Ryanair introduces major change that comes into effect from today

The policy will come into force today

Europe's largest airline has told passengers that they will go completely digital from today, Wednesday 12 November, and require all passengers to use digital boarding passes.

The rule change is expected to affect 2.06 million Brits over the age of 55, as per LBC.

This means that the budget airline will only be accepting passes issued through the airline's myRyanair app, something that has already been adapted by about 80% of passengers.

The change is set to save time and look after the environment too, reportedly saving "approximately 300 tonnes of paper" and "eliminate airport check-in fees and allow passengers to get direct notifications on flights.”

Those who fail to check in online before their flight will be charged £55. However, those who have checked in online but cannot access their boarding pass on their smart phone will receive it for free at the airport, whereas there was previously a £20 charge, per BBC.

Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, commented on the move: "Moving fully digital means a faster, smarter, and greener experience for passengers, whilst also providing easier access to a range of innovative in-app features, including ‘Order to Seat’, live flight information and direct updates during disruption.

"We look forward to delivering an enhanced travel experience for 100% of our customers, streamlined through our best-in-class myRyanair app.”

While the positives of this initiative are clear, there are, of course, some drawbacks which will mostly affect the older UK population.

According to MoneySuperMarket, there are 2.06 million Brits aged over 55 who do not own a mobile phone, making accessing digital tickets much harder.

Meanwhile, many people in the UK still rely on printed documents when travelling, preferring its physical form and permanence whereas devices can always be broken or run out of battery.

Alicia Hempsted, travel expert at MoneySuperMarket, said the rule change could prove problematic for some passengers.

“While in some senses this is great news when it comes to cutting down on unnecessary waste and avoiding check-in fees, having a strict no boarding card policy means travellers need to be prepared to go digital,” she told MailOnline.

Ryanair’s outspoken CEO Michael O’Leary has defended the move.

He said earlier this year: “At the moment, between 85 and 90 per cent of passengers show up with smartphones.

“Almost 100 per cent of passengers have smartphones, and we want to move everybody onto that smartphone technology.”

The CEO also refuted claims that the new change would discriminate against older people.

He said: “I’m old, and I travel with Ryanair on a very, very regular basis, and I use the Ryanair app, it is pretty simple, pretty easy to use.”

Speaking about older people not being able to adapt to new technology, O'Leary, 64, described the prejudice as a "myth".

He said: “Actually, what you find is the old people firstly just get their kids or grandkids to make bookings for them, and then pretty quickly they’re adopting it themselves.

“And it is slightly patronising, this notion that old people can’t and won’t move to mobile technology or to the apps.”