How to Avoid Airport Fines: Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, and TUI Update Their Boarding Pass Rules.
With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to get ready for your flight. These days, having a smartphone is pretty much a must for any traveler, as airlines are moving away from traditional paper. However, every carrier has its own set of rules. If you don’t check them beforehand, you could face a lot of stress or a hefty fine at the airport. Here’s how the most popular airlines handle it.
Ryanair is all about smartphones (but there are exceptions)
At Ryanair, digital boarding passes are now the standard. Once you check in online, your pass goes straight into the airline’s app. You definitely want to keep this in mind, because Ryanair charges a lot if you need to check in at the airport.
However, there are two important things you should know:
If your phone dies or breaks down while you’re already at the airport, the staff will print your ticket for free.
If you’re flying to Morocco, the app won’t be enough. Local airports there still require paper, so after checking in online, you’ll need to pick up a physical printout at the airport.
Jet2 and TUI give passengers a choice
If you’re flying with Jet2 or TUI, you have a lot more flexibility. You can use your phone, but traditional paper works perfectly fine too.
Jet2 lets you store up to eight tickets in a single app, which is super convenient when traveling with family or friends. You can also download your ticket as a PDF—there’s no need to print it, you can just show the file on your screen. TUI, on the other hand, only reminds passengers that if they choose paper, the printout must be clean and uncreased so the scanner can easily read the code.
easyJet and the holiday destination trap
easyJet strongly encourages using their mobile app and adding your boarding passes to your phone’s digital wallet. This is great because the code works even without an internet connection.
However, you need to be careful about where you’re flying. If you’re heading to Turkey, Egypt, or Tunisia, some airports don’t accept mobile boarding passes. In those cases, you must have a classic paper printout. Also, keep in mind that easyJet won’t accept a standard PDF file on your screen—you either need to use the official app or print out the original document.
A quick tip to wrap up
Digital tickets are incredibly convenient, but as you can see, the rules aren’t the same everywhere. Before every flight, take a few minutes to check the requirements of your airline and your destination airport. It takes just a moment, but it can save you from a lot of stress and unwanted extra fees right before your holiday.
