Emirates is going digital in a major way, and I’m not sure how passengers will respond.
In this post:
Emirates will require most passengers to use mobile boarding passes
As of May 15, 2023, Emirates will require most passengers departing Dubai International Airport (DXB) to use a mobile boarding pass instead of a printed paper version. The airline describes this as “taking a step forward in its drive to offer customers the convenience and assurance of digitally enabled travel journeys.”
Emirates states that this will significantly reduce paper waste, while offering a convenient and speedy digitized check-in experience. Furthermore, Emirates claims that this will reduce the risk of a lost or misplaced boarding pass, “giving passengers peace of mind when traveling.”
Going forward, passengers checking in at Terminal 3 will receive their mobile boarding pass via email or SMS. Similarly, baggage receipts will be emailed directly to passengers, and will be available via Emirates’ app.
The only passengers who will continue to receive printed boarding passes are those traveling with infants, unaccompanied minors, passengers requiring special assistance, passengers with onward flights on other airlines, and all passengers traveling on flights to the United States.
The option to print a boarding pass will be available by request from an Emirates agent at check-in counters, but only if a passenger doesn’t have a mobile device, or if they are unable to access the information on their devices for reasons such as low battery power, a system breakdown or glitch, message delivery delay, or inability to access Wi-Fi or a data package.
I’m skeptical that this will prove successful
Presumably Emirates’ motive for this change is threefold:
- This reduces paper waste, which is good for the environment and saves Emirates money
- If more people check-in online before arriving at the airport, over time staffing can be reduced at check-in
- Getting passengers onto the Emirates app creates all kinds of additional monetization opportunities, from getting passengers to sign-up for Emirates Skywards, to getting them to purchase an upgrade or other ancillary service
While I can appreciate that airlines want more passengers to check-in online, I think Emirates might struggle with this more than the average carrier. Emirates has an incredibly diverse customer base, with many passengers who may not be particularly tech savvy, and also many passengers who may not have international data in Dubai.
I feel like for many passengers, requiring digital boarding passes could slow things down significantly:
- Many passengers will be confused when they get to the check-in counter and are then told that they should retrieve their boarding pass digitally; for some people this will take just a second, while for others I feel like it will take quite some time
- It’s kind of an odd customer service interaction to tell a passenger that you can’t print a boarding pass for them, and that they need to use a mobile boarding pass
- I feel like mobile boarding passes slow down boarding, since many passengers have to fumble to get to the right page
While I embrace most things being digital, personally I’m still a fan of paper boarding passes. It’s not even because I’m an avgeek and sometimes like to keep them, but I also just find them easier to use, especially given how often you sometimes have to show your boarding pass.
This initiative reminds me a little bit of how Alaska is eliminating check-in kiosks, with the similar goal of trying to get as many people as possible to check-in online. That’s a bit different, admittedly, since the airline still offers to print paper boarding passes, but won’t make it as easy.
Bottom line
As of May 15, Emirates is phasing out paper boarding passes at Dubai Airport. Passengers will be directed to access digital boarding passes, unless they’re having phone issues, or otherwise fit into one of several categories.
While it theoretically makes perfect sense for airlines to want more people to use mobile boarding passes, logistically I feel like this could be a struggle. That’s especially true at Emirates, where everyone is traveling internationally, not everyone has international data, and many passengers aren’t very tech savvy.
I’m curious to see how this experiment goes, and if it ends up being expanded to other airports.
What do you make of Emirates cutting paper boarding passes?
Ahhhh so I often have a problem connecting to DXB wifi... so I have to use superexpensive roaming data just to save a piece of paper? Bad move, Emirates...
"The only passengers who will continue to receive printed boarding passes are those traveling with infants...
and ALL [emphasis added] passengers traveling on flights to the United States."
Once again, the exceptional nation in all things travel.
Interesting to read.
In practice, anyone asking for a printed boarding pass will get one. Guaranteed.
I agree with the comments about boarding. In my estimation the time it takes to scan a digital boarding pass is anything from 2x to 3x of a paper boarding pass. When something goes wrong (and it will, multiple times, when you are boarding an A380) - it becomes a major bottleneck.
