Brussels Airlines Online Check-in and Boarding Pass

Brussels Airlines online check-in opens 24 hours before departure. That answers the common question about checking in the day before: for a flight departing in the late afternoon, you can check in the previous late afternoon, but not that morning.

The closing time depends on the departure airport, the destination and your travel class: the airline applies shorter deadlines for Business Class and for HON Circle, Senator, Frequent Flyer and Star Alliance Gold members, and longer deadlines on long haul flights than on short haul ones.

At airports other than Brussels Airport, different deadlines apply so that the flight can depart on time: in Economy and Premium Economy on long haul flights, check-in closes 70 minutes before departure. Check the exact time shown on your e-ticket and, if in doubt, go by the earliest deadline.

These deadlines are not arrival times at the airport. The airline recommends arriving 2 hours before a short haul flight and 3 hours before a long haul flight, to allow time for baggage drop, security and reaching the gate.

Check-in can be done on the airline's website or through the Brussels Airlines app. Using the app is not mandatory: online check-in can be done via the website or the mobile app, whichever you prefer: both routes lead to the same result, including seat selection or changes and adding your Miles & More number.

A few things to know before you start:

• If you booked through a tour operator, the airline asks you to use the dedicated link rather than the usual check-in process.
• You can check in through Brussels Airlines for a flight operated by Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS. With another airline, this is not possible.
• For a connecting journey, use the check-in options of the airline you fly with first: the boarding pass for the Brussels Airlines segment usually follows automatically.
• If your return flight departs within a check-in window that is already open, it can be checked in at the same time.
• Even with only hand luggage, check-in remains mandatory.

If your travel documents still need to be verified, online check-in does not remove the need to visit a counter: in that case, follow the airport check-in deadlines instead.

Once check-in is confirmed, Brussels Airlines sends a mobile or email boarding pass. In the app, it is saved automatically. It can also be shared with the other passengers on the same booking, to their smartphone or inbox.

A printed version remains accepted and is sometimes required. If the departure airport is not equipped to scan mobile boarding passes, yours will be printed for you at the check-in counter or the baggage drop counter; the airline notes that this is usually the case for flights departing from Africa.

One special case to remember: when departing from Africa, you must go through the airport check-in counter to collect your final boarding pass when flying from Africa, even if you already checked in online. Conversely, for a flight to Africa with online check-in already done, you can head straight to the boarding gate.

Checking in online does not mean your bags are taken care of. At Brussels Airport, for a European destination, self-service baggage drop counters are located in rows 4 and 5 of the check-in area: you scan your boarding pass, mobile or printed, and print the bag tag before heading to security. Self-service baggage drop points are also available at London Heathrow, Geneva and Copenhagen. Otherwise, traditional check-in counters handle the whole process, with dedicated desks for Business Class at every airport and for Premium Economy in Brussels.

Pre-check-in for baggage the evening before exists at Paris Charles de Gaulle, for flights to Africa. It takes place at the Brussels Airlines counter, Zone 5 of Terminal 1, between 7:30 pm and 10:00 pm the day before the flight. Extra kilos of checked baggage are granted on this occasion, and hand luggage can also be checked in within the applicable weight limit. All passengers must be present in person, except minors, with all required travel documents; bags are checked in all at once, not partially, and companions are not allowed into the check-in area. Bags packed by yourself or by a provider not officially recognised by Paris CDG airport are not accepted.

When departing from Kinshasa and Monrovia, bags can be dropped off on the day of the flight at the airline's city office, whose exact opening hours are worth checking before you go.

Online check-in refused, boarding pass not arriving, seat not showing up: in most cases, the reason is one of those listed above (booking made through a tour operator, flight operated by another airline, documents still to be checked, African airport). The check-in counter can then handle your case, provided you arrive before the deadline that applies to your flight.

A dead phone battery will not stop you from travelling: a new boarding pass can be printed at the airport. If you arrive after the check-in deadline, however, your case can no longer be processed, even with a boarding pass already issued. iBoardingPass, an independent paid service unrelated to the airlines and covering more than 227 of them, can check you in online automatically as soon as check-in opens and send you your boarding pass by email.

Brussels Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group and of Star Alliance, which explains the frequent connections with other carriers in these networks. Check-in rules, however, remain those of the airline operating the flight: when your boarding pass depends on another carrier, it is their process you need to follow.

• Austrian Airlines check-in, the other group airline through which cross check-in is possible
• Aegean check-in rules for connections to Greece
• Air Canada and its boarding pass across the North Atlantic
• how to check in with ANA when departing from Japan
• Asiana Airlines check-in for flights via Seoul