Thanks to modern technology we can do almost anything on a smart phone. From finding our way with Google Maps through to paying for groceries, it all happens on our device. Airlines do the same, allowing you to check-in online and issue a mobile boarding pass.
These are all fairly similar as there appears to be an agreed standard. It’s the same with physical boarding cards, they also have a similar format with agreed pieces of information contained on them. Which are better?
Mobile Boarding Passes
I do like having a mobile boarding pass. It’s convenient to have it in your phone to scan at the gate. All the designs have the QR code at the bottom, but the airlines do brand them differently.
Physical Boarding Passes
Airlines have been giving out boarding cards for years and years. These are a decent size, fit well into a Passport and have a little tear off part on the right. Sometimes you get to keep that piece, sometimes the airline keeps that – it varies from carrier to carrier.
Overall Thoughts
When it comes to mobile boarding passes or their card version, I like them both. Each one has the same function and I find them as convenient as each other.
At a push, I would probably choose the ones I can store on my phone. It just saves having an extra piece of paper to deal with when travelling.
What say you? Are you team mobile or team card? Why? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
Like planes? See my “Does anyone remember” series.
Flight reviews your thing? Mine are all indexed here.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Some airlines charge for a physical pass. I chose mobile tickets every time
I’m only physical paper copy. Cell phones can be dropped, broken, battery dead, etc. etc. I also believe that if a “vendor” (airline, doctor, inside the bank use, etc.) wants or requires you to use YOUR OWN equipment to do the vendor’s business, then the vendor should compensate you, rent the use of your equipment, because you are saving the vendor a capital purchase from having to program existing equipment of its own or to buy new equipment. I feel that any vendor that wants the use of my equipment to do its business owes me rental income. However, we’ve slide down the slippery slope that its “easy” for us to do this, so we do it – increasing the vendor’s profit. In 2024 I flew to all 6 Continents using paper boarding passes with no problem. You don’t need to use your phone, nor should you be required to, nor should you be charged a fee for a paper boarding pass.
I actually like both boarding passes. I like to have a mobile boarding pass on my smartphone and a physical printed boarding pass in my briefcase as a back up in case my phone does not work or loses power. You never know. Anything can happen to electronic equipment
Someone else said the same thing elsewhere, but their reason was that they didn’t like random people handling their mobile phone from a hygiene perspective. Thanks for the comment!