Ryanair postpones the introduction of digital-only boarding passes

The Irish airline Ryanair is postponing the introduction of paperless boarding passes until this year's winter season. From the beginning of November, passengers will be forced to use digital boarding passes, for example with Ryanair's own app. Downloading and printing will then no longer be necessary. It was previously reported that Ryanair had already planned to take this step in May of this year, but the airline is now delaying this by six months.

Ryanair not only wants to simplify the check-in process, but also save over 300 tons of paper waste per year. This is likely to be part of this and other European airlines' goal of becoming CO₂-neutral by 2050. Almost exactly three years ago, Ryanair announced its intention to fly with biokerosene to achieve CO₂ neutrality.

At the same time, the fees for check-in at the airport will no longer apply. Until now, Ryanair has charged 30 or 55 euros per passenger, depending on the airport, if passengers do not check in digitally in advance and only do so at the counter. In future, passengers will be forced to check in digitally in advance online on their computer or using the Ryanair app.

Majority of passengers already use the Ryanair app

According to the airline, almost 80 percent of passengers already use the Ryanair app, meaning that only a relatively small proportion of passengers still use paper boarding passes. At the same time, the airline emphasizes the advantages of the app, as it provides passengers with real-time updates on flight information and any changes at the terminal or gate. They can also order drinks or food directly to their seats.

"By moving to 100% paperless boarding passes from November 2025, we can offer our customers an enhanced travel experience that will be optimized via the myRyanair app during our less busy winter schedule," explains Dara Brady, Ryanair's Head of Marketing. "This will be particularly useful for passengers in the event of disruption as it will provide real-time updates from our operations center directly to passengers' cell phones, as well as offering alternative flight options and transfers or hotel accommodation if required."

(fds)