Low-cost giant Ryanair has completed its long-planned switch to 100 percent digital boarding passes. From 12 November, passengers booking flights touching Germany receive only an electronic QR code via the myRyanair app or Apple/Google Wallet. Paper print-outs at airport kiosks now attract an on-the-spot ‘document re-issue’ fee of up to €55.
The carrier argues the move will speed boarding and save 250 tonnes of paper annually. Critics note that travellers without smartphones – including some older assignees, children and corporate guests on loaner devices – face exclusion or extra costs. Aviation consumer groups have raised accessibility concerns with the Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen (VZBV).
![Ryanair abolishes paper boarding passes – digital-only from 12 November]()
For mobility managers, the policy means ensuring employees install the app before travel and that company mobile-device-management settings allow barcode storage. Duty-of-care policies may need amending to cover fees incurred if a phone battery dies en route.
Airports in Germany report minimal first-day disruption, although Hamburg and Berlin noted longer customer-service queues as passengers sought clarification. Competing carriers such as Eurowings still offer free paper passes, creating a potential differentiator on key domestic business routes.
Tech-savvy travellers can add the Ryanair pass to their Apple Watch or Android Wear device. However, German federal police remind passengers that ID checks at the gate still require a physical passport or Personalausweis. The digital pass is not a travel document.
The carrier argues the move will speed boarding and save 250 tonnes of paper annually. Critics note that travellers without smartphones – including some older assignees, children and corporate guests on loaner devices – face exclusion or extra costs. Aviation consumer groups have raised accessibility concerns with the Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen (VZBV).
For mobility managers, the policy means ensuring employees install the app before travel and that company mobile-device-management settings allow barcode storage. Duty-of-care policies may need amending to cover fees incurred if a phone battery dies en route.
Airports in Germany report minimal first-day disruption, although Hamburg and Berlin noted longer customer-service queues as passengers sought clarification. Competing carriers such as Eurowings still offer free paper passes, creating a potential differentiator on key domestic business routes.
Tech-savvy travellers can add the Ryanair pass to their Apple Watch or Android Wear device. However, German federal police remind passengers that ID checks at the gate still require a physical passport or Personalausweis. The digital pass is not a travel document.