My reading of this is that it is more of a PR exercise than anything else.
it would be good if Emerites offer printed boarding passes to people who ask for these print-outs
They should instead lower there fare of almost 5k West Africa to Dubai.
It is a rip off.
Most the African passengers can not read or write.
Good luck asking them to retrieve boarding pass digitally!
Can you imagine the back up with people carrying a flight bag and duty free. Trying to keep refreshing the page would be hell!
I think it is a bad move but mainly for security reasons. Depending on the country, I've been asked to show the boarding pass for the flight I just came in on. This is much easier to do with a paper boarding pass, but handing over a digital boarding pass, one that could disappear after the flight if you don't save it, could be problematic as you are handing over your whole phone to the...
I think it is a bad move but mainly for security reasons. Depending on the country, I've been asked to show the boarding pass for the flight I just came in on. This is much easier to do with a paper boarding pass, but handing over a digital boarding pass, one that could disappear after the flight if you don't save it, could be problematic as you are handing over your whole phone to the immigration officer. I think Samsung and Apple phones have a way to only show one screen and needing a password to change the screen, but it still isn't ideal as the officer could then hold on to your phone. It's rare but it does happen.
While I use digital boarding passes, for international flights (which is all the EK does) I always get a paper boarding pass as a back up for this reason.
This is a garbage idea.
If they want a boarding pass on a mobile only, dont expect to be allowed to touch my phone.
Not a good idea ,I definitely will have problems without a paper pass ,I’m a senior person and usually travel international with Emirates ,so not happy
It’s a good idea but the elderly will have issues . Also agents at airports might want to handle your mobile device, which is not the best of choices
This is a bad idea.
I wonder what the real savings will be. People will waste more time. Staff will need to show people how to get their boarding passes. It is not necessarily the case that they will need less staff. Middle East based carriers pride themselves on service. Many people sill prefer paper boarding cards.
This decision is inappropriate & will cause problems & delays & stress for fare-payimg passengers.....why would Emirates want to inconvenience their supposedly valued older passengers like myself?
Lost all respect for Emirates management.
Stupid short sighted decision.
Just happened to me: I checked in early (number 00x), chose an aisle seat, board and find someone at my seat. He produces a boarding pass for exactly the seat. Flight attendant checks tablet and confirms I am now in the window seat of the same row.
(Interestingly he had exactly the same status as me and was one of the last to check in.)
Thanks to my paper boarding pass the flight attendant...
Just happened to me: I checked in early (number 00x), chose an aisle seat, board and find someone at my seat. He produces a boarding pass for exactly the seat. Flight attendant checks tablet and confirms I am now in the window seat of the same row.
(Interestingly he had exactly the same status as me and was one of the last to check in.)
Thanks to my paper boarding pass the flight attendant assigned me an aisle seat elsewhere instead of insisting I take my "selected" seat.
LOL: giving "customers the convenience and assurance of digitally enabled travel journeys"
You know what gives me convenience and assurance? A paper printed boarding pass that isn't dependent upon phone battery and connection. A paper printed boarding pass that doesn't require me to refresh the screen to keep it from going to sleep. A paper boarding pass that doesn't require me to pull my phone out from my bag/pocket when I'm standing in a crowed...
LOL: giving "customers the convenience and assurance of digitally enabled travel journeys"
You know what gives me convenience and assurance? A paper printed boarding pass that isn't dependent upon phone battery and connection. A paper printed boarding pass that doesn't require me to refresh the screen to keep it from going to sleep. A paper boarding pass that doesn't require me to pull my phone out from my bag/pocket when I'm standing in a crowed boarding line or security line being jostled by other passengers, their bags, and mine. A paper boarding pass that doesn't rely on the app functioning as expected. A paper boarding pass that I can stick in my shirt or jacket pocket and not have to worry about damaging.
Heck - most of the time when I'm on a connection at an international hub between flights, I don't even turn my phone on.
I've flown probably more than 1000 flights in last 15 years of regular travel. How many times have I misplaced a boarding pass? Several, even numerous. How many times have a missed a flight or stressed out because I lost my boarding pass: O. They aren't a precious commodity. They can be easily reprinted. If the airline deigns to allow that anyway.
