Last updated: 31 October 2026.
KLM offers online, kiosk and desk check-in. The bag drop cut-off printed on your boarding pass is the one to trust for your flight.
30 hoursonline check-in opens (24 hours on US flights)
40 / 60 mincheck-in desk and bag drop close, European / intercontinental
2 / 3 hoursdesks open before European / intercontinental departures
60 to 25 minbefore departure when boarding starts
Key times
Online check-in opens
- European flights
- A day and a half before take-off
- Intercontinental flights
- Same, but a day before on flights to or from the USA
Check-in desks open
- European flights
- 2 hours before
- Intercontinental flights
- 3 hours before
Desks and bag drop close
- European flights
- 40 minutes before
- Intercontinental flights
- 60 minutes before
Recommended arrival at the airport
- European flights
- 2 hours before
- Intercontinental flights
- 3 hours before
Boarding
- European flights
- Begins between 60 and 25 minutes before take-off; ends roughly 15 minutes before
- Intercontinental flights
- Same
- Some intercontinental departures close earlier: Accra, Lagos and Paramaribo 120 minutes; Georgetown 90; Nairobi 75; Bonaire and Guayaquil 70; Istanbul 60.
- When a European first leg connects to a long-haul flight, use the European times for that first departure: for Helsinki to Los Angeles via Amsterdam, be at Helsinki two hours ahead.
Ways to check in
- Online or in the app, then only drop off checked bags. Arrive on time even if you checked in online.
- A self-service kiosk beside the desks, usable in the same window as online; some airports have none.
- At the desk if you need assistance, travel with a pet, or are checking in an unaccompanied minor.
- Amsterdam Schiphol bag drop: Departure Hall 1 from 04:30 to 20:00 and Hall 2 from 04:30 to 22:00.
Boarding
- Families with babies under two, and passengers who need help moving about, are called before everyone else.
- Most flights use zone boarding, set by travel class and frequent flyer status; Business Class and SkyPriority passengers start.
- On flights from the USA, passengers aged 14 to 79 may use a facial-recognition lane at selected airports, run by US Customs and Border Protection.
Questions travellers ask us
When can I check in online?
A day and a half before, or a day before on US flights.
When does bag drop close?
Forty minutes before a European flight and an hour before an intercontinental one.
How early should I arrive?
Two hours for Europe, three for intercontinental.
Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of KLM. Check the airline's own pages before you travel.
5 questions and answers
The answer would depend on a number of factors. In case of codeshare flights, you will get boarding passes for all legs of journey while checking in for the first airline. However, if tickets are booked separately, then it will be given separately.
My son is currently in Beijing for student summer camp.
He has a ticket to return to the UK (London Heathrow) on Thursday 18 July 2019 at 10:55 on
China Southern Airlines 767 operated by KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES.
Arriving LHR 17:35.
He has found that he cannot check in on line because the site is blocked where he is.
If he turns up at the airport not having checked in on-line in advance, will he have any difficulty checking in at the airport on the day. If there is likely to be a problem, is there anything he or I can do in advance to help.
Thank you.
Andrew Coupar
He could have tried a different location or changed browser. Anyways, the best suggestion will be to get in touch with the local airline office and seek solution.
Please visit the website at https://www.klm.com/ams/checkin/web/kl/us/en and then check-in.
Yes, online check-in is possible if you are eligible to do it and do it within the given timelines.
You can check in 1 bag of 23 kg on this route while travelling economy. Size shall be less than 158 cm in sum of dimensions. Cabin baggage allowance is of 1 bag of 12 kg "(including a personal item)