Online check-in fee
 

20 years ago, check-in meant queuing up to be issued a boarding card. Since then, airlines have changed behaviour so that people are more likely to check in on the web and be processed without having to interact with a check-in desk

I know Monarch experimented with having a fee for online checkin (airport checkin was free) - presumably on the grounds that virtually all pax had hold baggage and therefore were going to take up time at a desk anyway and had already paid a luggage fee - the people who wanted online checkin had not paid a baggage fee and thus ripe for being charged an 'online convenience' checkin fee

I understand that airlines pay rent to an airport for use of the checkin desks, along with extra labour costs for the handling agent, as well as other less visible costs, compared to online checkin

I'm left wondering whether any airlines currently operating might find it more profitable overall to charge those checking in online with only hand luggage a queue-busting convenience fee while making airport checkin free ? Particularly in cases where immigration rules are not a concern, the vast majority of pax are carrying (paid for) baggage destined for the hold and pax travelling are not time constrained (ie retired or going on a week's holiday as opposed to travelling for work or short of time)...

Maybe something for airlines like Condor or TUI or even RyanairSun/Buzz where pax are travelling flight only without any accommodation booked with the tour operator ?

It's like re-inventing the wheel LOL

No - they want to drive EVERYONE to on line check in so you do all the work - it costs to have a human face at check-in

A machine doesn't call in sick, argue for more money, threaten to strike...............

Not yet.....

Broadly speaking, yes airlines want to move away from checkin desks and get pax to do it all online - I get that there is a high cost to having staff on site to do this. The question in my original post was about where there are specific scenarios where an airline *has* to provide a checkin desk service because most-but-not-all the pax need to put luggage in the hold (as happens when people are going to the Med for a week on the beach in peak summer) and there is no competitor airline providing flights on the same route, could an airline decide to charge an online-checkin-convenience fee as a money-making opportunity for people who are not purchasing ancillary services from the company that owns the airline (e.g. not paying extra fees for hold luggage or accommodation) so as to make the cheapskates like me who usually just want a minimal bum-on-seat ticket so as to boost the airline's profit margin ?

How would the airline justify an additional fee (on top of the ticket price, taxes, etc) just for telling a computer that you plan to turn up for the flight ?

By describing it as a queue-busting time-saving convenience fee compared to making flight-only pax who do not have hold baggage and have paid no other ancillary fees wait 30+ mins to be given a piece of paper.
More than 1 airport has a fast-track queue at security search in exchange for paying a fee, either directly or by spending more on a plane ticket - the security searching is just the same but the airport offers to save a passenger's time in exchange for the passenger paying more (and the airport not having to increase staffing levels)

I agree this is a lousy customer service proposition, but I'm wondering whether an airline would want to try this on just to boost profits. It's been tried in the past and I wonder if an airline would try it again in the future

Although it's not a great deal quicker, even when dropping luggage off its quickest when the passenger is already checked in online. No need to worry about seat allocations, printing boarding passes etc. Also the future is self service bagdrop. If the passenger has done the leg work of checking in at home it means less work to do at the kiosk. Imagine you're every day holiday maker that goes away once a year trying to navigate self service check in kiosks, it's only going to slow down the whole process.
Airlines can also gain revenue from online top ups such as seat selections, upgrades, extra baggage, treats on board etc. Computers will ask and upsell every time. Humans won't.
Even if traditional bag drop remains a thing for years to come, the emphasis is on getting as much done before arriving at the Airport as possible.

Ryanair did just that for a while.

Then I'd suggest that the answer to your question is:

a) yes, they could, but

b) no, they wouldn't

Unless anyone can come up with a current example of an airline that is doing so.

Supplementary question:

From personal observation over many years, why is it if you have EZY and TUI checking in for similar or identical destinations, the EZY checkin always seems to be quicker and slicker?

Hope like hell that Michael O'Leary isn't reading this. Might give him an idea............charging you to avoid the queue at checkin would be right up his street

In FR's case over 90% of pax check in online and have a printed boarding pass. Stiff penalties (£55 per person) have ingrained this to the traveling public. Closing online check in 2 hours before departure allows more headroom when reselling seats and estimating loads.

Those with a bag to check-in are already indirectly paying for the use of the airport check in desk, and it also takes less time/administration, albeit only by a few seconds.

Charging for online check in will simply lead to lost revenue, as the vast majority would still be happy to check in at the airport (for example, TUI flights), and extra overhead due to having to employ further check in staff.

Revenue from missed online check in penalty + saving on airport staff costs > Revenue from online check in fee + paying for more airport staff.

Those checking in online, printing a boarding pass, and hand luggage only don't even to need to interact with staff until boarding. Encouraging people to check in the airport (by charging to check in online) will only unwind that process.

The trouble with the loco model is that it combines often unsustainable fares with a high level of income from ancilary fees. Smart travellers want to reduce these fees & if profitability depends upon boosting them - well management have to find ways to boost income from them. Ryanair used to charge for using all types of credit & debit cards with an obscure exception (I forget which). When their punters acquired this type of card guess what - they changed the card that could be used for free! We see this with having to pay to sit together. Could it be the same with check in? Personally I would like to see a shift away from ancilaries to slightly higher base prices - not entirely, it still makes sense to charge for alcohol and a second hold bag, but so that you feel that you can fly at the basic rate. However, the way I think may not be representative of the population as a whole.