I haven’t used a paper boarding pass in at least a decade, and I can’t say I miss it either.
I prefer a paper pass.
Maybe I’m old school and I keep printed maps, tickets, all in a folder on my suitcase.
My phone has all that info too. But then it’s a single point of failure. And I’ve absolutely had the paper ticket save my ass because my phone could freeze or restart at critical moments.
Like I mentioned elsewhere, I also have my Apple Watch and my iPad to use in case my phone has a problem. But in all the years they’ve been digital passes, that’s never happened.
I had a connection through Geneva and while my international mobile phone coverage covered the UK and Germany, but Switzerland wasn’t included. The gate for the connecting flight was through an unsecured area, so I had to show a boarding pass again, except the United app which had the digital boarding pass couldn’t connect (because of no internet access) and I almost missed my connecting flight.
Luckily I had printed out the boarding passes, but they were buried in my carry on. So I had to unload the whole thing to find it, but I did. If I had only a digital boarding pass I would have been out-of-luck.
When you buy a ticket and get a boarding pass, it typically comes in more than one form. When I fly, I get an email copy as well as the apps copy which I can then add to my Apple wallet. Accessing it at that point does not require an Internet connection.
What happens if somehow your phone gets broken? I always get a paper pass printed out just in case.
What happens if you lose the piece of paper?
You can get a new boarding pass at the gate or before check-in so it’s not like you’ll be stranded at the airport.
I’m just saying it’s always good to have a backup, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. You never know what’s gonna happen, so redundancy is a good thing.
In 30 years of owning various cell phones and smart phones, I’ve never once broken a single one of them.
It’s not something I worry about.
Even still, I also have my iPad that I carry when I travel. I could always use that as well. Or my Apple Watch, which is what I most commonly use.
I’m happy for you, but all it takes is one time. No reason not to have an extra backup.
I just described how I have two extra back ups, and yet, it has never happened to me any more than a decade I’ve been using these passes.
Worst case scenario? The gate agent prints me another one after they look me up in their computer. I know this, because I’ve seen people lose their paper boarding passes, and they had no back up at all. It took them five minutes to get another one.
I choose not to live in fear of a problem that doesn’t exist.
You can see it as living in fear, if that’s what helps you, I just see it as being as prepared as I can.
As I’ve repeatedly mentioned, I am prepared, with redundancies. And since I’ve never needed them, suddenly living in fear that I should just because you say so would be irrational.
What you’re describing is paranoia. Again, something I avoid.
Yup. I work in IT, so I know digital stuff likes to shit the bed at the worst possible time. I always bring paper copies for situations like these.
