United is narrowing its check-in window for US flights. Here's how it compares to other airlines

NEW YORK (AP) — Stragglers beware: U.S. travelers flying with United Airlines will have to check in to domestic flights a little earlier starting next week. That is, if they're customers only taking carry-on bags.

Effective June 3, United's “check-in cutoff” for most U.S. flights will be 45 minutes before departure. That's the same deadline United has for passengers checking luggage at the airport but 15 minutes earlier than the current one for people without bags to check.

In an email to The Associated Press, a United spokesperson said the change to a single cut-off minimum “brings greater consistency for our customers” and conforms with the policies of many other airlines.

Checking in for a flight confirms a passenger's booking and intent to travel ahead of takeoff. Most major U.S. carriers have online check-in systems that can be used at least 24 hours in advance, so the process no longer reflects when many travelers arrive at the airport. But it's still an important step since boarding passes are issued once check-ins are completed.

Other U.S. and international carriers have tightened their check-in and boarding policies as part of their strategies for maintaining on-time departures, particularly amid the high demand that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Generally speaking, checking in allows airports and airlines to prepare for upcoming flights — from confirming seat assignments to making sure passenger names are at the security checkpoint. Check-in cutoffs, or the latest possible time to claim a flight reservation, are typically earlier for international flights to account for the time needed to check passports and clear customs.

Still, requirements may vary by airline and airport. Dubai-based Emirates, for example, closes online check-ins 90 minutes before departure. Ireland’s Ryanair allows online check-in up to two hours before a flight; passengers still may check in at the airport 40 minutes in advance, but for a fee.

Here's what check-in cutoffs look like for United and some other U.S. carriers.

Again, if you’re flying United within the U.S., you'll need to check in to your flight at least 45 minutes prior to takeoff as of June 3.

While the new cutoff applies to most of United's domestic trips, check-in deadlines may vary by location and route. The carrier's website notes that St. Thomas' airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands has a check-in time limit of 90 minutes prior to departure — the same cutoff listed for flights between Guam and Honolulu.

For international flights, United requires checking in at least an hour before departure. But many airports have earlier deadlines — such as 75 minutes for major airports in Paris and Dubai, and 90 minutes for the airports in Toronto and Lagos, Nigeria.

Delta passengers not checking any bags still have a minimum of a half-hour before a domestic flight to check in. Travelers with luggage to check need to get to the airline ticket counter at least 45 minutes prior, Delta's website notes, per an update that went into effect last month.

In a statement sent to the AP on Tuesday, Delta said it had made this “minor change" so that “Delta teams can ensure all customers have a great experience.”

For international flights, Delta travelers must be checked in at least 1 hour before departure. But, like other carriers, Delta's minimum check-in requirements can vary by location for certain airports. Delta customers checking bags at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, for example, are supposed to check in an hour before departure whether their flights are domestic or international.

If you're flying with American Airlines within the U.S., the deadline for checking in and checking a bag before a flight is 45 minutes ahead of departure, according to the carrier's website.

For trips to or from locations outside the U.S., the cutoff to both check-in for your flight and check a bag is 60 minutes ahead of takeoff. But again, a handful of airports have earlier requirements.

Passengers with more than a carry-on bag should get to the airline counter at least 45 minutes before a scheduled flight on Southwest. The carrier warns that baggage destined for a plane's cargo hold is considered a “late check” and not guaranteed to get on your flight if it's dropped off less than 45 minutes ahead of departure.

Beyond baggage, if Southwest travelers aren’t checked-in and in the boarding area at least 10 minutes prior to departure, their reservation could be canceled, a Southwest spokesperson told the AP via email.

The carrier did not specify any additional, firm check-in cutoffs for domestic flights. For international trips, Southwest's website notes that all passengers and their luggage must be checked in a minimum of 60 minutes prior to departure. And again, that can vary — with flights departing Aruba, for example, having an earlier deadline of 75 minutes before takeoff for passengers with or without checked bags.

Alaska requires a minimum of 50 minutes before takeoff to check in passengers for flights within the U.S., whether or not they have bags to check. The cutoff is 60 minutes for international flights, the carrier’s website notes.

Again, there are exceptions for certain locations and airports. Passengers traveling from Guadalajara, Mexico, for example, have to check their baggage and into their flights at least 90 minutes ahead of time.

