Many travellers prefer to download your boarding pass on their phone for convenience and to avoid the hassle of queuing at an airport kiosk or finding a printer. However, some passengers still find comfort in having a physical boarding pass. Ryanair's boss, Michael O'Leary, has announced that from May 2025, the airline will go fully digital and plans are underway to eliminate airport check-in desks completely.
This means the company will no longer accept printed boarding passes, requiring passengers to have their boarding passes ready for scanning on their phones. While this may frustrate those who are not tech-savvy, Ryanair states that 60% of its passengers already use digital boarding passes, with paper versions becoming less popular. Currently, Ryanair charges passengers a hefty £55 if they fail to check in and download their boarding passes before arriving at the airport.
This change could potentially remove any hidden fees. The rules vary for other carriers, but many are happy to accept both paper and digital boarding passes, so what are the rules for some of the UK's most popular airlines? TUI's boarding pass rules depend on whether you're flying with them or another airline. Online check-in is available for all TUI customers travelling on TUI flights (those with flight numbers beginning with TOM).
If you've booked through TUI but are flying with a different airline, you'll need to check that specific airline's website for their boarding pass rules. On the TUI website.
