How to check in online with Lufthansa

Lufthansa online check-in gives you your boarding pass before you set off for the airport. If you're travelling with hand luggage only, you can usually go straight through to security when you arrive. Check-in opens 30 hours before departure, on the Lufthansa website or in the airline's app, and takes only a few minutes.

Below we cover when check-in opens, what you'll need to have to hand, how to work through the process step by step and what to do at the airport once you're done.

Lufthansa opens online check-in 30 hours before your flight is due to depart. From then on you can check in on the website or in the app and choose your seat. Your boarding pass can be sent to your phone or printed at home. Passengers on Schengen flights may also have it sent automatically 23 hours before departure, which we come back to below.

The second time to keep an eye on is the check-in deadline at the airport. Lufthansa sets it so that flights can leave on schedule. By that point you need to have your boarding pass, and to have dropped off any checked baggage. It applies whether you checked in online, in the app or automatically. There's no single time, as the deadline varies from one airport to another: you'll find yours by entering your flight details in Lufthansa's check-in deadlines tool.

Before you start Lufthansa online check-in, make sure you have the following to hand:

• your booking reference or your ticket number, both of which appear on your booking confirmation: the check-in form takes either one, in the same box;

• the passenger's first name and last name, exactly as they appear on the booking;

• your passport, or whichever travel document your destination requires: you'll need the details for some of the steps, and the document itself on the day you fly.

With your booking reference and the passenger's name you can start straight away, on the website or in the app. There's no need to set up an account first. If you do have a Travel ID profile, you can log in and pick your booking from there instead.

Checking in takes a few minutes from start to finish, and at the end you'll have your boarding pass.

To check in online with Lufthansa:

1. Go to the Lufthansa website or open the airline's app.

2. Enter your booking reference or ticket number in the box provided, followed by the passenger's first name and last name. If you have a Travel ID profile, you can log in and pick the booking from there instead.

3. Select the passengers and the flight you want to check in for.

4. Check your travel details and fill in anything else you're asked for.

5. Choose your seat, if your fare allows it, or accept the one you've been given.

6. Add any extra services on offer, such as additional baggage.

7. Confirm your check-in and get your boarding pass.

You can check in on the website, in the app, or have it done for you automatically. Here's how the three differ.

Booked through a travel agent or a site like Expedia or Booking.com?

If you booked your Lufthansa flight through a travel agent, an online travel agency or as part of a package holiday, you can still check in with Lufthansa. The check-in form asks for the airline booking reference or the ticket number.

If you don't have either to hand, there's a second way in. On the Lufthansa check-in page you can change the type of identification and choose tour operator travel. You'll then be asked for:

• your flight number, for example LH342;

• the departure date;

• your place of departure and final destination;

• the passenger's first name and last name.

The tour operator's booking number is optional, so not having it to hand needn't hold you up.

Once you've checked in, Lufthansa gives you your boarding pass in whichever form suits you best:

• on your phone, sent to you as soon as check-in is complete;

• printed at home, if you'd rather have it on paper;

• saved to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or kept in the Lufthansa app, which means you can use it offline.

The mobile boarding pass covers almost all Lufthansa destinations. In a small number of cases, though, official regulations mean one can't be issued: you'll then receive a check-in confirmation only, and your boarding pass will be handed to you at the counter once you reach the airport. It's well worth checking which of the two you've been sent before you set off.

At the airport

If you're travelling with hand luggage only, you can in most cases head straight for security, with your boarding pass ready on your phone or on paper.

If you have baggage to check in, you'll need to drop it off first. You can do that at a Lufthansa check-in counter or, if you already have your boarding pass, at a self-service bag drop kiosk.

Either way, do bear in mind the check-in deadline at your departure airport. By then you need to be in possession of your boarding pass, and your baggage needs to have been dropped off.

Lufthansa online check-in is open to most passengers, but there are a few situations in which you'll still have to see someone at the airport.

• Your flight is operated by another airline. Lufthansa check-in covers flights operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS. If your booking carries a Lufthansa flight number alongside the words "operated by", you won't be able to check in through Lufthansa.

• You're travelling with a pet in the cabin. You can still check in online from 30 hours before departure, but your boarding pass has to be collected at the check-in counter.

• Your pet is travelling in the hold. Your boarding pass is issued during online or mobile check-in as usual, though you won't be able to use a self-service bag drop kiosk for your baggage.

• A mobile boarding pass can't be issued for your flight. In a small number of cases official regulations prevent it. You'll be sent a confirmation of check-in instead, and your boarding pass will be handed to you at the airport counter.

You checked in in good time, you got to the gate when you were meant to, and your booking was confirmed. Even so, a delay, a cancellation or an overbooked flight can still get in the way of your plans.

If that happens and the airline is responsible, UK261 entitles you to compensation of up to £520 per passenger, depending on how far you were due to fly. The rules cover every flight departing from a UK airport, whichever airline you're travelling with.

If your Lufthansa flight departs from an airport in the EU, the equivalent European rules apply instead, under Regulation EC 261/2004.

Being turned away at the gate is covered too: our guide to denied boarding sets out where you stand. And to see what you may be owed for your own flight, start with our Lufthansa compensation page.

Keeping track of your Lufthansa flight

With check-in out of the way, all that's left is the wait. It's well worth keeping an eye on your flight status in the meantime, particularly if you have a connection to make or someone meeting you at the other end.

The Lufthansa app will keep you posted on your own flight, with notifications covering both the flight and your baggage.

You could also use the free AirHelp app, which does one thing more: if your flight is delayed by more than 3 hours, is cancelled, or you're denied boarding, the app checks automatically whether you're entitled to compensation under UK261/EC 261 and lets you know.

With the AirHelp app you can:

• receive real-time notifications about delays, cancellations, gate changes and baggage reclaim;

• scan your boarding pass to add your flight quickly;

• share your flight status with whoever is picking you up;

• automatically check whether a disruption entitles you to compensation of up to £520;

• start your compensation claim straight from the app, with no paperwork.

The app is free and available on iOS and Android.