Newspapers recommends you to stop printing boarding passes

Real World Aviation
#1

Hey community!

Recently many newspapers have started recommending you to stop printing your boarding pass when traveling.

The reasons behind this is that lots of important information is printed on it, and when for example you post a picture on instagram with your name and reference number people can change or cancel your booking.

Bad guys can also take over your frequent flyer program. For hackers frequent flyer points are a form of currency, worth a lot.

The experts therefore recommend to use digital solutions, so you don’t forget your boarding pass in the seat pocket in front of you or at the airport, so the risk is less that someone hacks your account

I have to be careful as I’ve reached EuroBonus Silver, so my points don’t get stolen

Source

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#2

Saving the trees in the process. 🙌

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#3

Well, if you treat it right the boarding pass is really not something which offers many opportunities for data theft in my opinion.

Nonetheless it’s good for the environment and certainly not something bad, even though I am missing the opportunity to collect them!

For mobile boarding passes to really replace the classic ones it would be important that you don’t receive one when dropping-off your luggage equally if you already have one or not, which happens nearly every time in my experience.

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#4

Mobile boarding passes are much more dangerous, in my opinion.

Because everyone is addicted to social media, and need it, they will connect to the airport’s free wifi. We should all know how dangerous free wifi is.

Hackers will have more success getting stuff of your phone than a piece of paper.

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#5

Maybe these social media addicts should just gain some common sense 👀

Like, really. Your full name, your ticket number, and a bunch more important information is on that piece of paper. I don’t see a need to eliminate the concept of paper tickets because of the reasons provided, and I definitely agree with @Key’s post.

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#6

Agreed. And to those who use the draw feature to block it out, just know that it is fairly easy to remove that overlay and see whats below it.

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#7

They actually are. On Wednesday I was going through security for a flight from RSW-PIT, the line took 45 minutes and I finally got there. They needed to see my boarding pass, and on the Southwest app it wouldn’t show my boarding pass. I wouldn’t be allowed to go through without my boarding pass. I sprinted back to the counter and got my boarding pass. Then, they told me to go through the wheelchair line because if I went through the normal line I’d never make it for my flight. So I went through there and that time I had a printed boarding pass. I got to the gate 5 minutes before I started boarding. I was so lucky.

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#8

No offense, but it is not the smartest thing to do then. I don’t know why people post pictures of their boarding passes if they have information on them, and I know I would never do that. If I do post one, it’d have all my information covered or edited out.

Yes, it’s possible to leave a boarding pass somewhere, but it’s also very possible to have your phone hacked or stolen 🤷🏻‍♂️

I do agree that this would be useful for the environment, and I think that in the age we live in where everything is digital now, this should be fairly easy to implement.

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#9

I think the chances of having your paper boarding pass stolen are a lot higher than having your phone “hacked” 😂😂😂

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#10

I guess that kind of depends on the person itself. I always either have my boarding passes in my hand or in my bag, so I cannot leave it anywhere, and I always have my bag (and hands) next to me so I can’t have that stolen either.

But phones, can get hacked remotely now because of technological advancements. And if not remotely, even websites and apps can download viruses so anything is possible 🤷🏻‍♂️

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#11

Right, it is entirely possible for your phone to be hacked by someone. However, I think that it is totally unlikely in this situation, considering it would be much easier for someone to steal your paper boarding pass. Again it’s a hypothetical.

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#12

I use Tickets 🎫 on my phones cuz Save the tress

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#13

I use mobile boarding passes anyway

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#14

Yes I would agree with you on that, but as recommended I have a VPN when I use airport WIFI. But as I both either print out or have a digital one.

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#15

I like paper boarding passes. It’s like a little souvenir. And I just don’t trust technology as much with this matter. I’d rather put the responsibility in my hands.

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#16

The printed boarding pass is a way to remember flights I’ve taken in the past, like @KIND9624 said. But on the airport I never use them, I just use my phone. Simpler and easier.

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#17

This seems like one of the articles where it’s just a blatant lie like: diabetes good for you?

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#18

I don’t see how you can get that out of this. Lots of aspects about what they’re saying is true, as boarding passes contain lots of personal information on them, although some find it more beneficial having their boarding pass printed

I personally always are sure where my phone is. It’s possible, yes, but you’re lots more aware where your phone are

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#19

I agree, but I think more damage could be done if your phone was hacked rather than a boarding pass stolen.

#20

If you’re phone is hacked, that is a more serious problem. If you’re phone is hacked your email, Facebook, etc, and not just your boarding pass, so I think it doesn’t add much more risk of personal information being leaked due to all other personal information on your phone

If that makes sense

1 Like