In China the digital boarding pass QR code changes every 30 seconds preventing screenshots or photos of it from being used. But as they’re currently implemented in the US it’s no different than paper.
The bigger issue is how bad airline apps handle anything even slightly out of the ordinary like itineraries including codeshare segments or just randomly have server problems. I fly 50+ times a year and am able to actually use the digital boarding pass only ~95% of the time.
I always always screenshot my QR code and present that at the gate. If we had rolling codes locked away in a proprietary app, I guarantee boarding will grind to a halt as there always seems to be some sort of access issue whether it be from the servers, user error, connection issues, etc not to mention people often have their hands full of crap which makes clicking through a bunch of app menus difficult.
Ticktmaster has gone to that kind of rolling QR code; a printed screenshot of your ticket no longer works, and you have to use a clean installation of Chrome/Edge with no VPN to buy tickets -or- their app (which won’t work if it’s sandboxed or routed through a VPN). Hence the reason that I drive the hour+ to get to the ticket box office to buy tickets with cash now.
In China the digital boarding pass QR code changes every 30 seconds preventing screenshots or photos of it from being used. But as they’re currently implemented in the US it’s no different than paper.
The bigger issue is how bad airline apps handle anything even slightly out of the ordinary like itineraries including codeshare segments or just randomly have server problems. I fly 50+ times a year and am able to actually use the digital boarding pass only ~95% of the time.
I always always screenshot my QR code and present that at the gate. If we had rolling codes locked away in a proprietary app, I guarantee boarding will grind to a halt as there always seems to be some sort of access issue whether it be from the servers, user error, connection issues, etc not to mention people often have their hands full of crap which makes clicking through a bunch of app menus difficult.
Ticktmaster has gone to that kind of rolling QR code; a printed screenshot of your ticket no longer works, and you have to use a clean installation of Chrome/Edge with no VPN to buy tickets -or- their app (which won’t work if it’s sandboxed or routed through a VPN). Hence the reason that I drive the hour+ to get to the ticket box office to buy tickets with cash now.