also called mobile BP · BP
The document or phone pass that authorizes you to board a specific flight and seat.
The pass, on paper or your phone, that lets you board a particular flight and take a particular seat. It is issued at check-in, once you are confirmed for the flight. It is not the e-ticket number, which references the ticket you bought; the boarding pass is the final gate document, and some countries still want it printed rather than as a screenshot.
Someone tries to board using a screenshot of their mobile pass, and the gate scanner cannot read the barcode off the saved image. With no printed copy and a pass that will not scan, they are pulled aside to get a paper one reissued while the queue moves past them.
Some countries still require printed passes; screenshots can fail barcode scanners.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These are three references people mix up.
A PNR is the short booking code that pulls up your whole reservation, an e-ticket number is the thirteen-digit document proving payment for a specific ticket, and a boarding pass is what actually authorises you to board a particular flight and seat.
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