Check-in | Ticketing | Baggage | Passport control | Transit | Passenger security screening
Checklist
• You are advised to commence check-in at least 2 hours prior to the departure of your flight
• Valid passport (+visa) or personal ID card if traveling to Schengen countries
• Airline ticket or electronic ticket
• Hold baggage: regulations and weight limits vary by airline
• Hand baggage: regulations and weight limits also vary by airline
Check-in
Check-in, consisting of ticket validation and hold baggage drop-off, usually commences two hours prior to departure. It is advised to already arrive at the airport by this time at the latest, so as to ensure that you have enough time for all required processes. Check-in counters at Budapest Airport are located in Terminal 1 and on the upper, departure floors of Terminals 2A and 2B. All passengers are required to have their tickets (or electronic tickets) validated at the terminal specified on their tickets. If a passenger takes advantage of the on-line check-in service before leaving for the airport, he/she will nonetheless have to go to the appropriate terminal for the airline, with the printed boarding pass, if there is hold baggage to drop off.
Check-in counter allocation after the opening of the bud:skycourt
| T2A | T2B | T1 |
| Aeroflot Russian Airlines | AeroSvit | easyJet |
| Alitalia | Aer Lingus | Germanwings |
| Air France | AirBaltic | Jet2.com |
| Air Malta | Air Berlin | Norwegian Air Shuttle |
| Austrian Airlines | British Airways | WizzAir |
| Brussels Airlines | Carpatair | |
| CSA Czech Airlines | El Al Israel Airlines | |
| Egyptair | Finnair | |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | Moldavian Airlines | |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Nouvelair Tunis | |
| Lufthansa | Qatar Airways | |
| TAP Portugal | Sky Airlines | |
| Tarom | Smart Wings | |
| Turkish Airlines | Tailwind Airlines | |
| SkyWork | Travel Service | |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Transavia |
Ticket validation
During ticket validation you will be required to present your airline ticket, a valid passport or other travel document (a personal ID card is sufficient for EEC member states and Schengen countries) and a valid visa, if necessary based on relations with the destination country. You are advised to check the validity of your passport or other travel document and your visa in advance, since you may be barred from traveling in the absence of these.
A number of issues related to your journey may be decided during ticket validation, such as your final seat, the quantity of hand baggage allowed or a potential fee payable in relation to excess baggage. In line with the airline ticket class (economy, business, first class) and depending on certain security regulations and the number of free seats remaining, passengers can chose where they would like to sit. A boarding pass will be received at the time of ticket validation, which specifies the following information: name of passenger, flight number, travel class, boarding gate number, exact time of boarding, passenger’s seat number.
Passengers are required to arrive at the boarding gate by the time indicated on the boarding pass. Passengers may have their bookings deleted if they do not report to the gate at the specified time, or arrive late.
Baggage
Baggage is also checked in at the check-in counter. Nowadays all airlines determine their own baggage weight limits allowed per passenger. It is recommended to check the details of this prior to traveling on the website of the given airline. Failure to observe weight limits may result in a fee being payable for excess baggage, the extent of which depends on your destination. A boarding pass will only be issued after this fee has been paid at the customer service office of the given airline or the handling company.
Check-in staff are also in charge of deciding, based on the respective rules of the given airline, whether a certain piece of baggage can qualify as hand baggage and can be taken on board aircraft. Rules relating to hand baggage can also be found on airline websites. If hand baggage is oversized or is too heavy, it will have to be checked in with the rest of your hold baggage. In this case a fee for the excess weight also has to be paid, if the total weight of the unaccepted hand baggage and of the hold baggage exceeds the limit specified.
Passport control
The check-in counter closes 30 minutes (40 minutes for low-cost carriers) prior to the scheduled departure of the flight. Passengers arriving after this time will not be able to check in for the given flight. If you are traveling to a country outside of the Schengen zone, you will need to have your passport or travel document inspected after check-in, for which you should have not only your official document, but also your boarding pass available, since this may also be inspected. If you are traveling between two Schengen countries, and thus “not crossing any borders”, you do not need to undergo a document check.
Passenger security screening
Irrespective of the destination, all passengers and all hand and hold baggage must undergo security screening prior to departure. Passengers’ clothing and hand baggage will be screened after check-in and passport control. Passengers pass through a walk-through metal detector, while hand baggage is screened using an X-ray machine. The aim of this procedure is to prevent any sharp items, weapons, liquids or other materials compromising aviation security from being taken on board aircraft.
Transit
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