[welfare]

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I see this more of an issue of User Experience / Service Design than anything else.

Physical check-in means you provide your ID / Passport, and a boarding pass is printed by the check-in staff. Most of the work is hidden from you (the employee enters all numbers, clicks all boxes, etc.) so from a service design perspective it's a simple process. However, it's costly, and requires you to stand in line.

Digital check-in is not on the same level, there's no standard across airlines, not one app to do it all. And the process hasn't been simplified at all, all the work has just been delegated to the user. This is not an issue for tech-savvy people who're used of entering forms and using digital tools, but I still believe it's a poor user experience.

Ideally, you'd want a unified digital solution where all you have to do is click one button, scan the RFD chip in your passport and click check-in.

The solution is NOT to bring back cash and manual check-in counters, but to look at it purely from a service design perspective to make it simple and inclusive. Which I'm sure will benefit everyone in the end.