Which Aer Lingus airports do not accept a mobile boarding pass?

Aer Lingus does not currently accept mobile boarding passes at Faro, Bourgas, Izmir, and Donegal. Passengers flying from those airports need to print a boarding pass or collect one at the airport desk. Everywhere else on the European network, the Apple Wallet pass is accepted at security and the gate.

Can I track an Aer Lingus or Virgin Atlantic flight with the iOS 26 Live Activity?

Not yet. Apple's iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking with Live Activities, airport maps, and Find My bag tracking is limited to a named list of carriers that does not currently include Aer Lingus or Virgin Atlantic. The standard Wallet pass still works at every gate, and the live tracking can be added later if either airline joins the list.

Does the Wallet pass show my AerClub or Flying Club number?

When the loyalty account is linked to the booking, the Wallet pass carries the frequent flyer reference along with the flight details. Aer Lingus uses AerClub, which earns Avios as part of the IAG loyalty family, and Virgin Atlantic uses Flying Club, which earns Virgin Points across the SkyTeam alliance.

What if my booking only sends a PDF e-ticket and no Wallet button?

Bookings made through corporate tools or travel agents sometimes skip the airline's Wallet handover. The PDF still contains the same Aztec or QR barcode the gate scans. A pass app like NeatPass can read that barcode from a screenshot or PDF and create a Wallet pass with identical barcode data, with the original kept as a backup.

Aer Lingus & Virgin Atlantic: Apple Wallet Passes

Q: Do Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic both support Apple Wallet boarding passes?

Yes. Both airlines issue mobile boarding passes from their iOS apps and offer an Add to Apple Wallet button after online check-in. Aer Lingus documents the Wallet flow on its check-in pages, and Virgin Atlantic has supported Apple Wallet passes since the Passbook era in 2012.

Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic both support Apple Wallet boarding passes through their iOS apps. The flows are nearly identical, but each carrier has its own quirks: Aer Lingus does not accept mobile passes at a handful of European airports, and Virgin Atlantic has carried Apple Wallet support since the original Passbook launch in 2012.

This guide walks through the native flow for each airline, explains where the policies differ, and covers the PDF fallback for bookings that arrive without an Add to Apple Wallet button.

Aer Lingus Boarding Passes in Apple Wallet

The Aer Lingus iOS app puts boarding passes into Apple Wallet directly after online check-in. Aer Lingus documents the flow on its check-in pages and confirms that the mobile boarding pass can be added to a smartphone wallet for security and boarding.

Some airports still need a printed pass

Aer Lingus does not currently accept mobile boarding passes at Faro, Bourgas, Izmir, and Donegal. Passengers flying from those airports need a printed boarding pass or one collected at the airport desk. App check-in opens 48 hours before departure on routes within Europe, and the Wallet pass works everywhere else on the network.

The native Add to Apple Wallet flow inside the Aer Lingus app is the cleanest path for most travelers.

Install the Aer Lingus app

Download Aer Lingus from the App Store and sign in with the AerClub account that holds the booking. Bookings without an account can be linked using the booking reference and surname.

Open the trip and check in

Tap the booking, complete online check-in, and confirm any passport or document details. The mobile boarding pass appears in the Boarding Passes section once check-in is approved.

Tap Add to Apple Wallet

On the boarding pass screen, tap Add to Apple Wallet. iOS opens Wallet with a preview. Tap Add in the top-right corner to store it.

Repeat for each passenger

Multi-passenger bookings need one Add to Apple Wallet tap per traveler from each passenger's own boarding pass screen. AirDrop or iMessage works for sending passes to other phones.

Virgin Atlantic Boarding Passes in Apple Wallet

Virgin Atlantic was one of the first airlines to support Apple's Passbook, now Apple Wallet, back in 2012. The Virgin Atlantic iOS app handles check-in, the mobile boarding pass, and the Add to Apple Wallet handover, so the pass can be shown at security and the gate with no print needed.

Install the Virgin Atlantic app

Download Virgin Atlantic from the App Store and sign in with the Flying Club account that holds the booking. Flying Club login also stores the membership number for faster check-in.

Check in inside the app

Open the booking, complete online check-in, pick a seat if not already assigned, and confirm passport details. The mobile boarding pass appears on the trip screen once check-in is complete.

Tap Add to Apple Wallet

On the boarding pass screen, tap Add to Apple Wallet. The pass is signed by Virgin Atlantic and opens in Wallet with a preview before being added.

Verify each passenger

Some travelers have reported errors when adding a Virgin Atlantic pass to Wallet in older app versions. Update the app if the button stays inactive, and confirm every passenger has a pass before leaving for the airport.

