No app, no flight: airline axes paper boarding passes

One of the world’s best-known airlines, and often one of the most controversial, has declared an end to traditional boarding passes printed on paper at it seeks to go 100% digital.

Ryanair intends to make the switch from November 12, with the airline’s app being the only way to board a Ryanair flight.

Around 80% of some 200 million Ryanair passengers per year already download their boarding pass via the smartphone app.

The remainder print their boarding pass at home, or pay €20 to have it printed at the airport; Ryanair also charges passengers €55 to check in for their flight at the airport.

Now, CEO Michael O’Leary is going all-in on the app, although there will be a grace period through to at least January 2026 for passengers who turn up at the airport with a paper boarding pass.

Digital discrimination?

Representatives of the aged community argue the push to 100% digital is not only unrealistic but potentially “discriminatory”.

“It’s a disgraceful move,” says Dennis Reed, director of UK group Silver Voices.

“They are effectively saying they don't want older people as passengers. There’s a strong argument to say that it’s discriminatory.”

Ryanair has predictably rejected those concerns, with O’Leary describing them as “patronising.”

“I’m old, and I travel from Ryanair on a very, very regular basis, and I use the Ryanair app; it is pretty simple, pretty easy to use,” the 64-year-old airline boss said.

“The people who jump first on every seat sale we run are old people,” O’Leary added.

“If that’s the only way they can fly with Ryanair, they will just convert and move because that’s what they do.”

And as long as would-be travellers have checked in online, O’Leary also says the airline will be forgiving of life’s little curveballs.

“If you lose your phone, no issue. As long as you've checked in before you got to the airport, we’ll reissue a paper boarding pass at the airport free of charge. But you have to have checked in before you got to the airport.”

“Also, if your battery dies or something happens, once you’ve checked in, we’ll have your sequence number anyway at the boarding gate, you'll get on. So nobody should worry about it.”