As Ryanair prepares passengers for a move to digital-only boarding passes, it has sought to allay customer concerns over the end of paper printouts. From 3 November 2025, to board, passengers will be required to show their boarding passes on the Ryanair app on their smartphone.
According to the low-cost carrier, the change will keep prices down as it will “eliminate almost all check-in fees,” as well as reduce paper waste by an estimated 300 tonnes per year. An added convenience, the airline says, is the ability to push out “direct updates from Ryanair’s operations centre during disruption,” ensuring customers stay informed about their booking and flight.
A spokesperson for the airline answered fears about the impact of digitalisation on vulnerable customers, such as the older demographic, who can be less e-literate. “Passengers who don’t have a smartphone can ask a friend or family member to download the boarding pass for them,” the representative said, adding: ”Once a passenger is checked in, they will be provided assistance at the airport, where staff can see they have checked in.“
Meanwhile, CEO Michael O’Leary told The Independent’s travel podcast: “Between 85 and 90 per cent of passengers show up with smartphones. Almost 100 per cent of passengers have smartphones, and we want to move everybody onto that the smartphone technology.”
@cockpitking Ryanair is ditching paper boarding passes for good. Starting November 3, 2025, it’s app check-in only. No printouts. No airport desks. Just your phone. They say it’s to cut 300 tonnes of paper waste — But does it streamline travel… or tighten control? #Ryanair #AviationNews #DigitalBoardingPass #PaperlessTravel #AirlineTech #TravelUpdate #FlightCheckIn #EcoTravel #AirlinePolicy #Flying2025 #TravelTech #AvGeek #AirlineChanges #FlightTrends #WatchTillEnd #FactTok #ViralVideo #FYP #Trending #TikTokVideo #ExplorePage #TravelHacks #TravelTips #AirportLife #TravelSmart #FlyBetter #avgeeks #plane #planes #boeing #airbus #travel #holidays #news ♬ original sound – Cockpit King
Addressing questions around the shift, O’Leary said: “The big concern that people have is: “What happens if I lose my battery or what if I lose my phone?” Losing a phone would be “no issue” he explained. “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. But you have to have checked in before you got to the airport.”
He added: “If your battery dies or something happens, once you’ve checked in, we’ll have your sequence number anyway at the boarding gate, we’ll take you you’ll get on. So, nobody should worry about it.”
The crucial step, according to O’Leary, is “Just make sure you check in online before you get to the airport and then all will be fine.” Ryanair has long driven customers towards online processes by penalising those who wait until the airport before checking in with an extra fee, which at the time of writing is stated on the airline’s website as costing an extra €55, except in Austria, where it’s €40 and in Spain €30.
