Flying Ryanair? Make sure your phone is fully charged and your app is ready. The airline is ditching printed boarding passes and going fully digital. According to the BBC, Ryanair said the change is meant to “speed up travel and lower costs.” Starting now, passengers showing a printed boarding pass at the airport will not be allowed to fly.
Most travelers are already used to this. The airline noted that 90 percent of passengers already check in online and use mobile boarding passes, so the switch should be smooth for most. If you are in the other 10 percent, be warned. You must check in online before arriving at the airport or you could face a hefty airport check-in fee of up to £55, around $70 USD.
There is a safety net if your phone fails. If you’ve checked in online but can’t access your boarding pass because your phone died or the app crashed, Ryanair will now give you a printed pass at the airport for free, instead of charging £20 like before. That small change could save you a lot of stress.
The move is part of Ryanair’s effort to make travel more efficient, cut paper waste and lower costs, which the airline says helps keep fares low. While some travelers may miss the security of a paper pass, digital check-ins are becoming the norm. Many airlines already encourage them and European airports are improving their systems to make paper-free travel faster and easier.
The key takeaway is… Before your Ryanair flight, check in online, download your boarding pass to your phone and save a screenshot just in case.
