Ryanair has confirmed that it will delay its move to paperless boarding passes, a change that travellers have called ‘ridiculous’.
Last month, the budget airline announced that it would be scrapping paper boarding passes in favour of digital check-ins, meaning all travellers will need a smartphone to board their flights.
The change was due to come into force in May, but now the carrier say thatthis will be postponed to November 3.
Ryanair faced backlash from travellers after initially sharing the news, with many worried for older passengers.
‘How will this affect the older generation who are not tech savvy?’ commented @skatkatzenberg on TikTok. ‘And when airline systems are down? It’s a great idea until systems go down.’
‘Ridiculous as some older people do not have smartphones,’ added @colonia1912, while @kimmybrown27 agreed, writing: ‘I think it will cause chaos, especially for older people.’
Metro readers were equally furious, 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’.
Ryanair have not given a reason for the delay to their plans, but did cite their ‘less busy’ winter schedule, which will likely make the transition to paperless a little smoother.
In a statement released today, the airline’s CMO, Dara Brady said: ‘This move to 100% paperless boarding passes from November 2025 will allow us to deliver an enhanced travel experience for customers, streamlined through the myRyanair app during our less busy Winter schedule.’
The airline also say that paperless boarding passes are more environmentally friendly.
Dara Brady continued: ‘Like other ticket industries (concert, sports venues, rail, etc.) there has been a massive switch to using mobile, and with almost 80% of Ryanair customers already using the myRyanair app, it is time to transition the remaining passengers to digital, which will see them reduce their carbon footprint and receive a smoother and enhanced travel experience from November 2025 as Ryanair continues to grow to 300m passengers over the next decade.’
Ryanair first announced the new boarding pass rules at a press conference in Dublin in September 2024.
The firm’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, said that procedures are already in place for any potential digital hiccups.
‘If your battery dies, we know your seat, we have your travel documents, and we can do everything at the boarding gate,’ O’Leary said. ‘We already do this when we can’t scan someone’s phone for any reason. Once we get your name and passport, it’s fine, and everything will be on the app.’
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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