The policy change is aimed at getting people to do more with Ryanair’s app, such as ordering food and drinks, viewing flight information in real-time and receiving notifications during delays.
Brady said Ryanair chose the November 12 start date because it is “traditionally a slightly quieter time for travel after the busy midterm break period.”
Inconvenience in preparing for takeoff
Eliminating paper boarding passes could create many inconveniences. For starters, not everyone wants Ryanair’s app on their personal device. And many future customers, especially those who do not fly with Ryanair often or who do not fly at all, may be unaware of the change, causing confusion during a journey that can already be inherently stressful.
Additionally, there are locations where Ryanair flies that do not accept digital boarding passes, including some airports in Albania and Morocco. In these instances, Ryanair still requires online check-in (either through Ryanair’s website or app), and the airline will then provide a paper boarding pass.
Those who are less technologically savvy or who do not have a smart device or whose device has broken down may not be completely out of luck. Ryanair says it will accommodate people who do not have access to a smartphone with a “free airport boarding pass” if they have checked in online “before arriving at the airport”.
According to The Telegraph, O’Leary said, “No one is going to be trapped. No one is going to be left behind.”
Still, some travel experts are worried about the potential chaos.
“There will be complete devastation when it comes into effect,” Irish travel commentator Eoghan Corry told RSVP Live in January.
Ryanair will be the first airline to eliminate paper boarding passes. It already has a history of being at the bottom of controversial digital-forward policies. As The Independent noted, Ryanair was the first airline to require people to check-in online in advance or pay a fee.
“There will be some teething problems,” O’Leary said of the move to digital-only boarding passes.