By 1 October 2009, the last of Ryanair's check-in desks had been removed at all of its airports. For passengers who have frequently experienced the frustrations of being herded along slow-moving queues, only to be faced with inane and pointless security questions at the desk, this would appear to be good news. But which of the stakeholders - airline, airport or passenger - really benefits, or is there some gain for everyone?rnThe biggest beneficiary is the airline. A statement by Ryanair's colourful and controversial chief executive, Michael O'Leary, that abolishing check-in desks at airports would save the airline about EUR50 million (USD68 million) per annum, could lead to other European low-fare carriers following suitrnThe advantage for passengers is less clear-cut, as the new system may simply replace the check-in queue by a similar snaking line at the bag-drop point.
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