Ryanair will no longer accept printed boarding passes ...

TomSweeney

I got this email from Ryanair.

From 12 November 2025, we will no longer accept printed boarding passes. You must download the Ryanair App to access your digital boarding pass.

Why though ? surely a QR/Barcode that can be scanned should be fine ? are they doing this in the hope that % wise some phones will crash/run out of battery and give them an excuse to charge €30 or whatever the checkin charge is ??

Surely there is some sort of EU rules barring this, also what about people that don't have smart phones - I still know some people that don't.

Cyclingtourist

I have their app on my phone but most times print off the boarding 'card' for outgoing and return flights because I'm of that older age group that doesn't trust anything I can't see and feel.

I don't really know why they're doing it.

the_amazing_raisin

Simple, the app allows them to gather analytics and sell that to advertisers for more revenue

Cyclingtourist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123906982#Comment_123906982

I get that but I already have the app and have an account with them that I use when booking online, the only difference is I like to print off the boarding info page with the QR code. They have all the analytics they need on me to sell to advertisers.

Marcusm

MOL has made it clear that boarding passes will be printed free of charge at the airports for those without smartphones but they will have had to have checked in online in advance. It seems to be a push for 100% online check in.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123906982#Comment_123906982

Thats it in a nutshell. The app allows them to gather user behaviour and preferences.

Why would there be an EU directive against it? If you dont want to use it then don't.

gipi

It stops 3rd party sellers (not approved by Ryanair) selling Ryanair flights as they can't provide boarding passes to customers.

trellheim

There is recently far more chat about them overbooking ( much more so than would be expected via 738 vs Max swaps at last minute).

Is anyone aware of them actually overbooking ? Their policy still states they don't but I dont think these two things are unrelated.

john boye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907036#Comment_123907036

I was on a Ryanair 738 flight a few years and at the gate I saw on the screen that there were 194 bookings but only 151 had checked in. So they do overbook (on some routes, at least) and with those numbers you can see why.

Cyclingtourist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907036#Comment_123907036

I've never been refused boarding but then I'm the type who arrives at the airport a full 2hrs+ before departure.

Not saying overbooking doesn't happen but just never experienced it myself.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907002#Comment_123907002

Must be this. I was trying to think if there was any practical reason, but the barcode reader is going to be the same regardless.

I work in IT, and because I know how technology has a knack of failing at the exact moment you need it, I will as a habit always print out a boarding pass for any given flight. I do have the Airline apps, and I could just use them, but being an IT Guy I always have it in the back of my head that Murphy's Law would strike my smartphone down the very moment I needed it. Be it a bad update that corrupts the app, or an old battery that stuggles to hold charge (especially when it needs to roam for new GSM networks overseas), there's plenty of scenarios playing in my head that leads me to carry a low-tech printed boarding card despite me using apps for damn near everything else. At least the peace of paper will always work, and won't kick me out of the app because of password shanigans, or run out of battery. It's sort of a way to have peace of mind while flying.

That all said, I am soon about to fly with KLM and have learned that they are also pushing people away from using paper boarding passes. I am being encourged to use just their app, and for the first time in ages I going to go fully digital for a flight. KLM claim it is for enviromental reasons, which might be true but it might also be them trying to do away with ticket printing at the checkins. That might save some cash.

I'm going to guess this is also part of Ryanair's thinking. The cynic in me however finds me i wonding if Tom in the OP is onto something with Ryanair hoping to take advantage of adding surcharges for people who struggle with presenting the app to to tech problems.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907054#Comment_123907054

I also work in IT. As a backup I always put my QR code onto my kindle, because it has a battery life of practically a century and can be read by the scanners.

It's not just Ryanair though. SuperValu, Tesco, Dunnes, all "require" you to use their app or their club card. The reason is so they can easily track what people are spending money on and so they can offer more of those things.

