Ryanair forces passengers to use digital boarding pass

Especially for inexperienced passengers, the small piece of paper with their own name, QR code, and seat number gives the reassuring feeling that nothing can really go wrong when boarding. Therefore, the first announcements of the Irish airline's new approach led to criticism and protests in the UK. Will people who are not so tech-savvy or internet refusers be excluded from flying?

Digital Boarding Pass: Consumer Protection Demands Alternative

The German Consumer Association Federation demands an alternative way for all travelers to be able to use any form of mobility. "Mobility must not be tied to the technical skills or the technical or actual possibilities of travelers. There must not be an exclusion of individual groups," warns passenger rights consultant André Duderstaedt. If disabled people are affected, they could have good legal chances to invoke the Equal Treatment Act.

Start Postponed to the Quiet Autumn

Ryanair is trying to allay possible concerns and has postponed the originally planned start from May to the quieter November. Instead of nearly 20 million passengers (May 2025), only about 13 million people are expected to travel with the Irish in the cool autumn month. Possible problems can be more easily solved with less congestion at airports. The company expects a record number of 207 million passengers in the current fiscal year.

Ryanair aims to become the world's first paperless airline, according to its own announcement. With electronic boarding passes, more than 300 tons of waste could be avoided per year, according to a statement. Competitors like Easyjet, British Airways, or even Lufthansa and Condor, however, still allow customers to choose between digital and analog boarding passes.

There Is Hardly Any Way Around the Ryanair App

A central role in the digital strategy is played by the smartphone application "myRyanair". It is intended to be the only way for customers to create a boarding pass in the electronic check-in process in the future. The airline also wants to bring customers into the app who have booked their tickets through other portals. Without the small file on the smartphone, one cannot even enter the security area of an airport, let alone board an aircraft.

According to the airline, well over 80 percent of guests already use modern technology. O'Leary is convinced that most of the remaining passengers also have a smartphone with them on their flights, but have not yet used it for boarding.

The Main Thing is to Check In

The app is not mandatory for all travelers even in the new system. A main booker can present the electronic boarding passes for a group or forward them individually to the smartphones of their fellow travelers.

In an interview with the British newspaper "The Independent," the Ryanair CEO promises all passengers free assistance at the airport, as long as they are checked in. "If the battery is dead or something happens, we have your sequence number at the gate after check-in anyway, and we will get you on board. So no one needs to worry." Passengers without a smartphone should get help from friends or relatives during check-in, a company spokesperson additionally advises.

Last Resort at the Counter

Anyone who ignores all warnings and repeated reminders for online check-in may find a last and expensive resort at the airport to still obtain a (printed) boarding pass and thus get on board: "In this case, you must pay the check-in fee at the airport," notes the Ryanair website. Depending on the country of departure, this is 30 (Spain), 40 (Austria), or 55 euros/pounds (other EU/UK) per passenger and route. At least the previously charged fee of 20 euros for reprinting an already created boarding pass will be waived in the future.

"Not Digital Means More Expensive"

Ryanair will not be completely paperless even after the boarding pass reform. According to consumer protection, the principle already known from other areas such as railcards or payment services applies to consumers: "Not digital means more expensive."

(APA/Red.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.