Travellers are directed to lines through security at Love Field airport, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Travelers print out their boarding passes at kiosks inside of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers walk with their luggage through at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A woman checks her baggage tag as she waits in line at the Alaska Airlines counter, at Newark Liberty International Airport, in New Jersey, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A traveller collects a boarding pass at one of the check-in kiosks at the Southwest Airlines counter in the main terminal of Denver International Airport Friday, May 23, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Travelers print their boarding passes at kiosks inside of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Friday, May 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

NEW YORK (AP) — Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner.

Trump was not clear in his social media post Friday night whether a cap might take effect through executive action or legislation, though one Republican senator said he had spoken with the president and would work on a bill with his “full support.” Trump said he hoped it would be in place Jan. 20, one year after he took office.

Strong opposition is certain from Wall Street in addition to the credit card companies, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and have supported Trump's second-term agenda. Banks are making the argument that such a plan would most hurt poor people, at a time of economic concern, by curtailing or eliminating credit lines, driving them to high-cost alternatives like payday loans or pawnshops.

“We will no longer let the American Public be ripped off by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Researchers who studied Trump’s campaign pledge after it was first announced found that Americans would save roughly $100 billion in interest a year if credit card rates were capped at 10%. The same researchers found that while the credit card industry would take a major hit, it would still be profitable, although credit card rewards and other perks might be scaled back.

About 195 million people in the United States had credit cards in 2024 and were assessed $160 billion in interest charges, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says. Americans are now carrying more credit card debt than ever, to the tune of about $1.23 trillion, according to figures from the New York Federal Reserve for the third quarter last year.

Further, Americans are paying, on average, between 19.65% and 21.5% in interest on credit cards according to the Federal Reserve and other industry tracking sources. That has come down in the past year as the central bank lowered benchmark rates, but is near the highs since federal regulators started tracking credit card rates in the mid-1990s. That’s significantly higher than a decade ago, when the average credit card interest rate was roughly 12%.

The Republican administration has proved particularly friendly until now to the credit card industry.

Capital One got little resistance from the White House when it finalized its purchase and merger with Discover Financial in early 2025, a deal that created the nation’s largest credit card company. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is largely tasked with going after credit card companies for alleged wrongdoing, has been largely nonfunctional since Trump took office.

In a joint statement, the banking industry was opposed to Trump's proposal.

“If enacted, this cap would only drive consumers toward less regulated, more costly alternatives," the American Bankers Association and allied groups said.

Bank lobbyists have long argued that lowering interest rates on their credit card products would require the banks to lend less to high-risk borrowers. When Congress enacted a cap on the fee that stores pay large banks when customers use a debit card, banks responded by removing all rewards and perks from those cards. Debit card rewards only recently have trickled back into consumers' hands. For example, United Airlines now has a debit card that gives miles with purchases.

The U.S. already places interest rate caps on some financial products and for some demographics. The Military Lending Act makes it illegal to charge active-duty service members more than 36% for any financial product. The national regulator for credit unions has capped interest rates on credit union credit cards at 18%.

Credit card companies earn three streams of revenue from their products: fees charged to merchants, fees charged to customers and the interest charged on balances. The argument from some researchers and left-leaning policymakers is that the banks earn enough revenue from merchants to keep them profitable if interest rates were capped.

"A 10% credit card interest cap would save Americans $100 billion a year without causing massive account closures, as banks claim. That’s because the few large banks that dominate the credit card market are making absolutely massive profits on customers at all income levels," said Brian Shearer, director of competition and regulatory policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, who wrote the research on the industry's impact of Trump's proposal last year.

There are some historic examples that interest rate caps do cut off the less creditworthy to financial products because banks are not able to price risk correctly. Arkansas has a strictly enforced interest rate cap of 17% and evidence points to the poor and less creditworthy being cut out of consumer credit markets in the state. Shearer's research showed that an interest rate cap of 10% would likely result in banks lending less to those with credit scores below 600.

The White House did not respond to questions about how the president seeks to cap the rate or whether he has spoken with credit card companies about the idea.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who said he talked with Trump on Friday night, said the effort is meant to “lower costs for American families and to reign in greedy credit card companies who have been ripping off hardworking Americans for too long."

Legislation in both the House and the Senate would do what Trump is seeking.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., released a plan in February that would immediately cap interest rates at 10% for five years, hoping to use Trump’s campaign promise to build momentum for their measure.

Hours before Trump's post, Sanders said that the president, rather than working to cap interest rates, had taken steps to deregulate big banks that allowed them to charge much higher credit card fees.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., have proposed similar legislation. Ocasio-Cortez is a frequent political target of Trump, while Luna is a close ally of the president.

Seung Min Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Friday, Jan. 9, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Visa and Mastercard credit cards are shown in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)