Ryanair announces massive check-in overhaul - which could ground travelers without smartphones

CEO Michael O’Leary aims to make check-in entirely virtual, eliminating check-in desks by next year.

Ryanair will roll out an app that will require travelers to check-in for their flight from their phone, leaving customers without smartphones concerned about their ability to travel.

Currently, Ryanair passengers are strongly encouraged to check-in for their flight online, incurring a €55/£46 fee for checking in at the airport.

However, check-in may be moved online entirely in coming months, according to CEO Michael O’Leary. Passengers without smartphones may be out of luck if in-person check-in desks disappear, reports Dublin Live.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin yesterday, the Ryanair boss said: “We will get rid of ticket desks and then there's no reason to charge people for airport check-in.

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“We want to get rid of airport checks in the same way we got rid of bag [desks]. We are working towards from May 1 that everything will be done on the app, nothing will be done on paper anymore.

“It will probably be around April or May of next year, after Easter. I think from May next year it will be 100 percent the app.”

Mr O’Leary acknowledged his own hesitance regarding the change, but said the app would eliminate the number of workers needed in the airport and help reduce airfare costs.

He added: “I have been reluctant to go on the app because I am terrified to get on a flight without a piece of paper, but it works so well. [The app] tells you your gate and if there is a delay.

“The customers who want the piece of paper are the same demographic that when we first moved over to the internet they wouldn’t move over but were then the first ones to switch to the internet for cheaper airfares.”

Mr O’Leary said currently 60 percent of passengers are using the app, and he expects this figure to rise to 80 percent by the end of the year. By May, the app will be the only option for check-in.

The CEO allayed concerns about phones dying at the airport, saying: “If your battery dies we have your seat and your passport and we can do that at the boarding gates at the moment.

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“We sometimes do that if someone's phone doesn’t scan for some reason. Once we have the name and passport that's fine but everyone will be on the app.”

Mr O’Leary made headlines in August when he called for a two-alcoholic drink limit at airports, claiming Ryanair has experienced a “significant rise” of disruptive passengers.

He said: “When flights run late there are people in the bars sculling the pints, so we asked for a two-drink cap - you show your boarding pass and it’s stamped.

“We need to bring it back a little bit on the amount of drinking, I personally am fond of a drink but I don’t know why bars in airports are open at 7am, the normal pubs can’t open until 11am or 12am."

The boss said he was willing to implement the policy on Ryanair flights, claiming it would have a negligible impact on their bottom line. He added: “Would it cost us money? Not much. Our average flight time is 1 hour and 15 minutes, very few people buy and consume two alcoholic drinks in that time.

“And if they are misbehaving on our flights our cabin crew don’t serve them anyway.”

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