Air traffic Ryanair forces passengers to go digital
The low-cost airline Ryanair is getting serious and wants to abolish the printed boarding pass. From Wednesday (November 12), passengers will have to have their tickets ready in electronic form when they want to board the plane.
06.11.2025, 05:19
SDA
CEO Michael O'Leary expects the changeover to cause minor teething problems, while German consumer advocates see initial grounds for legal action.
For inexperienced passengers in particular, the small piece of paper with their own name, QR code and seat number gives them the good feeling that nothing can go wrong when boarding. Even when the Irish airline first announced its new approach, there was criticism and protests in the UK. Won't this exclude people who are not technically gifted or Internet-averse from flying?
Consumer protection demands alternative
The Federation of German Consumer Organizations is calling for an alternative way for all travellers to be able to use any form of mobility. "Mobility must not be linked to the technical skills or the technical or actual possibilities of travelers. Individual groups must not be excluded," warns air passenger rights expert André Duderstaedt. If disabled people are affected, they have a good legal chance of claiming under the Equal Treatment Act.
Start postponed until the quiet fall
The company is trying to dispel any possible concerns and has postponed the launch, originally planned for May, until the quieter November. Instead of almost 20 million passengers (May 2025), only a good 13 million people are likely to travel with Irish in the cool autumn month. Possible problems can be solved more easily with fewer people at the airports. The company is expecting a record 207 million passengers in the current financial year.
Ryanair has announced its intention to become the world's first paperless airline. The electronic boarding passes could save more than 300 tons of waste per year, according to a press release. Competitors such as Easyjet, British Airways, Lufthansa and Condor, on the other hand, have so far given customers the choice between digital and analog boarding passes.
There is hardly any way around the app
The smartphone application "myRyanair" plays a central role in the digital strategy. In future, it will be the only way for customers to create a boarding pass in the electronic check-in process. The airline also wants to attract customers to the app who have booked their tickets on other portals. Without the small file on the smartphone, it is not even possible to enter the security area of an airport, let alone board an aircraft.
According to the airline, well over 80 percent of passengers already use modern technology. O'Leary is convinced that the vast majority of the remaining passengers also have a smartphone with them on their flights, but have not yet used it for boarding.
The main thing is to check in
However, even in the new system, the app is not mandatory for all travelers. For example, a main booker can show the electronic boarding passes for a group or forward them individually to the smartphones of their fellow travelers.
In an interview with the British newspaper "The Independent", the Ryanair boss promises all passengers free assistance at the airport, provided they are only checked in. "If the battery runs out or something happens, we'll have your sequence number at the gate after check-in anyway, and we'll get you on board. So nobody needs to worry." Passengers without a smartphone should ask friends or relatives to help them check in, a spokesperson for the company also advises.
Last resort at the counter
Those who ignore all warnings and repeated reminders to check in online may find a last and expensive resort at the airport in order to obtain a (printed) boarding pass and board the flight: "In this case, you must pay the check-in fee at the airport," notes the Ryanair website. Depending on the country of departure, this amounts to 30 (Spain), 40 (Austria) or 55 euros/pounds (other EU/UK countries) per passenger and route. At least the previous fee of 20 euros for reprinting an existing boarding pass will no longer apply.
"Not digital means more expensive"
Ryanair will not be completely paperless even after the boarding pass reform. In the opinion of consumer protection, the problematic principle already familiar from other areas such as rail cards or payment services applies to consumers: "Not digital means more expensive".
