & More or Lufthansa iD profile or, if you are not a Miles & More member or a Lufthansa iD profile user, via the link in your booking confirmation. You can reserve your seat at the time of booking, but you can change your seat at any time online or via your mobile phone provided that the booking class chosen permits a seat reservation. Provided that your ticket allows for your booking to be changed, changes to your booking after Automated Check-in can be made 23 hours before departure either online, under “Check-in” via the option “Cancel Check-in”, or by contacting the Lufthansa Service Centre.
Registration in the Miles & More programme and sending of the text messages are free of charge, but any additional charges that may arise from the service provider are your responsibility (e.g. for sending the text to a mobile number registered with a foreign provider or receiving the text message overseas). You will also incur charges for sending your reply by text when using the SMS check-in service. If you do not want to use the Automated Check-in service, you must deactivate Automated Check-in in your Miles & More or Lufthansa iD profile at least 24 hours before your departure.
Online Check-in
Online Check-in is available from as early as 23 hours before departure. You will need an electronic ticket, and to identify yourself, you can use the Miles & More card or another Star Alliance airline frequent flyer card (e.g., United Airlines – MileagePlus, Air Canada – Aeroplan, Asiana Airlines – Asiana Club, etc.). Also, it is possible to use another airline’s frequent flyer card number as identification for Online Check-in with many of Lufthansa’s partners (e.g. SWISS, Austrian Airlines, LOT, etc.), provided that this number was saved when you booked your flight. You must select the relevant frequent flyer programme in the drop-down list as identification for Online Check-in. Alternatively, you can also check in by using your booking code or ticket number.
Online Check-in is available for Lufthansa worldwide flights, with a few exceptions. Online Check-in is not available for departures from:
- Cyprus – Paphos (PFO).
- Croatia – Rijeka (RJK).
- Albania – Tirana (TIA).
- Bosnia – Sarajevo (SJJ).
- Bulgaria – Burgas (BOJ).
- Montenegro – Tivat (TIV).
Online Check-in is available even if you are traveling with an infant, or you have baggage to check. After you have checked in online, you can check your baggage at the Lufthansa baggage drop-off counter. When checking your baggage at a conventional check-in counter, you should notify the Lufthansa employee that you have already checked in online.
Options
During the Online Check-in process, you are offered several options:
- Check in for outbound and return flights. After having checked in for the outbound flight, just choose your return flight for check-in from the flight list if the departure of the return flight takes place within the next 23 hours.
- Check in multiple passengers. Online Check-in offers passengers traveling together and booked under one card number the option to check in either individually or as a group. Also, you can check in additional passengers as long as they are booked on the same flight on the same day. Your traveling companions must be identified using the booking code, frequent flyer, or credit card.
- Choose/change seats. You can select seats for all the passengers in your party, and for every leg of your journey, with the aid of the interactive seat map. To change your seat after you have checked in online, simply log on again and select the seat you want.
- Add a frequent flyer card and/or entry/visa information. For example, if you are checking in for a long-haul flight, you can provide your entry information.
At the end of Online Check-in, you must choose how you want to obtain your boarding pass:
- Print your online boarding pass right away or save it for later printing (you can use normal printer paper).
- Have a Mobile Boarding Pass sent to your mobile phone via e-mail or text message link (requires a mobile phone with Internet access).
Alternatively, you can pick up your boarding pass at a Lufthansa Service Counter if you have problems printing, forget or lose your boarding pass, or if Lufthansa does not offer the facility for printing out your own boarding pass on the route you are flying. After you’ve checked in online, you can log in again and reprint your boarding pass, change the method of delivery or even cancel your check-in.
Due to legal regulations, Lufthansa is currently not permitted to issue Online/Mobile Boarding Passes on some routes. In such a case, you will receive only a check-in confirmation, and the boarding pass will be issued after the coronavirus-related travel documents have been checked at a Lufthansa Service Counter at the airport.
Mobile Check-in
For Mobile Check-in via the Lufthansa app, you need an Internet-enabled mobile phone and an electronic ticket. Mobile Check-in is available 23 hours before your flight (or connecting flight) departs until the check-in deadline for that flight if you have no special requirements (e.g. you wish to take weapons with you, you are checking in an unaccompanied child). You can identify yourself the same as for Online Check-in (booking reference, frequent flyer card number, etc.).
Mobile Check-in is available when traveling as a group and all Mobile Boarding Passes can be sent to the same phone number or e-mail address. Although each passenger in the group is required a phone number or an e-mail address, these can be the same for all passengers.
When checking in from your mobile, you can choose your seat and select how you want to receive your Mobile Boarding Pass, in-app directly, via e-mail or text message link. The Mobile Boarding Pass can be used offline with the Lufthansa app, the iOS Wallet, or Google Pay. The Mobile Boarding Pass is introduced on many routes worldwide.
Late Night Check-in
Late Night Check-in allows you to complete the check-in process the evening before your flight, but no earlier than 23 hours before departure. You can check in, choose your seat and obtain your boarding pass at the counter.
In general, Late Night Check-in is available at numerous airports, for all flights operated by Lufthansa or one of the Lufthansa regional partners. The Late Night Check-in to the US, Canada, and Mexico is situated in the specially designated check-in area for these destinations and possible for direct connections, as well as for transfer flights (except transfer flights into the US when the transatlantic flight is operated by a US-American carrier). For security reasons, Late Night Check-in for flights departing North America (the US, Canada, and Mexico) is not available.
Especially popular with passengers with a lot of baggage, families with small children, and groups, Late Night Check-in for groups is only available if the accompanying tourist guide, who must prove his identity with an official document including a picture, is present at the time of check-in. For smaller groups (families, couples), Late Night Check-in via one member of the group is possible if this person carries all ID documents of the members of the group. Animals may only be checked in on the day of departure.
Boarding
There are mandatory deadlines for boarding the aircraft at the gate so that flights can depart on time. For this reason, you will find the boarding time shown on your boarding pass. You should be present at your gate by this time whereas boarding can start at any time. If you arrive at the boarding gate later than the time specified when you check in, Lufthansa may cancel the space reserved for you.
At selected gates at Munich and Frankfurt airports, you can use Quick Boarding machines to board independently. When you have received a boarding pass with a barcode, you have the option of boarding quickly and conveniently: just place your boarding pass onto the scanner, with the barcode face down, and the gate will be released after a short verification. A new coupon, which you can pick up as you pass through, is printed by the Quick Boarding machine if your seat has changed at short notice.
