Mobile Boarding Passes & Airline Apps, Step by Step

Getting Ready the Easy Way

Most airport stress comes from doing things at the last minute. A few quiet minutes at your kitchen table the day before makes everything smoother.

A confirmation code is the airline's way of finding your specific booking. It is printed near the top of your booking email. You will use it once to connect the trip to the app, then you will not need it again.

• Your phone, charged, with the airline's app installed
• The email or text the airline sent when you booked
• Your confirmation code (six letters and numbers, like a small password for your trip)
• A government photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport

Downloading Your Airline's App

An app is a small program that lives on your phone. Getting one is like adding a new channel to your television. You do it once, and it stays there.

When it finishes, you will see the airline's icon on your home screen. That icon is now your ticket counter, your check-in desk, and your boarding pass, all in one.

• Find the App Store, a blue icon with a white letter A made of shapes
• Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom and type the airline's name
• Tap Get next to the correct app, then confirm with your face, fingerprint, or password

Making or Signing Into Your Account

The app needs to know who you are. If you have flown this airline before, you may already have an account. If not, making one takes a few minutes.

• Open the app and tap Sign In or Log In
• Enter your email and password
• If you forgot the password, tap Forgot Password and follow the steps to reset it

Checking In, Step by Step

Checking in tells the airline you are coming and reserves your spot. It opens about 24 hours before your flight. The app will often remind you when it is time.

When you finish, the app will show your boarding pass on the screen. You are checked in. The next step is to save that pass into your phone's Wallet so it is easy to find later.

• Open the airline app and sign in
• Look for your upcoming trip on the main screen
• Tap Check In
• Confirm the travelers who are flying
• Answer the safety questions (they ask if you are carrying anything not allowed)
• Confirm or choose your seat

Choosing or Keeping Your Seat

During check-in the app shows a seat map, a little picture of the plane. You can keep the seat you were given or pick a different open one.

• Open seats are usually shown as empty or colored squares you can tap
• Taken seats are usually gray and cannot be tapped
• The front of the plane loads and unloads first
• Seats near the wing tend to feel steadier

Saving the Boarding Pass to Your Phone

This is the most important step. Your Wallet is a safe spot on your phone that holds passes and tickets. Saving the pass there means you can show it even if the internet is slow at the airport.

That is it. The pass is now tucked into your Wallet. You can close the airline app, and the pass will still be there waiting for you.

• After you check in, look for a button that says Add to Apple Wallet or Add to Google Wallet
• Tap it once
• On iPhone, tap Add in the top corner of the next screen
• On Android, tap Save

Apple Wallet on iPhone

Apple Wallet is a plain white app with colored cards on it. It comes built into every iPhone, so you do not need to download anything.

On the day of your flight, your pass may pop up on your locked screen automatically when you are near the airport. You can also double-press the side button to open Wallet quickly. If that feels like too much, just open the Wallet app the normal way. Both work.

• Find the Wallet app on your home screen and tap it
• Your boarding pass appears as a card near the top
• Tap the card to make it fill the screen
• The stripe of squares at the bottom is the part the scanner reads

Google Wallet on Android

On an Android phone, boarding passes live in Google Wallet, an app with a colorful wallet-shaped icon. Most Android phones have it already.

Some Samsung phones also have a separate Samsung Wallet. Either one is fine. Use whichever one your airline app offered when you tapped Save. Do not worry about having both.

• Find and tap the Google Wallet app
• Swipe to your boarding pass, or tap Passes
• Tap the pass so it fills the screen
• The block of squares at the bottom is what the scanner reads

What Everything on the Pass Means

A boarding pass looks busy, but only a few numbers matter. Once you know where to look, it becomes easy to read at a glance.

The boarding time is earlier than the takeoff time. Plan to be at your gate before the boarding time, not the takeoff time. That single habit prevents most missed flights.

Bag Drop and Carry-On

Once you have a phone boarding pass, you may be able to walk right past the ticket counter, unless you have a bag to check.

• A carry-on is a bag small enough to fit in the overhead bin or under the seat
• You can head straight to security with your phone pass

Getting Through Security

At the security checkpoint, an officer checks your ID and your boarding pass. With a phone pass, you simply hold your screen up to a small scanner.

