Ryanair will only accept digital boarding passes from November. Here’s what travellers have to know

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Low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced that it should only accept digital boarding passes starting in November.

The airline would require passengers to ascertain in online and generate their boarding pass on the Ryanair app.

Printed paper boarding passes will now not be accepted.

The move has raised concerns about elderly passengers who may not own or be comfortable using a smartphone.

Travellers are also questioning what they need to do if their phone runs out of battery, is stolen or they lose web connection.

Here’s how the brand new policy will work and why paper boarding passes won’t be completely eliminated in practice.

Ryanair will only accept digital boarding passes from November

Starting on 12 November, Ryanair passengers will likely be required to have their boarding pass in digital format on their myRyanair app.

The transition was originally going to happen on 3 November but was postponed until after the height travel period across the UK schools’ mid-term break.

The airline says it has made the move because almost 80 per cent of its passengers already use digital boarding passes. It adds that the switch follows other key ticket industries like festivals, concert events, and sporting events, which have successfully switched to digital-only ticketing.

“Ryanair’s move to 100 per cent digital boarding passes will mean a faster, smarter, and greener travel experience for our customers,” added Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady.

What if I can’t access my digital boarding pass on my smartphone?

There are numerous scenarios wherein a passenger may not find a way to generate or access their digital boarding pass on the Ryanair app, including not owning a smartphone or running out of battery.

On this case, Ryanair has confirmed that travellers can request a paper boarding pass from check-in desks on the airport.

This will likely be issued freed from charge, provided the passenger has already checked in online.

This can also be the case for flights leaving from Morocco, where the federal government requires passengers to have paper boarding passes. Again, so long as you will have checked in online first, your boarding pass will likely be issued at no cost at check-in desks.