Portuguese authorities have pushed back against Ryanair’s decision to ban paper boarding passes.
Europe’s biggest budget airline has said that passengers must present their boarding pass on the Ryanair app on a smartphone rather than printing out their boarding passes at home.
The airline says the move will mean “a much-improved customer experience for the last remaining passengers still using paper”.
In response, Portugal’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) has instructed the airline to accept printed documents, waive reissue fees and ensure that “no passenger is left behind” should their phone run out of battery.
In a statement seen by The Independent, ANAC confirmed it had reached out to the airline for “additional clarification” regarding the move.
“It appears that Ryanair intends to guarantee all passenger rights, including those of passengers with disabilities, reduced mobility or who do not have a smartphone or tablet,” it noted.
ANAC added that it had informed Ryanair that it must not prevent passengers with a confirmed flight reservation (and who have checked in) from boarding because they do not have a digital boarding pass, nor impose a fee for obtaining and using physical (paper) boarding passes.”
“ANAC will continue to monitor the situation, fulfilling its mission to ensure safety and compliance with the rights of air transport passengers,” it finished.
The announcement follows comments shared by Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary with The Independent’s travel correspondent, Simon Calder, last week.
“The big concern that people have is: what happens if I lose my battery or I lose my phone?” he said.
“If you lose your phone, no issue. As long as you’ve checked in before you get 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 get to the airport.
“Also, 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. So nobody should worry about it. Just make sure you check in online before you get to the airport, and then all will be fine.”
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