<div>If you added our check-in service, all you need to do is provide us with your details at least 24h before departure, and we'll take care of the rest.</div>

Add your details and we’ll check you in and send your your boarding passes.

How does Kiwi.com's online check-in work?

<div>Some airlines charge more for direct flights to popular destinations than for flight combinations that only have a layover in those destinations. With this <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/338/">travel hack</a>, you can book the cheaper flight combination and simply get off during your layover.</div><blockquote><em>💡 For example, a ticket from London to Paris might be more expensive than a ticket from London to Berlin that has a layover in Paris — making Paris the “hidden” destination where you can get off.</em></blockquote><h2>What’s the catch?</h2><div>The official carrier itinerary continues to their final destination, which has a couple of specifics:</div><h3>You can only travel with a personal item&nbsp;</h3><div>You can’t take checked baggage or anything that might get checked in into the cargo hold — including pets or sports equipment — because it would be automatically sent all the way to the official final destination. We recommend only bringing a small bag that can fit under the seat in front of you.</div><h3>You might need visa and COVID-19 documents for the official final destination&nbsp;</h3><div>You will need to comply with the requirements for your intended destination as well as for the official destination in the carrier reservation — even if you don’t plan on traveling there. The airport staff might ask to see these documents before your first flight.&nbsp;</div><blockquote><em>If it’s a destination that you wouldn’t normally need a visa or COVID-19 documents for, then you have nothing to worry about.</em></blockquote><h3>You might need to check in for all the flights</h3><div>We usually <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/108/">offer to check you in online</a> and send you your boarding passes in advance — but if you need to check in at the airport, let the airlines check you in for all the flights in the itinerary. This is because they might not let you board if you say you only want to use part of the itinerary. The downside to this is that the airline won’t be able to give your seat to someone else and it will stay empty, which may have an impact on the environment.</div><blockquote><em>ℹ️&nbsp; </em><a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/309/"><em>Read more about checking in for a hidden city flight.</em></a></blockquote><h3>If you add the Kiwi.com Guarantee, it will only cover the itinerary you searched for</h3><div>Your <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/28/">Kiwi.com Guarantee</a> will only cover the part of your itinerary that you originally searched for. If the carriers change or cancel your trip, we’ll find you an alternative itinerary only to your intended destination.&nbsp;</div><blockquote><em>💡 In the above example from London through Paris to Berlin, we’d find alternatives for you to Paris — your intended destination — not Berlin.</em></blockquote><h3>If your trip gets disrupted, the carrier will likely offer you an alternative to their final destination</h3><div>If anything happens to your hidden city flight, it might be better for you to get help from us. You have a right to request an alternative travel option or a refund directly from the carrier instead, but they’ll likely provide you with an alternative to the final destination in their itinerary. The alternative might have different layovers, and you might not be able to get to where you intended to travel.</div><blockquote><em>Read more about all your options </em><a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/396/"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></blockquote><h3>It might be against airline policy</h3><div>This travel hack makes your ticket cheaper because it takes advantage of airline pricing strategies. The airlines might not like this, and it might even be against some airlines’ policies.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>It’s better not to mention that you plan on getting off during the layover or show your <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/150/">Kiwi.com e-ticket</a> — which doesn’t contain the flight to the official final destination — unless the airlines specifically ask for it. The airline staff usually only needs your passport or ID.&nbsp;</div><blockquote><em>If you’d decide to completely change your plans and only use the second part of the carrier reservation, it likely would not be possible. If you skip their first flight, you’d be considered a “no-show”.</em></blockquote>

Book an itinerary with a layover in your destination instead of a more expensive direct route.

Hidden city travel hack

<div>If you booked a <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/272/">hidden city itinerary</a> and need to check in at the airport, there are several things you’ll need to pay attention to.</div><h3><strong>📄 Bring the necessary documents for all destinations</strong></h3><div>Check the requirements for all the destinations in the official itinerary and bring all the necessary documents — including visa, COVID-19 documents, or entry forms — even for the countries you won’t be traveling to. The airport staff will review your documents as if you were traveling all the way through.</div><h3><strong>👜 Travel light and only take a </strong><a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/types-of-baggage-246/"><strong>personal item</strong></a></h3><div>Checked baggage or anything larger than a personal item might be at risk for getting checked in at the gate, which means it would end up in the official final destination.</div><h3><strong>✈️ If you won’t use all the flights, don’t mention it</strong></h3><div>Let the airlines check you in and issue boarding passes for all the flights in the official itinerary. Don’t mention if you’ll be getting off during the layover as some airlines might not like it, and don’t show your <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/150/">Kiwi.com e-ticket</a> unless the airlines specifically ask for it. The airline staff usually only needs your passport or ID.</div>

If you check in at the airport, there are several things you’ll need to pay attention to.

How do I check in for a “hidden city” flight?

<div>Travel hack itineraries are unique combinations of routes, carriers, or types of transport you most probably won’t find anywhere else. They’re cheaper than regular one-way or round-trip tickets offered by the airlines, but don’t follow the conventional rules.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Each travel hack is different so you should pay special attention to the details to know what to expect during your trip. Here’s a short summary of the most common hacks we use:&nbsp;</div><h2>Self-transfer travel hack</h2><div>Some direct routes and official connections offered by the carriers can be more expensive than multiple separate tickets, so we offer you a <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/131/">combination of separate tickets with a self-transfer</a>. This can be a combination of 2 or more separate tickets or a combination of a flight with a bus or train.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>When you have a self-transfer itinerary, your trip isn’t a part of a single carrier reservation, so your checked baggage won’t be automatically transferred to your next flight and you might need to go through security and customs again.</div><blockquote><em>We recommend adding the </em><a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/28/"><em>Kiwi.com Guarantee</em></a><em> to stay covered in case of any carrier disruptions. We’ll be there for you if the carriers make any last-minute changes.</em></blockquote><h2>Hidden city travel hack</h2><div>If it’s cheaper than a direct route to your destination, we’ll offer you an official flight <a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/272/">combination that has a layover in your destination</a> but continues somewhere else. This happens as some airlines charge more for direct routes to popular destinations than for routes that only have a transfer in those destinations.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Your itinerary will include an extra flight which you can skip and get off at your intended destination. But <strong>you have to travel light</strong>. Anything larger than a personal item that fits under your seat might be taken into the cargo hold and would be automatically transferred to the next flight.</div><h2>Throwaway ticketing travel hack</h2><div><a href="https://www.kiwi.com/help/search/article/135/">Round-trip tickets</a> can be cheaper than one-way flights, so we can offer them to you instead. You can “throw away” the return part and stay at your intended destination.</div>

We hack the traditional ways of travel to get you cheaper deals.

How do I check in for a “hidden city” flight?

📄 Bring the necessary documents for all destinations

👜 Travel light and only take a personal item

✈️ If you won’t use all the flights, don’t mention it

Related articles

How does Kiwi.com's online check-in work?

Hidden city travel hack

What are travel hacks?

Related articles

How does Kiwi.com's online check-in work?
Add your details and we’ll check you in and send your your boarding passes.

Hidden city travel hack
Book an itinerary with a layover in your destination instead of a more expensive direct route.

What are travel hacks?
We hack the traditional ways of travel to get you cheaper deals.