Why you should always print your boarding pass, travel expert warns
These days, it feels like the only people who carry a physical, printed boarding pass are people over 70, and those who want to use it to stick in their scrapbook.
Now that boarding passes can be accessed digitally, with the click of a button on our phones, their printed counterparts have become a thing of the past.
However, some savvy travellers are adamant that we really need to be printing out our tickets, every single time we travel.
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Boarding passes do make great souvenirs. Getty Images/iStockphoto
US-based writer Katie Jackson has made a compelling argument for the humble paper boarding pass.
In an article for Travel + Leisure, she lays out all the reasons why these relics of the past are actually still very much relevant today.
"While scanning a QR code on your phone is convenient and eco-friendly, it's far from foolproof," she writes.
First of all, what happens if your phone dies?
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There's no dout that digital boarding passes are easier. Getty
We've all been in the situation where we're wandering around an airport, drained smartphone in hand, searching high and low in vain for an available power point.
Imagine if your phone actually runs out of battery and you're unable to access your boarding pass, and you hold up everyone in line behind you while trying to get on the flight.
Another horror scenario that Katie lays out is the chance that you could lose service or Wi-Fi. Phone reception is spotty in airports at the best of times, especially if you're overseas and roaming.
That could be an issue if the pass isn't in your Apple Wallet.
Also, Katie writes, the airline app could glitch.
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It's a good idea to have a printed version, in case something goes wrong. Getty
"I just dealt with this in Italy two days ago," travel advisor Rebekah Ingraham tells T+L.
"We were on a tight connection through Paris, and my mobile boarding pass kept switching from available to not available on the airline's app."
Finally, having a printed ticket could help you in the future if something goes wrong.
The printed-out version "often includes your ticket number - which you may need if you have to call the airline to request a refund. The mobile boarding pass typically only includes your confirmation number," writes Katie.
Some airlines are getting rid of paper tickets and boarding passes, though.
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Some airlines are phasing out physical tickets. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Budget airline Ryanair has gone paperless - all passengers must use digital boarding passes issued through its app.
According to the airline, one of the main reasons behind the change is environmental, with a saving of over 300 tonnes in paper waste each year. The airline says 80 per cent of its 200 million passengers already use digital boarding passes.
World's first document-free airport
Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport could become the world's first document-free airport.
Its Smart Travel Project aims to install biometric sensors in every identification checkpoint of the airport, from check-in counters to immigration booths, duty-free tills, airline lounges and boarding gates.
In Abu Dhabi, the technology is already in use at certain sections of the airport. Supplied
This would mean travellers don't need a physical passport, ID or ticket to travel.
"Passengers are automatically recognised and authenticated as they move through the airport, significantly speeding up the entire process," says Andrew Murphy, the chief information officer at Abu Dhabi Airport.
Murphy says that the purpose is to ease the flow of passengers, making transit much quicker. The initial implementation has proven the case, so far.