Ridiculous.
This will be a car crash, long lines at check-in, slower boarding, frustrated customers and over-stressed staff. It is a utterly stupid idea to cut costs nothing more and will cause way more issues then it solves. I personally want a paper boarding pass or the option to have one without being questioned instead of relying on technology which does not always work. It also will not help the environment whatsoever when aviation is hardly...
This will be a car crash, long lines at check-in, slower boarding, frustrated customers and over-stressed staff. It is a utterly stupid idea to cut costs nothing more and will cause way more issues then it solves. I personally want a paper boarding pass or the option to have one without being questioned instead of relying on technology which does not always work. It also will not help the environment whatsoever when aviation is hardly polluting as it is .paper has been around for centuries.
I absolutely think this is a stupid plan and would be a consideration to choose another airline over Emirates they are not a LCC and should stop acting like one
We are not at an Era when everyone has internet everywhere. As a carrier who primarily flies international, at least half of their customers are not in an area where they are from or have internet access. Add to that the countries all have different laws and regulations. In a lot of places you are banned from cel phones in regions like immigration halls where you may need to show your boarding pass. many airlines lov us to go digital to save them money which it really does not , but if you need to dispute something with them airline later on the airline goes back to the old-school method they always want a copy of the boarding pass as "proof". God forbid the airline relies on their records that show you took the flight...you need to prove it with a boarding pass.
Before doing that they need to improve the smart gates handling of mobile boarding passes
I’ve travelled twice to Dubai this year - both times no issue entering via the smart gates , both times leaving Dubai the smart gates recognized me but couldn’t read the boarding pass on my phone and after queueing for ten minutes to go through the smart gates I was sent to the back of the queue for the...
Before doing that they need to improve the smart gates handling of mobile boarding passes
I’ve travelled twice to Dubai this year - both times no issue entering via the smart gates , both times leaving Dubai the smart gates recognized me but couldn’t read the boarding pass on my phone and after queueing for ten minutes to go through the smart gates I was sent to the back of the queue for the immigration agents …… so until the smart gates are better at reading mobile boarding passes they should maybe hold back a bit
This decision is bad and will cause tremendous problems for both the airline and the customers. What about, your phone get lost or stolen in transit of another foreign country, couple with not having access data, wifi and phone battery dead?
They are not doing this to save the planet but to save money for themselves. This will be a big crash and will slow things down. Let it be an option that's left open for customers to choose.
More airlines will be going this route. We've seen Alaska taking the lead on this already.
Why even have a paper boarding pass? In the US TSA is shifting to ID based check without a boarding pass.
This is a simplification of the process, and checking in early via a digital channel helps identify potential challenges before you get to the airport.
This also simplifies the the kiosk, you no longer need to devote effort...
More airlines will be going this route. We've seen Alaska taking the lead on this already.
Why even have a paper boarding pass? In the US TSA is shifting to ID based check without a boarding pass.
This is a simplification of the process, and checking in early via a digital channel helps identify potential challenges before you get to the airport.
This also simplifies the the kiosk, you no longer need to devote effort and support for the BP process. This eliminates the need for a ticket printer as well.
With E-Bag Tags, you will also be able to simplify the baggage process (this will take longer)
Soon, all you may need to board is your ID. This not only simplifies the process, it makes it more secure than today, because once thru security, I can swap boarding passes with someone and get on their flight.
No they will not no airline that cares about it's customers will go down this ridiculous cost cutting route by screwing people over and forcing them into doing something. Why not just stop this ridiculous notion of everything must be on line and allow people the choice either digital or paper it is not hard. A paper boarding pass is the only type accepted in many airports worldwide and will for years mainly due to...
