Photo Credit: Getty Images
To boost travel efficiency and lower costs, Ryanair is implementing a "100% digital boarding pass" policy, effective Wednesday. The move means the budget airline will no longer accept printed boarding passes, requiring all passengers to check in online prior to arriving at the airport. Ryanair noted that this change formalizes a practice already adopted by 90% of its 206 million customers.
Some campaign groups have raised concerns about how the change will affect people who do not have access to the internet.
A recent report by communications watchdog Ofcom found 5% of people in the UK do not have internet access at home - including via a mobile device.
Peggy-Ann Munroe, 94, from Suffolk, said she frequently travels with Ryanair to visit her daughter in Italy and had found the airline's digital move "depressing". She said she was worried about adding extra travel time on top of the two hours already needed before her flight, as well as navigating an unfamiliar system in a country where she cannot speak the language.
Those who fail to check in online ahead of their flight will have to pay an airport check-in fee of up to £55, the airline confirmed.
However, customers who have checked in online but cannot access their boarding pass on their smart phone will be able to receive it for free at the airport - previously there was a £20 charge.
Ryanair has said the change will make things more efficient and lower flight costs for customers, as well as being environmentally friendly.
Despite the change, the company will continue to have check-in desks at airports.
With the exception of Morocco, which still requires a paper boarding pass, the change will apply across Ryanair's entire operation. Passengers travelling to Morocco will still be able to collect boarding passes at the airport.
