Budget airline Ryanair is set to implement a major overhaul of its ticketing system starting on Monday (November 3). After this date, the airline will issue “100% Digital Boarding Passes” (DBP), while physical tickets will generally not be accepted at most airports.
Originally planned for May 2025, the move is to help “save approximately 300 tonnes of paper, eliminate airport check-in fees and allow passengers to get direct notifications on flights,” the airline said. However, the major change is expected to cause trouble for those who do not have mobile phones. According to a recent study by MoneySuperMarket, an incredible 2.06 million Brits over the age of 55 do not have a device – roughly 10% of the age group. With the new rule, customers are required to use the digital boarding pass created by the myRyanair app after they check in, raising the possibility of those aged 55 and above without a mobile phone being able to fly with the popular low-cost airline into question.
Earlier this year, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary stated that a large proportion of customers already use mobile phones and urged everyone to do so: “At the moment, between 85 and 90% of passengers show up with smartphones.
“Almost 100% of passengers have smartphones, and we want to move everybody onto that the smartphone technology.”
Mr O’Leary also previously spoke out about older people using technology, revealing that his 86-year-old mother uses the Ryanair app to travel after many accused the airline of ageism.
Campaigners representing older travellers have opposed the plans, calling it a “disgraceful move” and accusing the airline of putting profits above the needs of some of its customers. In response to the criticism, the 64-year-old CEO said he was “amazed by the outrage”.
“I’m old, and I travel from Ryanair on a very, very regular basis, and I use the Ryanair app – it is pretty simple, pretty easy to use.”
One major worry for passengers about the transition to paperless boarding is what happens if their phone dies or they lose it. However, Mr O’Leary told travellers it will not prevent them from boarding their flight.
“If you lose your phone, no issue. As long as you’ve checked in before you got to the airport, we’ll reissue a paper boarding pass at the airport free of charge,” he said on The Independent’s daily travel podcast.
Meanwhile, if the airport Wi-Fi is poor or the device has no mobile data, Ryanair confirmed that once passengers have completed online check-in, their DBP will remain accessible offline within the Ryanair App. However, its website guidance emphasises: “All Ryanair passengers will still receive email reminders to check in online 48 and 24 hours pre-departure.
“If any passenger arrives at airport but hasn’t checked in online (having ignored these reminders), they will still be required to pay the airport check-in fee.” This fee is currently set at £55 per passenger for most flights.