TUI Airways: Online Check-In and Boarding Pass

Opening time varies depending on what you booked:

In every case, online check-in closes 1 hour before departure. This deadline is based on the scheduled departure time, so if your flight leaves early in the morning, the window closes overnight. Outbound and return flights are checked in separately, using the same booking reference, and the return leg does not open at the same time as the outbound one.

If your flight number doesn't start with TOM, BY or OR, your flight is operated by another airline: check-in then takes place on that airline's website, using its own reference (shown in Manage My Booking, under the flight details) rather than your TUI booking number.

The process goes through Manage My Booking on the official airline website, or through the TUI app:

• enter the flight booking reference;
• add the surname of the lead passenger;
• provide the departure date;
• select the check-in option.

Your boarding pass is then available as a mobile version or to print. Keep it accessible until boarding: it is checked at security and again at the gate. If it's lost or damaged, the boarding pass can be reprinted from your booking, and the airline's airport desks can also issue a new one.

Certain situations, such as travelling with an infant or requesting assistance, follow specific rules: check the guidance shown during check-in and, if the online process doesn't go through, head to the airline's airport desk.

Whether or not you've checked in online, arrive at the airport with the passport or ID used for the booking, along with any visas or entry requirements your destination requires, which vary from one country to another. Names must match exactly those on the booking.

If you're travelling with checked baggage, online check-in doesn't replace a visit to the baggage drop desk: these desks close before departure, and the exact time depends on the airport and destination. For long-haul flights and departures during holiday periods, allow plenty of extra time. Cabin and checked baggage allowances depend on your booking type and are shown on your confirmation: check them before you travel.

Be at the boarding gate by the time shown on your boarding pass, rather than waiting for the final call.

Nothing happens when you click Check-in: most often, check-in isn't open yet for your booking, or your flight is operated by another airline. Check the flight number prefix and the opening date that matches your seat type.

Error message during check-in: try again with the flight reference (not the holiday booking number), double-checking the spelling of the lead passenger's name and the departure date. If the problem continues, contact the airline's customer service before the day of departure.

You couldn't check in for the outbound flight: this doesn't stop you checking in for the return, as the two flights are independent. And if no one was checked in online, check-in can still be done at the airport desk, within its opening hours.

A passenger can no longer travel even though the group has already checked in: let the airline know before departure.

Other airlines follow very different rules, worth knowing when a flight in your trip is operated by a partner: see how check-in works with easyJet, the Jet2 process, Iberojet's rules or Loganair check-in. For a TUI Airways flight, travellers can also have their online check-in handled by iBoardingPass, which completes it as soon as check-in opens and sends the boarding pass by email.