Royal Brunei Airlines Online Check-In and Boarding Pass

Royal Brunei Airlines online check-in is available from 48 hours before departure and closes 90 minutes before departure. Past that point, your booking automatically shifts to the airport counters.

At the airport, the airline states that check-in counters open 3 hours before departure. Counter closing time, on the other hand, depends on the station and destination: on international flights, expect closure roughly 60 minutes before departure, sometimes earlier on long-haul routes or at airports with heightened security checks. The exact time is shown on your ticket and on the airport boards, so it pays to arrive early rather than cutting it close.

On the airline's website, check-in starts from the Online Check-In section, using your surname and the six-character booking reference (PNR). Royal Brunei notes that online check-in is currently offered on a selection of flights: depending on your itinerary, the option may not show up, in which case going to the counter remains the standard route.

The airline also offers its RB mobile app, handy for tracking flight status and pulling up your booking. No app is required to travel: a boarding document issued at the counter carries the same value.

Royal Skies Elite Gold members enjoy priority check-in regardless of travel class, along with priority boarding at the gate. Business class passengers also use dedicated counters where these exist at the airport in question.

Certain traveller profiles cannot be processed online and must go through the counter: unaccompanied minors, passengers needing mobility assistance, pregnant travellers subject to medical conditions, special baggage or sports equipment, and any situation requiring document verification.

Royal Brunei notes that, for the time being, home-printed boarding passes are temporarily unavailable: passengers are asked to go to the check-in counters for entry and exit document checks and to collect their boarding pass. In other words, online check-in can confirm your seat, but the final document is usually picked up at the airport.

So plan for some time at the counter even if you're already checked in, and keep your passport, visas or electronic authorisations, and any supporting documents required by your destination country, close at hand. The passport validity required for boarding depends on the destination: many countries in the region ask for at least six months of remaining validity.

On connections through Bandar Seri Begawan, the boarding pass for the second leg is generally issued at the departure airport when the itinerary is on a single RB ticket. If your flights were booked separately, you'll often need to collect your bags and check in again.

Checking in is just one step: hold baggage drop-off follows, then security checks and immigration. Since counters open 3 hours before departure, arriving in the early hours after opening leaves more room to manoeuvre during peak times in Brunei, Changi, Kuala Lumpur or Heathrow.

The checked baggage allowance depends on the fare (RB Saver, Value, Flexi, Business Saver, Business) and the route; Elite Gold members receive an extra 20 kg free of charge. Extra baggage can be purchased in advance on the airline's website, usually at a better rate than at the counter. For cabin baggage, check the dimensions and weight published by Royal Brunei for your travel class.

Several airports across the network have changed the location of their RB counters, notably in Hong Kong, Singapore Changi and Manila (Ninoy Aquino), and Heathrow Terminal 4 has changed its parking arrangements. Check the terminal on your booking before leaving home.

A few situations come up often, along with the usual way to handle them:

• Online check-in won't open: the flight may not be eligible, or the window hasn't opened yet. Also double-check you're entering your name exactly as it appears on the ticket.
• Booking reference rejected: tickets issued by an agency or by a codeshare partner airline aren't always recognised by the RB system; the 13-digit ticket number or a call to the reservations department usually sorts it out.
• Deadline missed: past 90 minutes before departure, check-in can only be done at the counter, as long as it's still open.
• Seat not assigned or changed: an aircraft swap can reshuffle seating; the counter or boarding gate will sort it out.
• Incomplete documents: without a valid visa or authorisation for the destination, boarding can be refused even with completed check-in.

Other airlines in the region apply similar windows and rules, worth comparing if your trip combines several carriers: see for example the procedures for Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia check-in, or Bangkok Airways check-in times. Travellers who prefer not to handle it themselves can hand their online check-in over to iBoardingPass, which completes it as soon as the airline's window opens and sends the boarding pass by email.