But I’m Hip!!

by Terry Ballantyne

Paper Boarding Pass or Digital? This is a decision fraught with implication! Let’s fly into it!

Paper:

1. Paper means you are insecure and old fashioned
2. Paper means you check your pocket 50 times before the flight
3. Paper feels secure
4. Paper gets you on the plane if your phone dies

Digital:

1. Digital confers a hipness, you are master of technology
2. Digital can’t be damaged
3. Digital is always with you because your phone is an extension of your nervous system!
4. Digital implies you can navgate apps, check in and pay for your ticket on line!
5. Yes, digital says your hip!

Recently I was at the airport with my paper ticket. My daughter was say, “I checked us in, I have them on my phone! ” But she has two kids in tow, juggling carry on luggage, juice box and stuffed toys. I had no idea how much battery life her phone had and I wanted my paper ticket!

A sweet gray haired man next to me was checking in on his phone. He was wearing a seniorish plaid shirt and jeans up around his waist. He was giggling at our debate. He glanced over and said with some cheek says to me , “Checking in with your phone denies aging! You’re hip!”

I agree, staying contemporary means not clinging to old fashioned modes of transaction. However, now in the age of AI and our phones listening constantly, paper seems like a good thing in some cases. Except there is the matter of cutting down the trees!

We live in a world of trade offs and seemingly endless ways to violate the earth. My advice to deter aging is keep moving, keep learning, be willing to change and keep a sense of humor! And then maybe it’s ok to have a paper ticket!