Major Airline Moves Forward With Change For All Passengers
Ryanair is the largest and most popular airline in Europe, carrying more customers on the continent than any other airline. However, this month, the major airline is moving forward with a pretty significant change that will impact around 15 percent of its customers.
Beginning on Nov. 12, Ryanair will be officially eliminating paper boarding passes, requiring all passengers to have a digital boarding pass in order to board the plane. While this change might pose a problem for some travelers, it sounds like the airline is prepared to help.
Ryanair Goes Digital
Ryanair initially announced the plan to eliminate paper boarding passes back in September as the airline promised that it would create a more streamlined boarding experience for travelers.
“Ryanair’s move to 100% digital boarding passes will mean a faster, smarter, and greener travel experience for our customers, streamlined through our best-in-class 'myRyanair' app, where passengers will also benefit from helpful in-app features, like Order to Seat and live flight information,” Ryanair CMO Dara Brady said in a statement back in September.
Currently, Ryanair offers passengers the option to print their boarding passes for a fee of £55. However, that option will soon disappear.
Ryanair estimates that nearly 80 percent of the airline’s customers already use digital boarding passes.
Potential Problems?
While nearly 80 percent of the airline's customers already use the digital boarding passes, that means that over 20 percent of customers do not. Of those customers, some of them don't even have a smartphone to be able to use a digital boarding pass.
However, it sounds like the airline does have some contingencies in place. According to The Sun, the airline has stated that if a passenger has no phone, loses their phone, or the battery dies at the airport, they will still be able to travel as long as they have checked in. In this case, a gate agent would be able to assist and print one.
It's also worth noting that some destinations, like Morocco, still require a printed boarding pass to travel. In those cases, passengers will still have to show their digital boarding pass, but they will also be given a printed version at the airport.