Kacee

I always get paper if flying on a different carrier than I'm crediting to in case there are issues with the miles posting. For UA or AS flights, I mostly use the mobile bp these days, particularly when I'm carrying on and have no reason to go to a kiosk.

okrogius

Mobile if at all possible (there are a handful of airports that require paper). Once saved in wallet, you don't need internet and are not dependent on united app to continue working. So reliability is perfect. Delete it from the wallet after miles have posted.

dav3d

I almost always get a paper boarding pass to clear security because it's makes using CLEAR + TSA pre-check easier.

But I usually board with my mobile BP because it's more convenient - typically I've put my BP somewhere in my carry on after clearing security.

HNLbasedFlyer

I get a paper boarding when I check in as I'm at the kiosk anyway to check a bag.

I do like the mobile boarding as a backup as I sometimes lose my paper boarding pass on the plane and forget it - and the mobile is nice if I stop at the UC before bags arrive.

GoSh4rks

If I can get an mobile boarding pass on Apple Wallet, I will use it. I'm not worried one bit about it failing - it never has. If I end up checking a bag (basically only Polaris flights,) I will keep the the paper BP to add to my souvenir stash.

The only time I actually remember the paper one being useful was a boarding scrum at FRA where they skipped the 1k pre-board, until I got the attention of the boarding agent with my 1k printed BP. They then "remembered" to call 1k pre-boards.

Agremeister

Domestically I use the phone, since most of the time it means I can just head straight to security when arriving at the airport.

Internationally, I have to carry a passport and generally check in manually anyway, so I always grab a paper boarding pass since it's not any extra hassle and can come in handy in immigration or at other points.

dinoscool3

lhrsfo

When travelling without a bag, I generally use the mobile. For longer trips, with a bag, I tend to go for paper - it's somewhere to keep the bag tag (I hate it being stuck to my passport) and as these trips are also longer distance, there's greater chance that my battery will expire.

jp12687

narvik

A passenger at TSA Pre checkpoint at ORD a few weeks ago handed over their at-home-printed BP. The TSA agent tried to scan it several times, and ultimately sent the passenger back to have them print a new BP at a kiosk.
Their printer was presumably so crappy, it simply wouldn't scan.


I travel exclusively with airport-printed Boarding Passes (with the occasional self-printed BP and/or itinerary as back-up) mainly because of the motto: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Icydubloon

Domestic: Mobile

International: Mobile and Paper

LIH

OLCI on the app and then get a paper BP at the airport from GS agents or the kiosks if at a non-hub.

It's substantially easier for me to maneuver with a paper BP when scanning at TSA/boarding than fumbling with my phone. I carry a brief case when travelling, as well as an over-shoulder bag, so really only have one hand free. All sorts of other advantages to the paper BP as well mentioned up-thread. The advantages to the electronic BP-only process doesn't make sense to me. Is the lack of the added weight of the paper BP an advantage? The extra 10-15 seconds in the GS lounge also lets me get to know the people there, which has helped me historically. The 45 seconds the kiosk process takes me isn't exactly material. You can always scan the electronic one if you lose the paper BP but you can't go the other way around if you don't have the paper BP.

tarheelnj

Paper.

If the point of electronic BP's is as a time saver, the few seconds it takes me to print a BP at home or in a hotel is meaningless. When traveling, I'll do OLCI, have the BP emailed, then print the BP when I have a chance before heading to the airport. Some airports (like in India) won't let you into the airport without a BP or personalized itinerary. In other airports (like HKG) the counter (and kiosks) don't open until 8:00am(?) while the lounge opens at 6:00am, so if you want to get to the lounge early and use a paper BP, you have to print it before arriving. There have even been a few times when the reader was down and they required paper BP's, causing a queue at the counter (flood at LAX, boarded through an emergency exit).

Last minute seat swaps or SDC's are examples of where electronic BP's make sense. If I don't like my Y seat and I know I'm going to miss the CPU cutoff, I watch the seating chart like a hawk for that last FC seat to disappear, then will swap to the vacated seat and avoid waiting in line for another BP. This sometimes happens just as they're starting the boarding process. For last minute SDC's when arriving at that gate after boarding has started, it's also a timesaver.

bluepig1

At 3-4 domestic flights a week, I prefer not to spend the time (esp at outposts with no Global Reception) finding a kiosk and wasting paper on a paper boarding pass. Exceptions are only when there are IRROPS (or I'm switching to a different flight on my own at the airport) and I'm working with a GS agent to get on a reconfirmed flight and I'm not certain the mobile BP will reflect the new flight fast enough.

But when flying internationally, I definitely get a paper boarding pass for the extra backup. Even still, I go through TSA security with the mobile BP - it's faster when the TSA agent doesn't have to circle 4 things on the BP. And I'm guilty for occasionally casually flashing the GLOBAL SERVICES on the bottom of the boarding pass.

entropy

I used to do paper, but now am almost always electronic unless traveling with the fam and then its easier.

Now that the stubs don't actually have all the info they used to have, its not collectable the same way (and the thermal paper at most places doesn't hold up).