Will My Mobile Boarding Pass Work With a Cracked Screen?

Mobile boarding pass cracked screen?

Will your mobile boarding pass work with a cracked screen?

It depends on how big the damage is. If it’s a small crack and it doesn’t cover the QR / barcode code, you will be fine, but if the crack is more like a spider web that goes all over the screen – there’s a big chance that scanners won’t be able to read your mobile boarding pass.

Read: What Does TSA PRCHCK On Your Boarding Pass Mean?

Why won’t a mobile boarding pass work with a cracked screen?

It’s quite simple. Airport scanners read the QR code, which contains information about you and your flight. If the phone has a cracked screen the rays of the laser are refracted (scattered) and the scanner can’t read the QR code.

Read: How to Use a Mobile Boarding Pass?

What if I crack my phone’s screen shortly before a flight?

It depends on how much time you have left before the flight.

• If it happens one or two days before departure – you’re safe. Because you still have a lot of time to print out the paper boarding pass.
• If you crack your phone screen at the airport, stay calm (don’t start arguing with anyone 🙂 ) and look for the closest kiosk or ticket counter to print out your paper boarding pass as fast as you can. And don’t waste a second – you may miss your flight.

Even if your phone is ok and has never disappointed you – to be 100% secure – you should ALWAYS print out a paper boarding pass. Simply because you can never predict when something will go wrong.