Airline tickets, once a cherished item sent through the post well before eagerly awaited vacations, were kept secure in a paper envelope until it was time to board. 

However, Ryanair’s announcement to discontinue physical tickets imminently signals the potential end of the paper boarding pass, as more airlines are predicted to embrace full digitalization in the ever-evolving travel sector.  

Beginning in November, the budget airline will cease issuing paper passes, instructing passengers to download digital versions onto their smartphones instead. 

This decision has been met with criticism from advocates for senior travelers, who denounce it as a ‘disgraceful move’ and accuse the airline of prioritizing profit over the convenience and accessibility of all customers.  

Organizations like Age UK and Silver Voices, which advocate for individuals over sixty, argue this shift will complicate travel for those lacking smartphone access or finding technology challenging. 

In a statement released Wednesday, Ryanair confirmed all boarding passes will go digital by November 12th, adjusting from the previously set date of November 3rd to accommodate school schedules post-half-term holiday. 

The move means passengers will no longer be able to download and print a copy of their boarding pass, and will instead have to use the digital boarding pass created by the myRyanair app after check-in.

Discussing the decision last month, Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary told Simon Calder’s Independent Travel Podcast: ‘We’re getting rid of the paper boarding passes. 

‘At the moment, between 85 and 90 per cent of passengers show up with smartphones,’ Mr O’Leary said.

‘Almost 100 per cent of passengers have smartphones, and we want to move everybody onto that the smartphone technology.’

The airline says the move to digital is expected to save 300 tonnes of paper every year. 

As the date nears for the transition though, campaigners have voiced concerns about the impact it will have on the four million people in the UK who have never accessed the internet and the millions more who don’t own a smartphone – Apple or Android – which is required to download digital passes. 

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, said Ryanair was putting profit before the needs of customers. 

He told The Telegraph: ‘It’s a disgraceful move. They are effectively saying they don’t want older people as passengers. There’s a strong argument to say that it’s discriminatory.’

Reed said the change would cause ‘chaos’ and questioned how the airline will react if a passenger arrives without the required digital pass. 

He said: ‘It’s also going to isolate older people from society, which is what businesses that go completely digital do.

‘I really would urge them to reconsider. I, for one, will not be flying with Ryanair, and I would urge other people to take the same action.’

The airline claims an all-digital approach will make travelling simpler, with ‘all travel documents accessible in one convenient place’.

Mr O’Leary said: ‘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 explained that even if a customer’s battery dies, as long as they have checked in the sequence number should still be available in Ryanair’s systems.

‘We’ll take you, you’ll get on,’ Mr O’Leary insisted. ‘So nobody should worry about it.’

He added: ‘Just make sure you check in online before you get to the airport and then all will be fine.’ 

However Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s Charity Director, said the airline had a duty of care to its passengers to ensure there’s an alternative process available.

Abrahams said: ‘There should always be an alternative way of booking and showing tickets that does not disadvantage those who aren’t online.’ 

Some destinations including Morocco and Albania still require passengers to print their boarding passes.

The airline says it has ‘reached agreement’ with Albania, meaning from March the country will also be digital.

Currently, passengers who check in at the airport instead of online face a fee of up to £55. 

It isn’t the only change coming to the budget airline, Mr O’Leary recently announced that Ryanair plans to increase staff bonuses for employees who catch passengers with oversized bags.

It comes after it was revealed staff working for the budget airline can make up to €80 (£68.98) a month just from enforcing the strict rules. Now, this cap is set to be scrapped and other changes are planned.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary shared he makes ‘absolutely no apology’ for catching people who are ‘scamming the system’.

He announced at a press conference in central London that he plans to raise incentives for gate staff who intercept passengers trying to bring oversized luggage onboard.

The bonuses are likely to be increased from €1.50 (£1.29) to €2.50 (£2.16) per bag from November.

Passengers travelling with Ryanair face strict luggage rules, with fees of up to £75 for putting an oversized bag in the hold if it is brought to the boarding gate.

Only one small bag which can fit under the seat in front is included in the lowest fares.

Mr O’Leary said: ‘I make absolutely no apology for it whatsoever. I want our ground handling people to be catching people who are scamming the system.’