Posting Your Boarding Pass on a Social Media Platform is a Bad Idea

We’ve all shared a photo of our boarding pass on social media at some point. Wondering if you should share some really cool pictures of your boarding pass on social media? 

Take a look, is there anything that stands out? Most likely, it’s just a jumble of numbers and letters that you have no idea what they mean. So, here’s why posting a photo of your boarding pass is a bad idea

But wait a minute, What About The Barcode? 

People tend to forget to hide the barcode, not realising that the barcode will reveal all of the information printed on the pass, including the passenger’s name, flight number, and seat arrangement. These barcodes can be read by phone apps such as Android or iOS, or they can be uploaded to a web service to retrieve data. That tiny barcode contains your private information. It contains all of the information required at the airport, from your driver’s licence to your passport number. That is why, if you find a barcode on a document, do not throw it away.

Professionals Recommend Shredding

Someone viewing the boarding pass could potentially access every detail of the traveller’s plans electronically – and ultimately cause chaos on the ground – by using a combination of the traveller’s name and PNR. The information contained in the barcode can be exploited and used to commit identity theft. The simplest way to avoid this is to never share your barcode with anyone or anywhere in any form. Many security professionals recommend shredding boarding passes. By shredding the boarding pass, travellers ensure that the valuable barcode (along with any other information) does not fall into the wrong hands.

Try Screenshot or Save

If you believe that digital boarding passes are secure, you are mistaken. When used in an airline app or a loyalty app, digital boarding passes are too risky. These apps may be subject to first-party or third-party tracking. If the hacker is able to easily reset your password and gain access to your profile, he may be able to drain all of your bonus miles. It would be difficult to prove the scam to the airline, so the safest option is to take a screenshot of the QR code of the mobile boarding pass and save it without allowing any third-party app access to it.

It’s crucial to be aware of the opportunities you’re giving malicious actors by posting pictures of yourself and your personal belongings to the public internet. If you post photos to Instagram or other social networks, make sure to change your privacy settings so that only your trusted network receives updates. 

Photo by Torsten Dettlaff