RYANAIR BOSS MICHAEL O’Leary has defended the airline’s decision to switch to digital-only boarding from November, as concerns are raised about how the move will impact older people.

The airline said it will move to 100% digital boarding passes from 12 November, meaning passengers will no longer be able to download and print a physical paper boarding pass but will instead need to use the digital boarding pass generated in the Ryanair app.

Irish charity Age Action has warned that the change is “discriminatory against older people” and a form of digital exclusion, which is when services are available only to those who can use digital platforms.

The charity is calling on Ryanair to make an exception for older passengers, and allow them to continue to use printed boarding passes where needed.

‘Patronising’

Asked about the criticism, O’Leary said it is “patronising” to suggest older people will not migrate to digital boarding passes.

The 64-year-old said: “I’m old, and I travel from Ryanair on a very, very regular basis, and I use the Ryanair app, it is pretty simple, pretty easy to use.”

Camille Loftus, a spokesperson for Age Action, told The Journal that many older people don’t have smartphones and are not familiar with using apps, and will find this requirement very difficult to comply with.

She said the move will force older passengers to travel with other airlines, often at a greater cost, or prevent them from flying at all.

To travel with Ryanair, Loftus some older people may have to ask someone else for assistance, which raises safeguarding issues as they must share sensitive financial information.

“We are receiving a lot of calls from people who are very angry about this requirement, rightly recognising it as discriminatory against older people,” she said.

O’Leary said his 86-year-old mother uses the Ryanair app and claimed it was a “myth” that older people could not transition to changes in technology.

“The people who jump first on every seat sale we run are old people,” he said.

“If that’s the only way they can fly with Ryanair. They will just convert and move because that’s what they do.” 

He said “nobody would be cut off at the knees” and the airline would be “reasonably forgiving” of people showing up with paper boarding passes through Christmas and into January.

He added that the most important part about digital boarding is ensuring you have checked in online.

“The critical thing: If you’ve checked online before you get there and you lose your phone, we’ll have your name in the system.”

With additional reporting from PA.