Ryanair’s controversial boarding pass change is coming on November 12 — how it will affect you

Ryanair is no stranger to a controversy, from axing millions of seats to the UK’s most popular holiday destination (Spain), to chartering a new route into the world’s oldest conflict zone.

Even the news of a change to its hand luggage rules sent the internet into a frenzy.

But the airline’s latest move has been dubbed a ‘nightmare’, and if you’re flying anywhere this winter, it’s going to affect you.

Here’s everything you need to know to avoid stress at the gate.

What is the new Ryanair rule for boarding passes?

In the coming weeks, Ryanair passengers will no longer be able to use a printed boarding pass.

The Irish carrier is switching to digital – aka paperless – boarding passes, meaning the days of downloading and printing your ticket will soon be over.

Instead, you will need to use the digital version generated on the Ryanair app during check-in. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary claims between 85 and 90% of its 200 million annual customers are already doing so.

But for anyone who hasn’t made the move, this means you’ll have to check-in prior to your arrival at the airport to secure your boarding pass.

When will Ryanair stop using paper boarding passes?

The new system will launch on November 12, 2025.

That’s the official date given by the airline after it initially said the change would come on November 3. Ryanair CMO Dara Brady explained the airline settled in November 12 because it’s a quieter time for travel.

There are two exceptions to the rule, though.

The first is passengers flying to Albania. Authorities there have insisted passengers present paper passes until March 2026, after which they’ve agreed passes can be digital.

Morocco has the same paper pass policy as Albania, however it won’t be changing its rules to fit Ryanair’s paperless policy.

Michael O’Leary has confirmed the airline will make exceptions in this case and accept physical passes for flights to the African country.

What happens if you can’t get your Ryanair boarding pass on your phone?

O’Leary has sought to ease concerns surrounding the new policy, advising that there will be alternatives for passengers whose phones might have run out of battery or even been lost.

‘If you lose your phone, no issue. 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 told The Independent’s travel podcast.

‘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. Nobody should worry about it,’ he added.

It’s imperative that passengers avoid a last-minute check-in to make sure they’re guaranteed to board their flight.

How have Ryanair customers reacted?

Naturally, there have been concerns from passengers, many of whom are worried that the new policy will penalise people without smartphones – though Ryanair has advised those without smartphones to download their boarding pass using either a friend’s or family member’s device.

Over on X, formerly Twitter, @ThornieKate described it as ‘age discrimination,’ while @StayInRunswick added that it was ‘great if you still have a Nokia 3210 like my 75-year-old parents do.’

@JeniHooper said that it was a ‘nightmare’ to manage tech on her phone, as ‘age and slow visual processing make filling in online forms difficult.’

Likewise, following the announcement earlier this year, Metro readers wrote in with furious opinions on the plans, some of whom urged other flyers to boycott the airline in protest.

Youssef Ka wrote: ‘People should just boycott… Not everyone has a smartphone or apps…’, while Raymond Skinner added, ‘Just Boycott them, go easyJet, Jet2 instead.’

Dan James echoed: ‘Simple, don’t fly with them, they’re awful anyway’ and Andrew Kaye simply said, ‘I’d rather walk.’

However, plenty were pretty unfazed by the change, as for the majority who already use the app, it’ll make very little difference.

Abhaya Ferdo Fulgosi commented: ‘What seems to be the problem!? I haven’t had a paper pass in over five years!’

Ian Scott added: ‘Grow up, it’s so easy to use the app on your phone. Why should anyone want a paper boarding pass?’

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