Ryanair has issued a stark warning to passengers ahead of a strict new rule coming into effect - which may impact older passengers the most.
The low-cost airline has announced that, from November 3, all passengers will be made to carry digital boarding passes.
The new rule will mean that travellers will no longer be able to print off a physical copy of their boarding pass themselves to show at departure gates.
Customers will have to use the myRyanair app to access their digital boarding passes before they take off.
The low-cost airline has announced that from November 3, all passengers will be made to carry digital boarding passes
| PAMichael O'Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, told The Independent's 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.
"Almost 100 per cent of passengers have smartphones, and we want to move everybody onto that the smartphone technology."
The company has claimed the switch to digital is expected to save around 300 tonnes of paper annually.
Michael O'Leary, Group CEO of Ryanair, told the Independent Travel Podcast: 'We're getting rid of the paper boarding passes'
| PAThe move has sparked fears that older travellers will be impacted the most.
According to figures from Age UK, the age group with the lowest rates of smartphone usage are those aged 65 and over.
In 2024, 67 per cent of Britons from this category used a smartphone, compared to almost 100 per cent of younger people in the 16-24 age group.
Mr O'Leary said the switch was made to make "all travel documents accessible in one convenient place".
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The age group with the lowest rates of smartphone usage are those aged 65 and over
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However, the airline chief counselled: "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.
"Just make sure you check in online before you get to the airport and then all will be fine.
"We'll take you, you'll get on... So nobody should worry about it."
However, certain tourist destinations still require their passengers to bring a physical boarding pass with them.
Two popular holiday spots for Britons which have not made the digital switch are Morocco and Albania.
Mr O'Leary said that Ryanair had "reached an agreement" with Albania, resulting in the Balkan nation also going digital from March.
However, a similar solution has not been agreed with Morocco, which "still insists on paper", meaning customers will not be able to rely on digital passes in the north African country.
Under current rules, travellers who do not check-in online can face a fee of up to £55.