If the scanner does not read your screen the first time, do not panic. Raise your brightness more, or the officer may simply type in your information. This happens all the time and holds nobody up for long.

• Have your photo ID in one hand
• Open Wallet and tap your boarding pass so it fills the screen
• Turn your brightness up
• Lay the phone flat over the round or flat scanner when asked
• Wait for the beep or green light, then move forward

Finding Your Gate Calmly

Airports use overhead signs and big screens to guide you. You are looking for your gate, which is a letter and number, like B12.

Give yourself plenty of time to walk there. Airports are large, and some gates are a long stroll away. If walking is hard for you, ask any airline worker for a wheelchair or a ride on a cart. This is a normal, free request, and they are glad to help.

• Look for large screens labeled Departures
• Find your flight number and read the gate next to it
• Follow the overhead signs pointing toward that letter and number
• Gates are grouped by letter, so B12 is near B10 and B14

Getting on the Plane

Boarding happens in groups so the plane fills up in an orderly way. Your group number is printed on your pass.

There is no rush to be first. The plane will not leave without boarded passengers, and your seat is already yours. Waiting for your group keeps the line moving and keeps you relaxed.

• Sit near the gate and listen for boarding announcements
• Wait until your group or zone is called
• Open your pass in Wallet and turn up the brightness
• Scan the pass at the podium when it is your turn
• Walk down the ramp and find your seat number

When a Gate Changes or a Flight Is Delayed

Gate changes and delays are normal parts of flying. They are not emergencies. The key is to stay put, stay informed, and stay calm.

• Your phone may buzz with an alert from the airline app
• Check the Departures screens for your flight and its new gate
• Walk to the new gate; there is usually plenty of time

Turning On Helpful Alerts

Your airline app can send you a gentle buzz when something about your flight changes. These alerts are one of the best reasons to use the app.

You can also let the app send notifications when your phone asks. If you tapped Do Not Allow by mistake earlier, you can turn it back on in your phone's own Settings, under Notifications, then the airline app.

• Open the airline app and find Settings, often behind a gear icon or your name
• Look for Notifications or Flight Alerts
• Turn on gate changes, delays, and boarding reminders

Keeping Your Phone Ready

A phone pass is only useful if your phone is awake and charged. A few simple habits keep you covered all day.

Many airports have charging stations near the gates, often a small stand with outlets or USB ports. If you see one while waiting, give your phone a top-up. Free and handy.

• Charge your phone fully the night before
• Bring your charging cable in your carry-on
• Consider a small battery pack, a charger you carry that refills your phone
• Turn your screen brightness up only when scanning, to save battery

Always Carry a Paper Backup

Phones run out of battery, screens crack, and scanners have off days. A printed boarding pass is your safety net, and it costs nothing to have one.

Having paper does not mean you failed at the phone. Seasoned travelers carry both. Think of the paper pass like a spare key: you hope you never need it, but you are glad it is there.

• Print it at home from the airline website, if you have a printer
• Or ask for one at the airline counter or a kiosk when you arrive
• Fold it and keep it in your wallet or coat pocket

Connecting Flights and Extra Passes

If your trip has a connection, meaning you change planes partway, you may have two boarding passes: one for each flight. Both can live in your Wallet at the same time.

• Both passes save to Wallet when you check in
• Use the first pass to board your first flight
• When you land, the second pass is ready in Wallet for the next flight
• Check the screens for the gate of your connecting flight

What's in the 27-page PDF

• What you need before you leave the house
• How to check in on your airline's app
• How to save the pass into your phone's Wallet
• Using the pass at security and at the gate
• Staying calm when a gate changes or a flight is delayed
• Why a paper backup is still a smart idea

Why I wrote this

I write these as printable handouts because a guide you can keep in a drawer beats a web page you have to find again. No jargon, no judgment, no rushing. If you'd rather have someone sit beside you and go through it together, that's a flat $99 first visit with the 30-day follow-up included — serving Portage County from Atwater, Ohio. — Bill