Edelweiss: Check-In and Boarding Pass

Online check-in is available for many departure airports, from 23 hours before departure until 1 hour before departure.

At the counter, the airline recommends arriving around 2 hours before departure for a short-haul flight and around 3 hours before for a long-haul flight. Counter opening hours vary depending on the airport and flight length, so plan generously rather than cutting it close, and check the exact time on your booking confirmation.

Before starting check-in, Edelweiss asks travelers to have the following ready:

• passport or ID card, depending on the entry requirements of the destination country;
• for flights to the United States, the address of where you'll be staying;
• your booking confirmation.

One situation comes up often: if your booking carries a SWISS flight number (LX8000 to LX8999 series), you need to use the SWISS online check-in system instead. Check the flight number prefix on your ticket before searching for your booking in the wrong place.

Once checked in, you can head straight to the baggage drop-off counter, or to the gate if you're traveling without checked luggage.

If your departure airport doesn't support online check-in, your boarding pass is issued at the check-in counter on site.

Can't print your boarding pass? You can do so at a self-service check-in kiosk or at a check-in counter at the airport. If you've misplaced it, it can be reprinted at the check-in counter.

Pay close attention to the time printed on it: if you're already checked in and traveling without luggage, the time shown on the boarding pass is the latest time you must be at the gate. It is not the time boarding begins.

Edelweiss's hub is Zurich, where check-in counters are organized by zone:

In Zurich, luggage can be dropped off at the baggage counter from 23 hours before departure. If you already have your boarding pass, go directly to the drop-off counter matching your travel class, allowing for possible waiting times.

One thing not to miss: all passengers on connecting flights to the United States or Kosovo must report to the counter with valid travel documents. In other words, even if you're checked in online, this stop at the counter remains mandatory for these connections.

From many Swiss train stations, you can drop off your luggage but not check in: on departure day, you'll pick up your luggage at Zurich airport before heading to check-in.

A few typical situations and what to do:

• online check-in won't open: confirm that the 23 hours before departure deadline has actually passed and that the flight isn't sold under a SWISS flight number;
• the deadline has passed: online check-in closes 1 hour before departure, so you'll need to use a self-service kiosk or a counter, within opening hours;
• departure airport not covered by online check-in: the boarding pass is issued at the counter, so plan to arrive earlier;
• travel documents: for the relevant connections departing from Zurich, presenting yourself at the counter is required.

For flights departing from Zurich, Edelweiss provides the number +41 43 505 31 22, reachable every day from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm.

Other European airlines apply different schedules: see the rules for Austrian Airlines, those of Brussels Airlines, how Aegean check-in works, the procedure at Air Baltic, or the boarding pass process at Air Europa. If you'd rather not track the opening of Edelweiss check-in yourself, iBoardingPass can take care of it as soon as it opens and send your boarding pass by email.