Lost your boarding pass? How to still prove your flight delay claim
A boarding pass is convenient proof for a flight delay or cancellation claim, but it's not the only one. If yours got thrown away, deleted from your phone, or auto-removed from your digital wallet, several other documents prove exactly the same thing: booking confirmations, check-in emails, payment records, and the airline's own passenger manifest.
What a boarding pass actually proves
For a compensation claim, a boarding pass mainly establishes three facts: that you were booked on a specific flight, that you checked in for it, and in some cases that you were physically present at the gate. It's a strong piece of evidence because it's issued by the airline itself and hard to fake. But it isn't the only way to establish these same three facts, and airlines routinely accept alternative proof when a boarding pass isn't available.
Why digital boarding passes disappear
If you added your boarding pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, don't count on finding it days or weeks later. Both platforms are designed to automatically remove flight passes shortly after the scheduled arrival time, treating them as no longer needed once the trip is complete. This is a common trap: travelers assume the digital pass will stay available as proof if a claim comes up later, then discover it's gone by the time they get around to filing. The simple fix: take a screenshot or save a PDF copy of your boarding pass as soon as you receive it, before boarding if possible, rather than relying on the wallet app to keep it indefinitely.
What can replace a lost boarding pass
If your boarding pass is gone, any of the following typically works as supporting evidence for a claim:
- Booking confirmation email, sent when you purchased the ticket, showing the flight number, date, and passenger name.
- Check-in confirmation email, sent when you checked in online or at the airport, often including a copy of the boarding pass information.
- E-ticket receipt, showing the fare, route, and booking reference.
- Credit card or bank statement showing the ticket purchase, useful as secondary corroboration.
- Screenshot of the airline's app showing your flight history or trip details, if the airline's app retains this information.
Keep in mind that a delay or cancellation claim mainly needs to prove you had a confirmed, ticketed seat on the disrupted flight, not that you physically boarded. A cancelled flight, by definition, you couldn't have boarded, so a booking confirmation alone is often sufficient in that case.
Ask the airline directly
Airlines keep detailed passenger manifests for every flight. If none of your own documents survived, you can request a confirmation of travel directly from the airline's customer service, sometimes for a small administrative fee. This document, issued by the airline itself, carries strong evidentiary weight since it comes from the same party you're filing a claim against.
Building a stronger file even without the original boarding pass
Beyond proof of travel itself, a solid compensation file benefits from additional documentation gathered close to the time of the disruption:
- A photo of the departure board showing the delay or cancellation.
- Any written communication from the airline about the disruption (email, SMS, app notification).
- Receipts for any expenses incurred because of the delay (meals, accommodation), useful for a separate reimbursement claim.
None of these replace the need for proof of booking, but together they build a file that's hard for an airline to dispute.
How Robin des Airs can help
Missing your original boarding pass doesn't stop a claim from moving forward. We help gather the right combination of proof (booking confirmation, check-in record, or a direct request to the airline) to support your case. You pay nothing upfront:
- No upfront cost: €0 out of pocket.
- Amicable phase: you keep 75% of amounts recovered.
- If court action is needed, you keep 60%, with legal, bailiff and procedural costs advanced and covered by Robin des Airs.
- Once funds are collected from the airline, your share is paid out within 5 business days.
Eligibility depends on the airline, departure airport and exact route. We check it for free, with no guarantee of outcome or timeline.