Ryanair has delayed plans to eliminate physical boarding passes, pushing back the transition to a fully paperless system by several months.
The budget airline had originally intended to implement the change in May, ahead of the busy summer travel season. However, in a statement released this week, Ryanair announced the digital-only policy will now take effect from November 3, coinciding with the start of the winter schedule.
Once implemented, passengers will no longer have the option to download and print physical boarding passes. Instead, travelers will be required to use digital boarding passes generated through the “myRyanair” app during the check-in process.
Customers who prefer to check in at the airport counter will face substantial fees – €55 per passenger for most destinations, or €30 for flights departing from Spain.
According to a Ryanair spokesperson, nearly 80% of the airline’s 200 million annual passengers already utilize digital boarding passes. The company expects the move to “eliminate almost all airport check-in fees from November” as passengers adopt online or in-app check-in to generate their digital passes.
According to The journal, the airline also highlighted environmental benefits, stating that the paperless initiative will “eliminate unnecessary paper” and save more than 300 tonnes of paper waste annually.
Ryanair CMO Dara Brady explained the decision to postpone, saying the later implementation during the “less busy Winter schedule” would allow for a smoother transition. Brady pointed to similar digital transformations in other ticket-based industries such as concerts and sporting events.
The airline assured customers that lead passengers can download boarding passes for everyone in their booking and share them digitally. Additionally, if a passenger has already checked in but experiences phone issues at the airport, staff will assist them at no extra charge.