No they will not no airline that cares about it's customers will go down this ridiculous cost cutting route by screwing people over and forcing them into doing something. Why not just stop this ridiculous notion of everything must be on line and allow people the choice either digital or paper it is not hard. A paper boarding pass is the only type accepted in many airports worldwide and will for years mainly due to tech issues and I went to the USA last year and needed both ID and a boarding pass . It complicates things massively and does not fix issues rather it can create them if the tech goes down. Again money saving at customer expense seldom works and people want a actual bag tag so they can keep a eye on their bag. Stop expecting everyone to do it all themselves a BP is always going to be needed for many reasons and support is needed for that always will be . It is not more secure having no boarding passes quite the opposite as both are checked to ensure they match up hence reducing any risk . Skimping on things never works out and it will be a disaster and teach Emirates a lesson . It is a stupid non thought decision
Mike, not everyone has a smart phone.
In my country, our company auditors require paper boarding passes as it's proof you took the flight. People were buying refundable tickets, applying for reimbursement from company, then getting a refund on the ticket. It's also a way for company owners to get money out of the company tax free.
I have plenty of tech, TMobile data, but the last thing I want to do while boarding with my carry-on luggage is to pull out a $1000 smartphone with people bumping all around me especially in airports far from home. There are no consequences to a piece of paper falling to the ground. I cannot say the same thing about a smart phone no matter how well protected.
Get a lanyard.
remember when southwest got rid of plastic boarding passes?
We fly withemirate often. If they insist that you use your phone we would need to find an alternative place to holiday. We never take our phone on holiday and our monthly package will not cover the cost of using it abroad.
Have you ever heard of a little tiny thing called SIM Cards? You can purchase local ones. You don't need to hide your phone at home. there's always e-Sims. I use them often when I travel and I always carry my phone with me. You don't need to be afraid of your roaming charges if you use a local SIM card, which is usually very cheap.
Besides getting a SIM card, you can always keep your phone on airplane mode and use free wifi.
Never been charged by my home carrier doing this but I do also have an unlocked dual Sim international unlocked phone. They aren't expensive. I use one slot for an international Sim snd one for a local sim.
Is this conversation happening in 2005 or today in 2023? Digital is the way to go. I haven’t had a BP in years. I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to transition to mobile. As for those saying there isn’t an environmental impact, you’re not seeing the scale of that “little piece of paper”.
aviation globally accounts for under 3% of emissions the climate change rubbish is just that rubbish being dramatised by leaders who fly in private jets. A tiny bit of paper will not change that, you can print around 3 boarding passes for one A4 sheet. Digital may be the way for you but not everyone.People should be allowed the choice of digital or paper it is unreasonable, to force people into something they do not...
aviation globally accounts for under 3% of emissions the climate change rubbish is just that rubbish being dramatised by leaders who fly in private jets. A tiny bit of paper will not change that, you can print around 3 boarding passes for one A4 sheet. Digital may be the way for you but not everyone.People should be allowed the choice of digital or paper it is unreasonable, to force people into something they do not want for zero reason at all other than cost cutting and cutting the passenger experience leading to more issues
aviation globally accounts for under 3% of emissions the climate change rubbish is just that rubbish being dramatized by hypocrite leaders who fly in private jets. A tiny bit of paper will not change that, you can print around 3 boarding passes for one A4 sheet I will not be lectured about the environment . Digital may be the way for you but not everyone.People should be allowed the choice of digital or paper it...
aviation globally accounts for under 3% of emissions the climate change rubbish is just that rubbish being dramatized by hypocrite leaders who fly in private jets. A tiny bit of paper will not change that, you can print around 3 boarding passes for one A4 sheet I will not be lectured about the environment . Digital may be the way for you but not everyone.People should be allowed the choice of digital or paper it is unreasonable, to force people into something they do not want for zero reason at all other than cost cutting and cutting the passenger experience leading to more issues
Because a mobile phone made of various plastics, rubber, metals, and glass is so much easier to compost than...a "little piece of paper"??
It won't work because I work for an airline in customer service and all the time passenger come to me because they can't pull up boarding pass. I have to print it out. And another one is the face recognition. It work but if your working to fast it won't generate. So it get stuck like a computer or phone when service drop
I have a smart phone and smart watch; but I NEVER yet so a paper pass lose battery or crash or go zombie
Believe it or not, my 80+ yo MIL still doesn't have a cellphone and my FIL still use a basic flip phone with a tiny screen.
How would they get their boarding passes?
