Air France online check-in opens 30 hours before departure. Here are every deadline, method, and gate-closure time you need to know.
Online check-in for Air France opens 30 hours before departure and you can get your boarding pass straight to Apple Wallet or Google Pay. Miss the online window and airport counters have their own hard cutoffs — here is exactly what they are.
- Online check-in opens
- 30 hours before departure
- Online check-in closes
- 45 minutes before departure
- Airport counter closes (domestic)
- 30 minutes before departure
- Airport counter closes (international)
- 60 minutes before departure
- Boarding gate closes
- 15 minutes before departure
- Paris-Orly long-haul counter
- Up to 90 minutes before departure
How to check in online
Go to airfrance.com or open the Air France app (iOS and Android). You need your booking reference and last name. The process takes under two minutes:
- Enter your booking reference and name
- Confirm or pick your seat
- Save your boarding pass to Apple Wallet, Google Pay, or download a PDF
The app supports multiple passengers on the same booking in one flow. Your boarding pass is scannable offline, which matters if the airport Wi-Fi is patchy.
Atlanta (ATL) and Detroit (DTW) departures: online check-in opens only 24 hours before departure instead of 30, due to TSA pre-departure security requirements at those airports.
Airport check-in options
If you prefer or need to check in at the airport, two options are available:
- Self-service kiosks: same deadlines as online check-in; available at most Air France airports including Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly (ORY). Print your boarding pass or add it to a digital wallet at the kiosk.
- Staffed counters: open at least 3 hours before departure. Use these if you have checked luggage on some routes, need special assistance, or could not complete online check-in.
Deadlines by route — do not cut it close
These cutoffs are enforced. Arriving after them means the system will not accept your check-in, even if your flight is still showing on the departures board.
| Route | Online/kiosk closes | Counter closes |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic (France) | 45 min before | 30 min before |
| Europe | 45 min before | 60 min before |
| International | 45 min before | 60 min before |
| Paris-Orly long-haul | 45 min before | Up to 90 min before |
| Cairo (CAI) / Nairobi (NBO) | 45 min before | Up to 75 min before |
Bag drop follows the same deadlines as the counter. If you checked in online but have luggage to drop, you still need to be at the bag drop desk before the counter cutoff for your route.
Boarding gate
Boarding typically starts 30 to 45 minutes before departure. The gate closes 15 minutes before departure with no exceptions. After that, your seat can be reassigned and your hold luggage offloaded. Build in buffer time at CDG especially: Terminal 2 is large and gates can be a 15-minute walk from the main concourse.
Save time at CDG with the "bag drop only" lane
If you checked in online before arriving, head directly to the dedicated bag drop counter — not the main check-in queue. At Terminal 2E (most long-haul departures), these lanes are signposted separately and typically move twice as fast. You still need to be there before the bag-drop cutoff for your route.
Seat selection and upgrades
Seat selection during online check-in is free for most fare types in Economy, though some discounted fares (Basic) restrict it to paid seats only. Business class (La Business) and Premium Economy seats can be pre-selected at booking or during check-in, subject to availability. If your preferred seat is taken, check again closer to departure: seats freed by no-shows often open up in the final 24 hours.
