Lufthansa CityLine: Online Check-in and Boarding Pass

For a flight operated by Lufthansa CityLine, online check-in takes place within the Lufthansa environment. According to the airline's published information, it usually opens the day before departure and closes shortly before takeoff, often one hour before on European flights. The exact time is shown on your booking confirmation, which is the reference to go by.

At the airport, the deadlines are stricter than the check-in window itself:

On regional flights, the gate can be in a remote area or reached by bus, and boarding often starts early, so build in extra time beyond these minimums. If you're travelling with a connection, check the deadlines at the first airport, as they can be longer.

Three routes lead to the same boarding pass:

• the airline's official website, using the booking reference and passenger name, or the ticket number;
• the Lufthansa mobile app, which displays CityLine flights under the corresponding LH flight number;
• self-service kiosks at the airport, available at the main hubs, followed by the baggage drop counter if you're checking a bag.

The app isn't mandatory: a PDF or printed boarding pass is still accepted. Some passengers can't complete the process online, for example with a ticket issued by a travel agency across multiple airlines, when travelling with an animal in the cabin, when special assistance is needed, or when travel documents require a physical check. In these cases, check-in is completed at the counter.

This works much like other airlines in the group: see the procedure at Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines' rules, those of Discover Airlines for leisure flights, or the way ITA Airways handles check-in.

Once check-in is confirmed, the boarding pass is sent by email, displayed in the app, or printed at the kiosk. The barcode is what matters: it's scanned at the security checkpoint and again at the gate. On CityLine flights with smaller aircraft, it's common for cabin baggage to be collected at the jet bridge and placed in the hold, with a tag to retrieve on arrival, so keep documents, keys and valuables with you.

For flights outside the Schengen area, your passport details must be entered before online check-in closes, and the original document is checked at the airport. The name on the boarding pass must match the one on the travel document. If no seat was assigned online, one is allocated at the gate, which is common on densely configured regional flights.

Cabin baggage allowance and the checked baggage allowance depend on your Lufthansa fare (Economy Light, Classic, Flex, Business) and on the destination. A fare with no checked baggage included will send you to the baggage drop counter with a fee to pay, generally more expensive at the airport than when purchased in advance. Seat selection carries a fee on some fares and is included on others, and rows with extra space are limited on regional aircraft.

Before heading to the counter, check the conditions attached to your fare on your booking, particularly what still needs to be paid at the airport. Finally, if you'd rather not keep an eye on the check-in opening time, iBoardingPass can check you in on your behalf as soon as it opens and send you the boarding pass by email.

• Booking not found: the travel agency's reference isn't always the same as the airline's; use the ticket number shown on your confirmation instead.
• Check-in blocked for one passenger in the booking: this is often caused by an incomplete travel document or an unaccompanied minor.
• Boarding pass not received: check your spam folder, then resend it from the booking management section.
• Connecting flight with another airline: the boarding pass for the second leg isn't always issued online and may be handed over at the transfer desk.
• Last-minute aircraft or gate change: on regional flights, the seat number can be reassigned, and the boarding pass is then reissued.

The same approach applies to other flights within the group, whether Eurowings or Edelweiss departures from Zurich.