It says right in the blog that a paper boarding pass will be issued if you don't have a smart phone, are low on battery, etc.
Personally I strongly prefer a paper pass because I think it scans way easier than digital and I don't have to worry about charging my phone while I'm in the airport.
I feel bad for all the older aunties and uncles coming to / from India. Not everyone has mobile!
I like electronic boarding passes - but not in the airport abroad where getting on wifi takes receiving an SMS, then watching a video and/or providing passport details.
Also, I do not think they will require installing the airline app - pretty sure email or some sort of QR-scanning will be an option - but still, ouch.
Imagine agent trying to help someone with phone interface set to Chinese, Armenian, etc..
But...
I like electronic boarding passes - but not in the airport abroad where getting on wifi takes receiving an SMS, then watching a video and/or providing passport details.
Also, I do not think they will require installing the airline app - pretty sure email or some sort of QR-scanning will be an option - but still, ouch.
Imagine agent trying to help someone with phone interface set to Chinese, Armenian, etc..
But EK is EK. I hope they did think of somewhat of an elegant solution...
What do you even expect from an airline with the crappiest business and first class check-in counters
this seems like such a bad idea for so many reasons. many of their destinations & passengers are from countries where not everyone has an expensive smartphone with fancy INTL data packages to be loading apps on their phone...and not all airports are good about giving free WiFi either...along with the problem of people's phones dying, immigration / customs requirements, overall feels like a poorly thought out move...
totally agree
The other problem Emirates has, is that I actually like them, and therefore want to keep my boarding passes.
Think in this case they will be a victim of their own success.
We are not at an Era when everyone has internet everywhere. As a carrier who primarily flies international, at least half of their customers are not in an area where they are from or have internet access. Add to that the countries all have different laws and regulations. In a lot of places you are banned from cel phones in regions like immigration halls where you may need to show your boarding pass
Add...
We are not at an Era when everyone has internet everywhere. As a carrier who primarily flies international, at least half of their customers are not in an area where they are from or have internet access. Add to that the countries all have different laws and regulations. In a lot of places you are banned from cel phones in regions like immigration halls where you may need to show your boarding pass
Add to that phone technology is still in its infancy with non standard protocols- whereas paper has been around for centuries.
I absolutely think this is a stupid plan and would be a consideration to choose another airline over Emirates.
I have mixed feelings, as well. In addition to the arguments you mentioned, I would like to stress that some countries (including some technologically very advanced ones like Singapore) do not accept electronic boarding passes. Arguably, they will start with flights departing Dubai, but I guess this is only the first step. Another issue is that some employers require their staff to hand in the paper boarding passes, since they want to verify if you...
I have mixed feelings, as well. In addition to the arguments you mentioned, I would like to stress that some countries (including some technologically very advanced ones like Singapore) do not accept electronic boarding passes. Arguably, they will start with flights departing Dubai, but I guess this is only the first step. Another issue is that some employers require their staff to hand in the paper boarding passes, since they want to verify if you have actually flown the route and fare class they paid for. In case of electronic passes you have to print them out.
Excellent objections here.
I particularly agree with the suggestion to follow the LCC approach, to which I add the ability to check in up to 30 days before boarding, not 23 hours.
And to the point about lost mileage credit, I add denied compensation. E.g. "You have no evidence that you actually checked in" (because their computer systems have wiped it)
Overall, requiring reliance on 'phone is the opposite of "giving passengers peace of mind when traveling."
"good for the environment and saves Emirates money"
For a boarding pass little piece of paper!
Sounds sort of like the motive in my home state NJ to ban plastic straws and I love how at McDonalds when buying a soft drink the straw is paper (disintegrating in 10 min) while the cup is made of a heavier guage plastic with probably 50 times the amount of plastic a plastic straw would've had. But every bit helps the environment right!
Shenanigans... if you're booted by the GA it helps to have two copies of the printed BP. The GA tears up your first one and gives you an inferior seat but you take your place in the original seat with the spare BP and wait. Sure you'll probably have to move but you'll be able to remonstrate with the culprit. You'll both have the same seat but you can show you're the earlier sequence-number.
As...
