No paper boarding passes — United’s latest consumer unfriendly move

It’s no secret that airlines want no paper boarding passes. They want things as automated and digital as possible. 

In a perfect world they wouldn’t pay any airport staff, reservationists or have bookings made through travel agents.

Airlines don’t like paper either. 

While they might say it’s for environmental reasons, the real reason is simple — money.

Paper has many advantages. Notably, that works for Luddites. And it’s not dependent on phone battery power. It’s also nice for unplugging.

Like many United Airlines travelers, I lament the loss of “Hemispheres,” the monthly glossy magazine that used to be in seatback pockets. The Sudoku puzzles were challenging during the taxi and takeoff. Many of the articles were really good — including “Three Perfect Days…” I particularly enjoyed the magazine during drinks/meal service when I wasn’t on an electronic device. Now, the magazine is digital, but I haven’t read it yet.

(A younger client made a great point too — he said, I like being on my phone/tablet, but it’s too easy to get sucked into work or reading news or social media. Sometimes I WANT paper magazines/books on a flight to unplug.)

Now, there’s another paper tradition going away — boarding passes.

For a while now, United has suggested digital boarding passes. However, you can also get a printed PDF at the airport, which I usually do.

The check-in kiosks don’t offer the “print boarding pass” option. There is a “digital boarding pass” option. Or, as a nice, but very frustrated, check-in agent showed me, you can click through on a couple of links and eventually get to the paper option. But she said they’ve been told it was going away. And she wasn’t happy about that either. She also told me that gate agents don’t like the change either, as they believe all digital documentation can slow down the boarding process.

I don’t spend too much time online. But I like the backup and not having to show my phone and/or switch from whatever else I was doing to get to the app at TSA or the gate. And while I usually have my phone well-charged, it can run low. Moreover, many clients have complained of phones running out during long trips, either because chargers weren’t working on the plane or they couldn’t find an outlet at the airport.

Plus, while children these days may be great with cellphones, older travelers may not be. I loved the story at Jimmy Carter’s funeral where his grandson said the former President — a brilliant nuclear scientist in his youth — called him from his new phone and insisted he hadn’t called, but was just taking a picture. Phones can also be problematic for those with disabilities and harried parents with their hands full. (A family on a recent flight was really struggling to get all their digital boarding passes shown to the gate agent, seriously slowing down the line.)

I’m sure anyone who flies regularly has stories.

Someone can’t access the app. Another passenger has the phone’s brightness set too low. When they pull up the screen, it shows the connecting boarding pass, not the current one. The screen is dirty, etc.

Eventually, everyone does get on the plane, with or without paper. But as mentioned, digital issues can and do slow down boarding, especially on flights to vacation destinations and around holidays when travelers are less used to the process. Slower boarding means a bigger chance of delays.

Yes, having a digital boarding pass is an advantage and convenient when it works. To be honest, I often do both — keep one on my phone and carry a paper one as a backup and for the lounge. It’s a choice.

And it’s a shame United is planning to take it away.

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