Middle East Airlines: online check-in and boarding pass

MEA's online check-in opens several hours before departure and closes before take-off. Both the opening and closing times for your flight are shown on your booking: check them carefully, since once the window has closed, you'll need to go through a counter instead.

At the airport, counters close well before boarding, and the exact time depends on the airport, terminal and destination. In Beirut, during morning and night peak periods, security and immigration queues can be long, so arriving well ahead for an international flight remains the safest choice.

Online check-in is done through the airline's official website, using the booking reference (a six-character code) and the passenger's name, or the ticket number. The MEA mobile app and the Cedar Miles account also let you manage your booking and retrieve a checked-in flight.

What you can generally do at this stage: choose or change your seat, enter the passport details required for certain destinations, and add your frequent flyer number. Seat allocation depends on the fare: on the lowest fares, selecting a specific seat in advance may involve a fee, while a seat is otherwise attributed when check-in is completed.

Some traveller profiles are still directed to the counter: unaccompanied minors, passengers needing special assistance, travellers with a pet, groups, tickets issued by another carrier, or codeshare flights. In these cases, MEA staff complete the check-in and verify documents on site.

Once check-in is confirmed, the boarding pass is sent by email as a PDF or added to the app. It can be shown on a phone screen or printed on paper.

The mobile boarding pass is not accepted at every airport: some stopovers still require a paper document or a visit to the counter. If there's any doubt, printing it at the counter or a self-service kiosk remains the safest option.

Check on the document that the name matches your passport exactly, and note the gate and cut-off time printed on it. The gate can change after the boarding pass is issued, so the airport screens are the final word.

Even after checking in online, a passenger with checked baggage must go through a bag drop counter, generally open until the standard check-in closing time. In Beirut, MEA operates from the main terminal of Rafic Hariri Airport.

Baggage allowances vary by cabin class and fare type; the details are shown on your ticket. For cabin baggage, MEA applies size and weight limits, which may be checked before boarding.

On the documents side, make sure you have a valid passport and, where required, the visa or travel authorisation needed for your destination. Document checks take place at the counter or the gate, even for passengers who already hold their boarding pass.

Several situations can block MEA web check-in: a booking that has been paid for but not yet ticketed, a name entered differently from the passport, a flight operated by another airline, a recent itinerary change, or a destination requiring a visa check at the counter. An error message at this stage does not cancel your booking, it simply directs you to the airport instead.

If the check-in window has already closed, the counter remains available, within its own closing time. In case of delay, cancellation or a missed connection, it's the airline's customer service or the transfer desk that reissues the boarding pass.

If your trip includes a connection with another carrier, the check-in rules of the airline operating each segment apply. See also the pages for Air France, Delta Air Lines, Air Europa, China Eastern Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.

For travellers who would rather not keep track of when check-in opens, iBoardingPass can check in on their behalf as soon as it opens and send them their boarding pass by email.