Budget airline Ryanair has announced plans to scrap paper boarding passes in favour of digital check-ins, and some passengers are furious.
Metro readers have been sharing their views, with some urging other flyers to boycott the airline in protest against the change.
Youssef Ka wrote: ‘People should just boycott… Not everyone has a smart phone or apps…’, while Raymond Skinner added, ‘Just Boycott them, go easyJet, Jet2 instead’.
Dan James echoed: ‘Simple, don’t fly with them, they’re awful anyway’ and Andrew Kaye simply said, ‘I’d rather walk’.
Other readers were concerned about the practicalities of the change.
Julie Ciantar commented: ‘Why put more anxiety on people? If the phone or app doesn’t work, a tech glitch, what then?’
And Eann McInnes asked: ‘Some countries don’t accept mobile boarding passes so how’s that going to work in places like Morocco?’
It’s true that not every airport served by Ryanair currently accepts digital passes.
The airline’s website explains that airports in Turkey (except Dalaman), Morocco and Tirana (Albania) don’t accept mobile boarding passes, and that customers travelling from these destinations must check-in online and print out a paper boarding pass for their flights.
One user shared a recent airport experience which highlighted how helpful having a check-in desk can be.
Johnnyc revealed: ‘On a skiing holiday a few weeks ago, the electronic check-in said I hadn’t booked any hold luggage. Of course I had, hard to fit ski kit into hand luggage only.
‘Thankfully the human check-in person resolved it quickly as I had the relevant paperwork for him to see, but what if there had been no human, or one roving helper for hundreds of people?
‘Big additional baggage fee then a long argument with the airline just because computer said no.’
What has Ryanair said?
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary first revealed plans to scrap paper boarding passes at a press conference in Dublin last October.
He said: ‘Our goal is to eliminate check-in desks at the airport, just like we’ve done with luggage counters. Everything will be managed through the app, making the process fully digital and eliminating paper entirely.
‘It also means, once we get everybody onto the app, nobody will ever again pay for a boarding pass at an airport – the airport check-in fee will be gone.
‘So, I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody.’
However, some Metro readers were unfazed by the change.
Mr O’Leary previously shared that roughly 60% of Ryanair passengers use the app, and that this figure was expected to rise to around 80% by the end of the year.
For this group of people, the airline’s change to boarding pass rules makes little difference.
Abhaya Ferdo Fulgosi commented: ‘What seems to be the problem!? I haven’t had a paper pass in over five years!’
Ian Scott added: ‘Grow up, it’s so easy to use the app on your phone. Why should anyone want a paper boarding pass?’
Mr O’Leary has said that Ryanair plans to phase out physical boarding passes completely by May 2025, a move that would make it the first airline in the world to go entirely paperless.
What happens if your phone dies at the airport?
Ryanair has said they can print boarding passes at the gate if necessary.
However, they haven’t clarified whether there will be a fee for this, or what would happen if a traveller’s phone dies before they are able to pass through security at the airport.
According to the Ryanair website, the current fee for printing a new boarding pass at the airport is £20.
Do you need internet access to show your boarding pass?
Once you’ve downloaded your boarding pass to your phone — which you can do after checking in online — you won’t need internet access to display it.
It’s a good idea to download your pass before you arrive at the airport, in case you’re unable to find a reliable internet connection.
Can you use a screenshot of your boarding pass?
Ryanair recommends that passengers use the app to access their boarding pass, instead of a screenshot.
However, passengers can use a screenshot as a backup — just make sure it shows all the information, including flight number, QR code, full name and seat number.
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