Passengers prefer paper boarding pass to electronic

Survey shows that 65% prefer a paper boarding pass over an electronic one.

Survey shows that 65% prefer a paper boarding pass over an electronic one.

I always check-in online as soon as it is open. I print a paper boarding pass and take it to the airport.

But I always print another boarding pass at a self-service kiosk and that is the one I use for my travel.

At the airport I take a professional interest in all that’s going on with kiosks, check-in desks,  bag drop, border control, boarding and so on.

At the gate, I even try to count how many passengers use a mobile boarding pass. Highest I’ve seen is 5 on a British Airways flight from London City to Amsterdam. I’ve actually seen one boarding pass on a watch – on a BA flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam.

And the passenger holding everyone else up is usually the one with the electronic pass.

So it’s interesting but not surprising that a survey by GO Airport Express, a Chicago-based ground transportation service and GO Airport Shuttle, shows that most people still prefer to use a paper boarding pass.

Of the 375 respondents, 65 percent said they use a paper boarding pass instead of an electronic one.

At 37 percent, men were slightly more likely than women (35 percent) to use mobile.

Some noted they bring both printed copies of the boarding pass in addition to their phone because “you never know when computers are going to be down or the technology won’t work.”

John McCarthy, president, GO Airport Express:

“Going paperless may be a goal for many, but these results show  travelers still want a paper boarding pass to show just to be safe. Phones die, batteries wear out and computers crash, and no one wants to be left behind due to document issues.”

N.B. Image credit: wikipedia.org

Internet links

Go Airport Express