No More Paper Boarding Passes?

Is this the beginning of the end for paper tickets?

It has been one month since Ryanair banned paper passes and forced all passengers to use digital passes through their app. No home-printing, no exceptions. You must use their app to board the plane.

Michael O'Leary, CEO of the Irish airline, reckons that if he can use the app, anyone can. He finds it slightly patronising, the idea that older passengers won't adopt mobile technology.

But why do it? The airline claims efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. And to be fair, concert tickets, museum tickets, and train tickets have all gone that way in the last few years. So it shouldn't come as a complete surprise.

But what happens if your phone battery dies or you lose it? Ryanair's policy is that you can get a printed pass only if your phone is lost or dead after you've already checked in. So the advice is simple: check in online via the app early, and take comfort knowing you have a backup option if things go sideways at the gate.

Will other airlines follow suit? For now, most major carriers strongly encourage digital boarding passes but still give passengers the flexibility to use a printed pass if they prefer. That flexibility is unlikely to disappear overnight.

But Ryanair has a history of being first, even when no one asked them to be.

Pictured above: Ryanair. Budget airfare, maximum character.