Air Seychelles Online Check-in and Boarding Pass

On Air Seychelles international flights, online check-in opens several hours before departure and closes before takeoff. Check the exact time shown on your booking and give yourself plenty of margin: once the window closes, only the airport counter can still check you in.

At Seychelles International Airport (SEZ), counters open and close at times that depend on the flight and destination; arrive well ahead of your departure time. For domestic flights between Mahé and Praslin, operated on short turnarounds, arrive noticeably earlier than you think necessary: boarding moves quickly there and closes shortly after the counter opens.

A few things worth remembering:

• the cutoff time is local time at the departure airport, not your home time zone;
• on a connecting itinerary, it's the time for the first segment that applies;
• a flight departing from an airport served by a ground-handling agent may close earlier than the time shown for Seychelles.

If in doubt, go with the earliest possible time and arrive before it.

Online check-in is done through the Air Seychelles website, where the Check-in section sits in the main menu alongside lounges, special assistance, and Fast Track. Have your booking reference and the passenger name exactly as it appears on the ticket ready.

On international flights, your passport details are usually requested during the process: number, nationality, expiry date, and sometimes your address at destination. Incomplete entries stop the check-in, and the system then sends you to the counter.

Not every passenger is eligible for remote check-in. Those most often directed to the airport include: unaccompanied minors, passengers needing special assistance, travellers with an infant on lap, tickets issued by a codeshare partner airline, groups, and passengers whose travel documents need to be checked in person.

Once check-in is confirmed, the boarding pass is made available electronically, to be shown on screen or printed. The document carries your name, flight number, expected gate, boarding time, and assigned seat.

The printed boarding time is not the departure time: the gate closes before takeoff, and a passenger who arrives after that does not board, even if checked in.

At some stopovers, a boarding pass obtained remotely must be exchanged or stamped at the counter, particularly where local authorities require a document check before the security area. If your journey involves two separate airlines, the boarding pass for the second flight isn't always issued in one go: ask about this when checking in for the first segment.

Online check-in doesn't remove the need to drop off checked baggage. Plan on a stop at the Air Seychelles baggage drop counter, which closes on the same schedule as standard check-in and therefore before departure time.

Baggage allowances vary by fare, cabin, and destination; on domestic flights to Praslin, the limits differ from those on international flights, for both cabin and checked baggage. Check the allowance tied to your ticket before you reach the airport: excess baggage is charged at the counter, at the rate in force.

For international departures, carry a passport whose validity covers the period required by your destination country, along with any visa or entry authorisation needed. A passenger whose documents don't meet the arrival country's requirements may be denied boarding.

The booking reference isn't recognised. This often happens with tickets bought through an online travel agency or another airline: the agency's code differs from the Air Seychelles code. Look for the reference shown on the e-ticket itself.

The seat you want isn't available. Some seats carry a fee depending on the fare, others are held back for aircraft weight and balance and only open up at the counter.

The boarding pass hasn't arrived by email. Check your spam folder, then go back to your booking on the airline's website, where the document remains available.

The flight has changed or been cancelled. A completed check-in can become invalid after a schedule or flight number change: check with the airline whether you need to check in again for the new flight.

You missed the online window. Head to the counter: airport check-in fees may apply depending on the fare and stopover. iBoardingPass can check in on the traveller's behalf, as soon as the airline's check-in opens, and send the boarding pass by email.

Other airlines in the Indian Ocean and Africa apply similar rules: see check-in with Air Mauritius, Air Austral's procedure, Air Botswana's process, or Air Côte d'Ivoire check-in.