Ryanair has confirmed that from November 3, passengers will no longer be able to use paper print-outs of boarding passes. Instead, all travellers must present their boarding pass via the Ryanair app on their smartphone.
CEO Michael O'Leary explained that the move will eliminate almost all airport check-in fees and allow direct updates from the airline's operations centre during disruption. The airline also estimates it will save 300 tonnes of paper annually.
Addressing concerns about battery failure or lost phones, Mr O'Leary assured passengers that if they have checked in online before arriving at the airport, they can get a free paper re-issue at the airport. He also noted that the boarding gate will have the sequence number for those who have checked in, so they will still be able to board.
Currently, Ryanair charges a £20 fee for re-issuing a boarding pass, but from November 3 this will be free. However, some countries like Morocco and Albania still require paper boarding passes. Mr O'Leary said an agreement with Albania will see them go digital from March, while Morocco continues to insist on paper, in which case Ryanair will accept paper passes.
Ryanair has long encouraged online check-in by imposing fees for airport check-in, currently up to €55 (£47) in most countries, with exceptions in Austria (€40) and Spain (€30).
