Airlines are ditching boarding passes and will be ‘gone from flights by 2030’
THE option to print out your boarding pass before a flight might soon be a thing of the past.
Experts have warned that airlines are ditching the physical passes, and they could be gone in the next five years.
Currently, holidaymakers are often offered a choice of having their boarding pass on their phone as a QR code, or printing it out.
Last year, Ryanair was the first airline to confirm that they would be scrapping physical boarding passes.
Hoping to be gone by May, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said: “We are working towards, from May 1, that everything will be done on the app, nothing will be done on paper any more.”
But start-up airline Riyadh Air’s chief executive Tony Douglas went one further and said even digital passes could one day be gone.
These will instead be replaced by biometric technology, such as iris and fingerprint checks, by 2030.
He also said they will role out a “digital-only” experience when they launch flights this summer.
He told the Telegraph: “What we’ve designed is something that’s got more in common with Uber and Amazon.”
He said this would make it easier to get refunds as well as make flight changes, something easily done by app which wasn’t a few years ago.
He said: “Look at how banking apps have evolved – five years ago, they were very basic, now, we do everything on the app.
“Ditto online shopping and home delivery – now, there’s a knock on the door four times a day.”
This was backed up by travel expert Paul Charles who said paperwork is “almost dead in aviation”.
He told the Mail Online: “We will also see the end of paper passports within ten years – as airports introduce eye and facial technology to check you are who you say you are.”
However, it also came with a warning of relying on technology too much.
He added: “But its up to airlines and airports to provide more charging facilities on the plane and at the airport as the downside is that phones run out of charge – and many travellers don’t have the ability to recharge their phone so easily.”
Some countries still require passengers to print out their passes, due to limited technology at the airport.
This includes holiday destinations such as Morocco, Turkey and Tirana in Albania.
And Ryanair passengers will be stung by a £55 fee if they forget to print it out when needed.
Passport Rules
Everything you need to know about passports
- Whether you need a passport to fly within the UK
- This is who can countersign a passport application
- How long a child’s first passport can last and cost
- A biometric passport explained
- How to renew a passport
- How to get fast-track passport renewal
- The new blue British passports explained
- Why passports come in four colours
Make sure to never post pictures of your boarding pass, as it could leave you open to hackers or people using your details.
And some boarding passes offer discounts in your holiday destination so make sure not to bin them either.