Why You Should Always Keep Your Boarding Pass (Even After Landing)
Most passengers toss their boarding pass after landing. This is a mistake. Your boarding pass is the single most important piece of evidence for a compensation claim, and you may not realize you have a claim until weeks later.
Your Boarding Pass Is Evidence
A boarding pass proves you were checked in for and intended to fly on a specific flight. It shows the flight number, date, your name, seat, and often the operating carrier. For compensation claims, this is the most direct evidence linking you to the disrupted flight.
You may not know you have a claim until later. Many passengers discover their EU261 rights weeks or months after a delay. A boarding pass from 3 years ago could be worth €600 under EU261. Keep every boarding pass.
What to Keep and How
- ›
Physical boarding passes: Photograph them immediately (thermal paper fades). Store in an envelope at home.
- ›
Mobile boarding passes: Screenshot them. Mobile passes may be removed from the airline app after the flight.
- ›
Email check-in confirmations: Keep in a dedicated email folder. These are nearly as good as boarding passes.
- ›
Booking confirmations: Always accessible in your email, but the boarding pass is stronger evidence.
For using boarding passes and other evidence in claims, see our proof guide. For documents needed for claims, read our documents guide.
Claims Without a Boarding Pass
If you lost your boarding pass, you can still file a claim. Airlines can look up your booking, flight tracking data verifies delays, and credit card statements prove purchase. But having the boarding pass makes everything easier and faster.
For the claims process, see our step-by-step guide. For the refund process, see our walkthrough. For DOT rights or EU261 rights, see our rights pages. Check your flight for eligibility.