Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, is delaying a controversial change that will force passengers to download its mobile app and stop them from checking in for their flights at the airport.
Today, around 8 in 10 Ryanair passengers across Europe already use the airline’s mobile app via the Apple App Store and Google Play to check in for their flights, but the Dublin-based carrier is determined to bring that number up to 100%.
Ryanair first announced its intent to ‘migrate’ all passengers to its mobile app last November, arguing that the change would save 300 tonnes of paper annually by stopping passengers from printing their own boarding passes on a home printer or getting a paper boarding pass at the airport.
Of course, there are other benefits of making passengers have the Ryanair app downloaded on their phones, including the ability to purchase ancillary products like extra baggage and access the airline’s ‘order at seat’ service for onboard food and beverages.
In addition, Ryanair also says passengers will benefit from having access to ‘day of travel updates,’ along with live flight information.
Controversially, once Ryanair has switched to 100% paperless boarding passes, the airline will no longer allow passengers to check in for their flight at the airport.
Ryanair insists, however, that permanently sunsetting airport check-in will save passengers money as the airline currently charges up to €55 per passenger, per sector, for airport check-in.
The move to 100% paperless check-in was initially slated to take place this summer but on Wednesday, Ryanair said it was delaying the migration to November 2025. The airline did not provide a reason for the delay.
Commenting on the decision, Ryanair’s head of marketing, Dara Brady, said: “This move to 100% paperless boarding passes from November 2025 will allow us to deliver an enhanced travel experience for customers, streamlined through the myRyanair app during our less busy Winter schedule.”
Brady continued: “This will be particularly useful to passengers during disruptions as it will facilitate real-time updates from our Ops Centre directly to passengers’ phones, and will also provide them with alternative flight options, and offer transfers or hotel accommodation options when necessary.”
My guess is that they are getting negative feedback from people who either don’t have a mobile phone or choose not to do it this way and are trying to figure out how to do this with without the bad PR they are going to get.