Ryanair have officially scrapped paper boarding passes, meaning everyone now needs to use a digital boarding pass instead. But what happens if you can’t access one?
Can You Get a Free Paper Boarding Pass With Ryanair?
Ryanair are now insisting that all passengers have to have a digital boarding pass. But what if your phone runs out of battery, or gets stolen on your trip?
Well Ryanair says they have a backup plan – and it won’t cost you any extra. But with their reputation for strictness and sneaky charges, how true is this in practice? I headed to the airport to find out.
What is a Digital Boarding Pass?
A digital boarding pass is the digital document you need to board your flight, with all your personal details and the details of your booking – like your seat number and any extras like luggage or speedy boarding.
You show it on your smart phone during the relevant security checks at the airport, and at the gate before you board the plane. You can save it to your phone, take a screenshot of it or access it via the airline’s app.
What if you’re not able to get a digital boarding pass?
There are a few reasons you may not be able to get a digital boarding pass for your flight. Perhaps you’ve lost your phone or the battery has died – or maybe you didn’t even have a smartphone in the first place!
Well the good news is that Ryanair have put a plan in place for this. It’s on their website, but here’s the top line:
- If you’ve already checked-in online, and your smartphone or tablet has been lost or dies, you will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport.
- If you lose your phone or it dies after airport security, your details are in their system and you will be assisted at the gate.
- If you don’t have a smartphone or tablet, you will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport, provided you’ve already checked-in online.
- Ryanair still have check-in and ticket desks at all airports.
How much does it cost to print a paper boarding pass with Ryanair?
As long as your reason for needing a paper boarding pass is one of those outlined above, then according to Ryanair – it’s completely free. This is as long as you’ve checked in online already.
I wanted to see what would really happen in this scenario, given Ryanair has such a reputation for being strict and slapping you with extra charges
So I decided to test things out.
My experience asking Ryanair for a paper boarding pass
On my way back from Porto in Portugal, I pretended that my phone had died so that I could see whether I would:
- Get given a paper boarding pass
- Get charged for it
I hope it’s obvious to say that I do not recommend you fabricating a scenario just so that you can get a paper boarding pass, as it will slow down not only yourself but your fellow passengers.
But I was doing this so I could create this guide for people who find themselves in a pickle.
In the queue
With only one person in the queue ahead of me at the check in desk, I thought this would be a quick thing to check but with a steady stream of passengers coming through an extra assistance queue, I ended up spending 20 minutes waiting!
By that time, a huge queue had formed behind me and so it’s fair to say, this is not something I would recommend doing if you can avoid it. Sorting out a digital boarding pass way ahead of time will save you so much time and hassle.
Whilst in the queue, I did have two staff members try and move me over to their self check in process but each time I explained that I was after a boarding pass because my phone had died. Both confirmed I was in the right place and to keep waiting.
At the desk
I explained that my phone was out of battery and was asked for my booking confirmation code. I said I didn’t have this, as I was interested to know what would happen next, and they asked if I had checked in online already. I said I had, and so she asked for my passport which after scanning, bought up my booking.
Then, the worker printed out my boarding pass, handed it over and sent me on my way.
And yep, it was free!
Did it work?
The paper boarding pass worked exactly as you’d expect at all the gates and so I continued on with my journey as normal.
Final thoughts
Because I had checked-in online already, I got my paper boarding pass without any fuss.
However if I hadn’t done that, I would have been charged a £55/€55 check in fee at the desk.
However, it is not something I would go out of my way to do again as it was such an added faff for my journey and the stress of waiting in a slow queue. I actually love the fact you can get a digital boarding pass all sorted on your phone after you check in online – it’s an easy thing to tick off on the to do list from home!
But overall, I am really happy that Ryanair have made this free option available for people who would otherwise be caught out. Just make sure you build in extra time to go and get one printed!
- Send a screenshot of your digital boarding pass to your travel companion
- Store it in your apple or google wallet, so it’s easy to pull up if you can’t get online
- Pack a fully-charged battery pack and cable in your hand luggage
- If your phone dies, stay calm - they say they’ll print you a paper boarding pass, and my test supports that
For more info about Ryanair’s digital boarding pass rules, read my guide below.
