Ryanair has moved to 100% digital boarding passes from today, meaning that paperless boarding is official.
All passengers must check in online before arriving at airports.
They are no longer able to print a paper boarding pass. Instead they will get their boarding pass through the Ryanair app on their smartphone.
The airline said that 90% of its more than 206 million passengers already do this.
If a passenger does not have a smartphone, their battery dies, or their phone is lost – once they have checked in online – they can receive a boarding pass at an airport.
But if they arrive without checking in online, they will have to pay the airline’s check-in fee.
Ryanair said that paperless boarding will lower airport costs, adding that it will pass on the savings to customers through lower fares.
The airline also said that paperless boarding will make travel quicker and more environmentally friendly.
Age Action’s Head of Advocacy and Public Affairs said that Ryanair’s decision will affect many people who do not have the skills or cannot afford to do business online.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Camille Loftus said that many older people are “locked out” of digital services and “not considered at all”.
She explained: “One of the things that older people who have called us about this, and we’ve had lots of calls about this, is that flying is a stressful enough activity as it is.
“The workarounds that Ryanair are providing … require you to check in online. So again, you still need that capability, a computer, a phone, a tablet, an internet connection in order to do that,” she added.