SWISS Online Check-in: Boarding Pass and Baggage Times

SWISS web and mobile check-in opens 23 hours before departure and closes 1 hour before departure. Once that window has passed, you'll need to use a self-service kiosk or an airport counter, within the check-in deadlines set for your flight.

At the airport, closing times vary depending on the destination, the airport and the flight length. SWISS recommends arriving at the airport around two hours before departure for short-haul flights and three hours before for long-haul flights. Check the exact time shown on your booking and in the pre-flight information email.

For codeshare flights (Thai Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Air Canada, United, Singapore Airlines, El Al, Eurowings, among others) and for flights operated by a partner airline, check-in times are set by the operating carrier, not by SWISS.

SWISS online check-in is done on swiss.com from a computer, tablet or smartphone, or through the SWISS app. You'll need the passenger's name and the SWISS booking reference (for example ABC123), or the e-ticket number; you can also log into your online profile and open your booking details.

From a phone browser, the process described by SWISS takes just a few steps: go to swiss.com, choose Check-in, identify yourself with your first name, last name and booking reference, then choose your seat. The boarding pass is then sent as a link by SMS or email. Depending on the route and travel class, seat selection is included or comes at an extra cost.

SWISS also offers automatic check-in, which you select while booking on swiss.com, when entering passenger details. The passenger receives their boarding pass by email, with nothing else to do. This service only applies to bookings made on swiss.com and isn't available on certain connections, nor departing from Dubrovnik, Nis, Pula, Split, Tirana and Toulon. If no boarding pass or message has arrived 16 hours before departure, automatic check-in hasn't gone through and the other options remain available.

Some countries require additional passenger information: 72 hours before departure. If this data is incomplete or unavailable, SWISS can't process automatic check-in and will let the passenger know by email or SMS; another check-in option should then be used.

After online check-in, the boarding pass arrives by email or SMS, and can be printed at home. The app is not mandatory: the mobile boarding pass can also be saved in Wallet or printed, the SWISS app being one option among others. When the trip includes several legs, SWISS sends all the boarding passes needed for the entire journey.

Lost your boarding pass or can't print it? It can be reissued at a self-service kiosk or at the airport check-in counter, provided you stay within the flight's check-in deadlines. If the automatic check-in email hasn't arrived 19 hours before departure, SWISS suggests checking your spam folder, then, if the email never went through, checking in online or at the airport.

A passenger who is already checked in and travelling without checked baggage can go straight to the gate, no later than the boarding time shown on their pass. Without a boarding pass, the departure airport's latest check-in deadlines apply.

Online check-in isn't just for travellers without baggage: it works whether or not you're checking a bag. With only hand luggage, head straight to the gate. Checked bags are dropped off at the baggage drop-off counter or a self-service kiosk: Zurich and Geneva both have baggage drop kiosks, and Geneva also offers Fast Bag Drop.

Checking in the day before, combined with online check-in, lets you drop off bags up to 23 hours before departure at Zurich and Geneva airports, on flights operated by SWISS and Edelweiss Air. 23 hours before departure. Bring your boarding pass and travel documents. At Zurich and Geneva, this day-before drop-off at the SWISS counter is also available for Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Edelweiss Air and Croatia Airlines; for other flights, check with the airline concerned.

On a growing number of routes, you can prepare your bag tag from home, either with a home-printable tag or the RIMOWA electronic tag. A few situations require the counter: sporting or hunting firearms in checked baggage (recommended presentation no later than two hours before departure) and animals in a transport container (between 2 and 3 hours before departure). Cabin and checked baggage allowances depend on the fare and class booked: check your ticket conditions.

SWISS check-in options are available on departure day at every airport served. At Zurich, counters are located in check-in area 1 of the departures hall and in area 3 in the centre of the airport; at least one baggage drop-off counter exists at every SWISS airport. Separate counters are provided for SWISS Business, SWISS First and Miles & More status members, and holders of a SWISS Miles & More Platinum credit card can use the SWISS First counters in area 1 for a flight with an LX flight number operated by SWISS.

A few points worth planning for:

• Flights to the United States: if you're checking bags, you must show up in person at the counter, and every traveller in the same group (a family, for instance) must be present for baggage drop-off. SWISS recommends arriving at least three hours before departure.
• Special needs (unaccompanied minors, wheelchair assistance, passengers with visual or hearing impairments): let the counter staff know at least 90 minutes before your flight's check-in closes.
• Flights operated by a partner: check the rules of the operating carrier, for example Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Edelweiss or Brussels Airlines.

Online check-in for a SWISS flight can also be handled by iBoardingPass, which then sends the boarding pass by email.