Controversial Ryanair rule change gets new date as passengers threaten to fly with other airlines

Passengers flying with Ryanair across the United Kingdom and Europe are breathing a sigh of relief after the Irish airline decided to delay a significant rule change set to come in.

Heading to the airport is a hectic experience no matter how many times you have done it. From making sure your bags aren't too heavy to remembering the passports and making sure you've no rogue liquids rattling around in your hand luggage, even if you're sure you've got everything you can't help but double and triple check.

Well, Ryanair decided earlier this year to get involved in the pre-flight checks, with CEO Michael O'Leary revealing his company's plans to move phase out one particular part of the process.

But it was one that annoyed quite a few passengers, with some of them threatening to fly with other airlines as a result of the move (should it come to fruition).

Ryanair changes are on the way (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

What does Ryanair want to introduce?

In January, Ryanair decided it wanted to remove all staffed check-in desks at airports.

The budget airline also wants to get rid of physical, paper boarding passes. And while this is something many already use when they fly with the airline, it was branded 'ridiculous' by some who threatened to take their business elsewhere to the likes of Jet2 or easyJet.

One travel expert, Eoghan Corry, labelled the move as one that could 'cause havoc' with a sizeable chunk of the Ryanair customer base still having physical passes. We're talking roughly 20 percent.

"When they say no more printed boarding passes, there is going to be havoc," Corry said.

O'Leary says the change is needed (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Has it gone down well?

Not with everyone. One person took to X (formerly Twitter) to write: "How will this affect the older generation who are not tech savvy?"

Another said: "And when airline systems are down? It’s a great idea until systems go down."

A third said it is potentially discriminatory against older people who don't have smartphones in their later stages of life.

And a fourth voice said that 'people should just boycott… not everyone has a smartphone or apps'.

Ryanair is saying goodbye to physical boarding passes... eventually (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Is Ryanair delaying the boarding pass change?

It is, with a new statement issued. But the change is still coming later this year.

The airline’s CMO, Dara Brady said: "This move to 100 percent paperless boarding passes from November 2025 will allow us to deliver an enhanced travel experience for customers, streamlined through the myRyanair app during our less busy Winter schedule.

"Like other ticket industries (concert, sports venues, rail, etc.) there has been a massive switch to using mobile, and with almost 80 percent of Ryanair customers already using the myRyanair app, it is time to transition the remaining passengers to digital, which will see them reduce their carbon footprint and receive a smoother and enhanced travel experience from November 2025 as Ryanair continues to grow to 300m passengers over the next decade."