Kuwait Airways Online Check-in and Boarding Pass

Kuwait Airways online check-in opens 24 hours before departure of the flight. According to the airline's published information, it closes several hours before departure: once that deadline has passed, the boarding pass can only be obtained at the counter.

At the airport, counters generally open several hours before departure depending on the station and aircraft type (wide-bodies such as the A330 or B777 often have counters opening earlier). Closing time, however, is the same everywhere: 1 hour before departure.

In Kuwait (Terminal 4), early check-in is possible for passengers who arrive well ahead of the scheduled departure time, except on the JFK route. Opening times may change if counters are unavailable or a flight is delayed: check the exact time shown on your booking.

Online check-in is done through the Online Check-in section of the airline's official website or through the Kuwait Airways mobile app. You need a confirmed and valid e-ticket departing from an eligible station.

Information required:

• flight number and destination;
• surname as it appears on the booking;
• booking reference (PNR);
• passport details.

The service lets you check in, view or change your seat, receive check-in confirmation by email and print the e-receipt. Fill in your passport details carefully, including any second travel document: many countries require this information in advance, and accurate entries prevent a hold-up at the counter or on arrival.

The list of stations open to online check-in notably covers Paris, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Geneva, Milan, Madrid, Amsterdam, Munich, Manchester, Rome, New York JFK, Kuwait, Dubai, Cairo, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok and Manila. It changes over time, and some stations served by the airline are not on it: in that case, check-in takes place at the counter.

After online check-in, Kuwait Airways sends a check-in confirmation by email, with an e-receipt to print or present. This receipt is not always the final boarding pass: in the procedures described by the airline, it is exchanged for the boarding pass at the counter, notably in Kuwait.

At Kuwait airport, go to the Terminal 4 counters in the departures hall with your e-receipt. Without checked luggage, allow to be there 90 minutes before departure. With checked luggage, you receive your boarding pass and baggage tag there.

At other airports, the airline asks passengers to go to the check-in or bag-drop counter well ahead of the scheduled departure time, with the e-receipt and their luggage. Also keep your passport and, depending on the destination, your visa or entry authorisation: these are checked before the boarding pass is issued.

Checking in does not settle the baggage question. The Kuwait Airways checked baggage allowance depends on the region and travel class; see the exact rules printed on the ticket. It therefore varies depending on whether you travel to the Gulf, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East or the United States, and on your travel class.

In the cabin, in addition to your hand luggage, the airline allows personal items: a small handbag, a coat, an umbrella, a pair of crutches or a walking stick, and a bag of duty-free items purchased on the day of the flight. For oversized cabin baggage in Royal Class, the maximum dimensions are: Length 110 cm, width 65 cm, height 75 cm (maximum dimensions for oversized cabin baggage, Royal class) cm.

Excess baggage is charged per piece, in Kuwaiti dinars converted into local currency at the day's rate, at the check-in counters. The fee depends on the departure and arrival regions, and separate surcharges apply to oversized or overweight pieces, on top of the free allowance. No excess allowance is granted for infants, and any item exceeding the maximum permitted dimensions must be shipped as cargo.

Also allow time for security and immigration checks after the counter: boarding doors close before the displayed departure time.

The airline rules out online check-in in several situations:

• unaccompanied minor;
• large group booked under the same reservation (same PNR);
• request for medical assistance.

In practice, this also applies to stations not on the eligible list and to codeshare flights operated by another airline, where the operating carrier's rules apply. In case of difficulty, Kuwait Airways directs passengers to the check-in counter, provided they arrive within the announced deadlines for the airport concerned.

If there is an issue with your name, passport or seat, or if check-in is refused with no clear reason, the counter remains the only option: it is better to arrive early than to discover the block at 1 hour before departure. Travellers who would rather not track the opening of check-in themselves can hand it over to iBoardingPass, which carries it out as soon as it opens and sends the boarding pass by email.

Procedures differ from one carrier to another, particularly regarding the check-in window and the use of the mobile boarding pass. To compare with neighbouring Gulf and Middle East carriers: the rules at Gulf Air, those of Etihad Airways, the procedure applied by Emirates, as well as check-in at El Al, whose security checks impose separate timings.