Call me dystopian if you wish, but I suspect we are not far away from dynamic pricing based on data analytics. "Hmm, Lambshank buys 20 eggs every week, so we are going to give him a new custom price of 20 cents more than the person next to him in the queue"

LiamaDelta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907036#Comment_123907036

They do overbook yes, usually on the multiple daily frequency flights where its easy to move people if needs be. These are also the flights that have some very cheap early fares so they can be reasonably sure that a few people that booked at €10 likely will not turn up.

LiamaDelta

To be fair to KLM you don't have to use their app, they will send your boarding pass to you on whatsapp or messenger if you want after checking in. But certainly the Ryanair and other airlines push to use the app is primarily for data collection purposes. The live functions on their app are very good though such as gate changes and boarding info so at least your're getting some benefit also. Ryanairs ordering to the seat is excellent too.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907141#Comment_123907141

We knew the busiest routes were being overbooked before the first Max was delivered - there was a photo of a check-in system showing significantly >190 booked on a DUB-LPL flight as well as occasional stories of people being refused boarding. The website lying is not unexpected with Ryanair!

TomSweeney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907002#Comment_123907002

No my issue is if I check in online, have the app and boarding pass but then my phone crashes , I need to fork out €30 for check in … once I am checked in with the app etc, so what if they scan the qr code from my phone or a piece of paper..

DoctorEdgeWild

Ryanair are pretty adamant that they don't overbook. I fly 50+ a year with them (my work is spread between Ireland and England) and I've never seen overbooking personally. I've seen a change of equipment once or twice though but not sure what the outcome was, or if people were offered some kind of compensation.

I don't mind the switch to all digital in this case, haven't had a paper pass in many years but I understand why people like the security of a back up.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907178#Comment_123907178

I would have thought the chances of your phone crashing is a lot less than losing (or forgetting) a printed boarding pass.

I travel at least once a month; haven't used a printed pass in over 10 years and have never had an issue.

mgbgt1978

I always take a screenshot of my boarding pass on the phone. Just in case the net/WiFi is down . It still looks the same as the App version obviously, and always scans fine.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907259#Comment_123907259

If you have a smartphone, just put the pass in your wallet and you won't need any network coverage.

LambshankRedemption

I travel with Ryanair alot and I am putting this as delicately as I can… many of their passengers are not seasoned travellers. If you read the rules and obey them, 99% of the time things end up fine. *

Part of this move is for data acquisition, but part of it is also a very subtle way of saying "If you do not have the wherewithal to use our app, maybe you should consider another airline?"

daheff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058426729/ryanair-will-no-longer-accept-printed-boarding-passes

more likely that you have to open the app regularly and it can harvest your data for selling.

Noxegon

I've had to turn notifications off on the app because it keeps sending me marketing messages otherwise. That may be part of it too.

Banzai600

this is petty yet again of ryanair. another like it or lump it approach to their "customers".

as someone illuded to - a qr / bar code on a piece of paper is as good as bar / qr code on a ph, so its bullsh1t.

its pretty easy to loose a phone / damage it, or it can crash etc, so that argument about its being fails safe doesnt fly - pardon the pun.

this could be another ryanair pre-cursor to corner ppl into paying more money down the line when they change something else in their t&c's that meets end to end with this decision ?

delete your app while you aint using it, thats if you have no choice but to fly with them.

freiteg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123906982#Comment_123906982

Very much this. The app currently sends data to a number of companies as well as being granted a lot of permission on the phone its self

https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.ryanair.cheapflights/latest/

blinking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907178#Comment_123907178

Not anymore, the boarding pass reissue fee is now €0 at the airport since these changes.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123908169#Comment_123908169

I'm using Adguard DNS at the moment, it should block all those trackers although I haven't verified it

You can set your DNS server to dns.adguard-dns.com to enable it

freiteg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123908209#Comment_123908209

We can, most won't.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123908198#Comment_123908198

I wonder will people start requesting boarding passes for every flight just to be a nuisance. I might try that myself 😁

trellheim

there is some manner of ridiculous comments above. You can check in online on the website , get your boarding passes and add them to the wallet without ever going to the mobile app.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907264#Comment_123907264

Kinda screwed if your phone dies though. I can't wait to see someone holding up the queue asking the gate staff for a phone charger so they can show their ticket