In September, low-cost carrier Ryanair announced that it will only accept digital boarding passes starting in mid-November.
The airline will require passengers to check in online and generate their boarding pass on the Ryanair app.
Printed paper boarding passes will no longer be accepted.
The move has raised concerns about elderly passengers who may not own or be comfortable using a smartphone.
Travellers are also questioning what they should do if their phone runs out of battery, is stolen or they lose internet connection.
Here’s how the new policy will work and why paper boarding passes won’t be completely eliminated in practice.
Ryanair will only accept digital boarding passes from November
Beginning on Wednesday 12 November, Ryanair passengers will be required to have their boarding pass in digital format on their myRyanair app.
The transition was originally going to take place on 3 November but was postponed until after the peak travel period around the UK schools’ mid-term break.
The airline says it has made the move because almost 80 per cent of its passengers already use digital boarding passes. It adds that the switch follows other key ticket industries like festivals, concerts, and sporting events, which have successfully switched to digital-only ticketing.
“Ryanair’s move to 100 per cent digital boarding passes will mean a faster, smarter, and greener travel experience for our customers,” added Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady.
On the app, passengers can also order food and drinks for priority service, get real-time status updates on boarding, gates, and delays, and save travel documents in one place.
What if I can’t access my digital boarding pass on my smartphone?
There are various scenarios in which a passenger may not be able to generate or access their digital boarding pass on the Ryanair app, including not owning a smartphone or running out of battery.
In this case, Ryanair has confirmed that travellers can request a paper boarding pass from check-in desks at the airport.
This will be issued free of charge, provided the passenger has already checked in online.
This is also the case for flights leaving from Morocco, where the government requires passengers to have paper boarding passes. Again, as long as you have checked in online first, your boarding pass will be issued for free at check-in desks.