Airport Parking and Hotels, a leading UK airport parking specialist, has released a new report exploring how major global airlines are advancing toward paperless travel in 2025 and beyond.
The report evaluates key players, including Emirates, British Airways, easyJet, and Japan Airlines, comparing their approaches to digital transformation.
It underscores how these carriers are leveraging mobile apps, digital boarding passes, and other technologies to enhance passenger experiences and streamline operations, according to BREAKING travel news.
In March, Ryanair announced that from 3 November 2025, passengers will no longer be able to download and print physical boarding passes.
The airline will be the first airline, as far as known, to adopt a fully digital system—eliminating paper entirely from the check-in, boarding pass, and gate access process—as more airlines look to follow suit in the near future.
Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said, “Ryanair is Europe’s No.1 airline for choice, low fares, and customer service. This move to 100 per cent 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. This will be particularly useful to passengers during disruptions as it will facilitate real-time updates from our Ops Centre directly to passengers’ phones, and will also provide them with alternative flight options, and offer transfers or hotel accommodation options when necessary.”
With mobile check-ins, digital boarding passes, self-service bag drops, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven apps, air travel is rapidly going digital.
APH’s latest research however shows that while airlines like Ryanair are embracing a fully paperless model, most carriers continue to offer a hybrid approach to accommodate all types of travellers.
According to the report, many airlines, including Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, and Singapore Airlines, offer the convenience of online check-in while still providing complimentary printed boarding passes at the airport.
Meanwhile, carriers like Jet2 and easyJet promote the use of their mobile apps for managing travel but continue to accommodate passengers who prefer or require printed boarding passes.
When it comes to check-in options, all surveyed airlines support online check-in, and most offer self-service bag drops.
However, digital passport integration remains limited, largely constrained by government regulations rather than airline technology.
In exploring the use of emerging technologies AI, the research shows that some airlines are already embracing AI to enhance the passenger experience.
Qatar Airways launched Sama in 2024—a holographic AI avatar designed to assist travellers throughout their journey.
Similarly, Singapore Airlines offers an AI-powered assistant on its website to help customers with planning, booking, and managing their travel arrangements.
The Managing Director of Airport Parking and Hotels, Nick Caunter, said that while digital tools play a valuable role in enhancing the modern air travel experience—offering greater speed, convenience, and efficiency—a fully paperless approach carries the risk of digital exclusion, potentially leaving behind passengers who lack digital literacy, or reliable internet connectivity.
Caunter said, “Digital tools are a very helpful part of the modern air travel experience, but 100 per cent paperless risks “digital exclusion” for some. For those who don’t fully trust the smartphone experience and want to still travel with a paper option, this guide will help flyers choose the right airline for their needs.”
