What is Ryanair up to now?
Ryanair has decided that from November 12th, it will only accept digital boarding passes at its gates. It will no longer accept paper boarding passes.
The measure was supposed to have been introduced on November 3rd, but Ryanair decided to wait until the half-term rush was completed.
Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady said: “Ryanair’s move to 100 per cent digital boarding passes will mean a faster, smarter, and greener travel experience for our customers, streamlined through our ‘my Ryanair’ app.”
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Is there a charge? There usually is with Ryanair
There is no charge for this. Most people download the Ryanair app and 80 per cent of passengers already use the electronic boarding passes, according to the airline.
What if you are an elderly person who may not have a smartphone?
You are out of luck. Ryanair says the lead passenger can download boarding passes for all passengers on their booking. If you are travelling with somebody who does not have a smartphone, you can present their boarding passes at the gate, but there will be no exceptions made for paper passes.
What if your phone is dead or not working at the boarding gate?
As is the case today, if a passenger has already checked-in and downloaded a boarding pass, and their smartphone dies or is lost, they will be assisted free of charge at the airport.
Have other airlines introduced this measure?
Emirates became one of the first airlines in the world to introduce digital only passes. It did so in May 2023. Exceptions were made by that airline for patients who require a physical boarding pass to be printed – for instance when travelling with infants, unaccompanied minors, passengers requiring special assistance, passengers with onwards flights on other airlines, and all passengers travelling on flights to the US.
