Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has addressed concerns from travelers regarding the airline’s decision to eliminate paper boarding passes. Starting November 3, Ryanair passengers will be required to show a digital boarding pass through the airline’s app.
The airline stated that this change will eliminate airport check-in fees, reduce paper usage by about 300 tonnes per year, and provide passengers with real-time flight updates. Despite these benefits, some travelers have expressed apprehensions about potential issues such as phone battery failure or device loss.
During an interview on The Independent’s daily travel podcast, O’Leary clarified the process and assured passengers. He explained that if a passenger loses their phone, a paper boarding pass will be reissued free of charge at the airport as long as they checked in beforehand.
In cases where a phone runs out of battery, staff will have each passenger’s ‘sequence number’ at the boarding gate, ensuring that boarding can proceed smoothly even without the digital pass.
While these new guidelines are in place, it is crucial for passengers to verify specific requirements at their departure airport, as some locations may still mandate physical boarding passes. For instance, Morocco and Albania currently require printed passes, although Albania will accept digital passes starting in March.
Ryanair currently charges £20 for reissuing boarding passes, but this fee will be waived after November 3. Despite efforts to eliminate most airport check-in fees, certain charges remain applicable, such as fees for passengers who fail to check in before arriving at the airport, with varying costs depending on the departure location.
Passengers can opt to check in at the airport but will incur an additional airport check-in fee per passenger to cover the service cost, as outlined on the airline’s website.
For flights departing from Moroccan airports to any destination or from Tirana to the UK, physical boarding pass printouts are mandatory, as digital passes will not be accepted.