Shenanigans... if you're booted by the GA it helps to have two copies of the printed BP. The GA tears up your first one and gives you an inferior seat but you take your place in the original seat with the spare BP and wait. Sure you'll probably have to move but you'll be able to remonstrate with the culprit. You'll both have the same seat but you can show you're the earlier sequence-number.
As for relying on a picture on a telephone, ugh, how many times has the line stopped while someone's phone loses the image or can't be read by the machine?
This will be a car crash, long lines at check-in, slower boarding, frustrated customers and over-stressed staff
What if I'm in a country where I'm not receiving a internet signal or wifi at the airport, or have chosen not to pay for international roaming or buy a foreign sim card.
Also many people especially older folks may not be adept to use the mobile app to know how this will work.
Beyond ridiculous. Let people decide, most will opt for a digital BP anyway. I prefer a hard copy as paper can't run out of battery, etc.
It seems that EK will still issue a paper boarding pass as long as you provide a sufficient excuse why you need it, so nothing really changes. But I imagine it will make check-in slower.
It would seem better for EK to do what many LCCs have been doing for years. Use mobile or print at home/hotel [will they not let you print from online check-in?] If you need a paper pass at the airport, there’s a “convenience” fee.
In truth we should be getting away from both mobile and paper boarding passes and moving to biometric boarding with just a seat reminder on your phone.
just let people have the choice for free Emirates is not a LCC and should stop acting like one. Many people want a physical boaring pass and should have the right to get one if they wish and no bio-metric boarding nonsense not at all not everyone wants to use more tech all the time especially rubbish like that which can very easily malfunction and cannot be trusted IMO. Tech is not the answer to...
just let people have the choice for free Emirates is not a LCC and should stop acting like one. Many people want a physical boaring pass and should have the right to get one if they wish and no bio-metric boarding nonsense not at all not everyone wants to use more tech all the time especially rubbish like that which can very easily malfunction and cannot be trusted IMO. Tech is not the answer to everything and it should not be human touch is much better neither is stupid things like this that achieve nothing
Technology does fail sometimes. I remember decades ago I was flying SQ from FRA with an early morning departure. Since my room was across the street I tried to do evening before check in as usual. They explained that twice a year they operate check in with no technology as practice for tech failures.
"and all passengers traveling on flights to the United States"
Why only the US?
At the end of the day, regardless of where people are traveling to, if they really want to "passengers peace of mind when traveling", why not just give people the option of a printed boarding pass? This way the people who prefer using their phones can do that while those wanting a boarding pass can use the pass.
I'm guessing this is related to some sort of secondary security requirement for the US.
Probably. SSSS boarding passes can’t be digital, I think.
Ah, ok. That makes sense.
I like to have both -a back up is a must
If you've ever witnessed an Emirates 380 board at SFO with about 35 wheelchair cases lined up, I say "Good luck with that". This seems just stupid to me. People should be able to use paper or e-boarding passes as they wish; this doesn't sound very consumer-centric.
I guess I'm actually and old-school type person...I prefer paper boarding passes as well. The digital ones are nice, but I've had those times where there's been a software glitch, and there goes the digital boarding pass (and it always happens right before boarding).
Second, airlines love us to go digital to save them money, but if you need to dispute something with the airline later on (i.e. miles not applied to account), the airline...
I guess I'm actually and old-school type person...I prefer paper boarding passes as well. The digital ones are nice, but I've had those times where there's been a software glitch, and there goes the digital boarding pass (and it always happens right before boarding).
Second, airlines love us to go digital to save them money, but if you need to dispute something with the airline later on (i.e. miles not applied to account), the airline goes back to the old-school method...they always want a copy of the boarding pass as "proof". God forbid the airline relies on their records that show you took the flight...you need to prove it with a boarding pass.
Hate a paper boarding pass and always opt for electronic whenever I can. I find it easier that way, I always know where my phone is so it's easy to get out and it's not another thing to keep track of and worry about losing. That being said, a lot of the arguments you make about problems that may arise are legit.
In some countries immigration wants to see a boarding pass upon arrival, and aren’t too happy to see a mobile version…
looking at you CAI.