Emirates to phase out paper boarding passes for flights from Dubai

Starting May 15, Emirates will require most passengers departing Dubai to use a mobile boarding pass instead of a printed paper version.

Passengers checking in at Terminal 3 of Dubai International airport (DXB) will receive their mobile boarding pass via email or SMS.

Those who check in online can load their boarding pass into their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, or retrieve their boarding pass on the Emirates app too.

Also, in a bid to further reduce the use of paper, the checked-in baggage receipt is also emailed directly to the passengers, with a copy of it available in the Emirates app.

The airline noted the mobile boarding pass can be used a different touchpoints throughout the airport including in Dubai Duty Free, at security and at the boarding gate.

However, there are exceptions to the digital boarding pass. Passengers who will still require a physical boarding pass to be printed include those travelling with infants, unaccompanied minors, passengers requiring special assistance, passengers with onwards flights on other airlines, and all passengers travelling on flights to the US.

There are also exceptions in place for passengers do not have a mobile device, or if they are unable to access the information on their devices for reasons including insufficient battery power, technical glitches, message delivery delays, or the inability to access wifi or internet packages.

For such passengers, boarding passes can be printed at the airport’s check-in counters.

As part of its ongoing digitalisation process, Emirates has over the last few month opened its biometric services at Terminal 3 to all international passengers. The service was previously only available for residents of the UAE and GCC nationals. Facial recognition technology coupled with AI helps passengers to access the lounges and go through the immigration processes and boarding gate too.

This article originally appeared on Business Traveller Middle East