Once added, the pass surfaces through a lock screen widget as departure or boarding approaches, which puts the barcode a double-tap away without opening any app.

What Both Wallet Passes Carry

Across Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic, the Wallet pass holds the same information airport scanners need.

Flight and seat details

Flight number, route, departure time, gate, seat, and boarding zone where assigned

Standard 2D barcode

IATA-format Aztec or QR barcode that matches the airline's printed boarding pass for the same booking

Passenger and frequent flyer reference

Name as booked, plus the AerClub or Flying Club number when linked to the booking

Boarding group and class

Cabin and boarding group as assigned by the airline, the same indicator a printed pass would carry

Where the Two Carriers Differ

The mobile pass works similarly on both airlines, but a few practical differences matter at the airport and in the loyalty program.

Mobile boarding pass accepted

Aer Lingus flights across most of the European network where mobile passes are supported
Virgin Atlantic flights from London and across the long-haul network
AerClub members earn Avios as part of the IAG loyalty family, redeemable with British Airways, Iberia, and partners
Flying Club members earn Virgin Points across the SkyTeam alliance, which Virgin Atlantic joined in 2023

May still need a printed pass

Aer Lingus flights from Faro, Bourgas, Izmir, and Donegal, where mobile passes are not accepted
Some non-hub airports for either carrier that have not enabled mobile pass scanning
Last-minute changes that require an agent to re-issue the boarding pass at the airport desk
Codeshare segments where the partner airline issues the pass in a different format

iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking is not on either airline yet

Apple's iOS 26 enhanced boarding passes add a Live Activity flight tracker, airport maps, and Find My bag tracking, but only for a named list of carriers. That list currently covers airlines such as United, American, Delta, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Virgin Australia, and does not yet include Aer Lingus or Virgin Atlantic. The standard Wallet pass still works at every gate, and the live tracking can light up later if either airline joins the list. Apple treats all boarding passes equally, so the feature depends only on the airline opting in.

Need a Wallet pass from an Aer Lingus or Virgin Atlantic PDF?

NeatPass makes it easy to convert any ticket, pass, or loyalty card to Apple Wallet.

Try NeatPass Free

When Only a PDF Arrives in the Inbox

Bookings made through corporate travel tools, online travel agents, or third-party portals sometimes drop the airline's Wallet handover and just send a PDF e-ticket or a check-in confirmation with the boarding pass attached.

The barcode on that PDF is the same Aztec or QR code the gate scans. A pass app like NeatPass reads the barcode from a PDF or screenshot and creates a native Wallet pass with identical barcode data.

Save the PDF on the iPhone

Open the airline email and save the boarding pass PDF, or screenshot the page that shows the barcode. Make sure no edge of the barcode is cropped.

Open NeatPass and import

Open NeatPass, tap the plus button, and pick the PDF or screenshot from the photo library or Files. On-device AI detects the barcode and reads flight details where it can.

Review the details

Check that flight number, route, seat, and passenger name match the original boarding pass. Adjust any field that needs fixing.

Add to Wallet

Tap Add to Apple Wallet. The new pass opens in Wallet and is double-tap accessible from the lock screen, with the same barcode the airline pass carries.

NeatPass works with every supported barcode format and offers several import methods, so even unusual e-ticket formats can land in Wallet.

When the Pass Does Not Behave

A few patterns repeat across both carriers and are worth knowing in advance.

No Add to Apple Wallet button - The booking may have come through a third-party channel; the PDF fallback above covers this case
Pass not on the Lock Screen - Wallet may surface the pass as departure or boarding approaches; outside that context, open Wallet directly
Seat or gate change after adding the pass - Re-open the booking in the airline app, grab the updated boarding pass, and add it again; delete the older Wallet version to keep things tidy
Multiple passengers missing - Each traveler needs their own Add to Apple Wallet tap from their own boarding pass screen, or the pass can be shared via AirDrop

Once added, the pass works in airplane mode and on weak networks, which matters in busy terminals where airport WiFi rarely cooperates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Convert an airline PDF into a Wallet pass

Download

Two Carriers, One Wallet Pass Format

Across Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic, the cleanest path is the same: check in inside the airline app, tap Add to Apple Wallet, and the pass lands on the lock screen with the right barcode. Where the booking dodges the native flow, a PDF screenshot and a pass app close the gap.

For the PDF route in detail, read how to convert a PDF boarding pass. For more UK and European long-haul, see British Airways boarding passes in Apple Wallet, and Lufthansa boarding passes in Apple Wallet.