My phone died just before boarding, and I couldn't access my digital boarding pass. The airline staff were unhelpful and made me wait in a long line to print a new one.

That's the frustrating part – I thought I was being prepared. I had taken a screenshot of my boarding pass a few hours before leaving for the airport, but when my phone died, I couldn't access my photos either. I also considered printing it at home, but I was running late and thought the digital version would be more convenient. I definitely learned my lesson and will be printing a physical copy or saving it to a cloud service that I can access from another device in the future. This whole experience has made me rethink my reliance on just one digital method.

Honestly, my phone battery has been a bit unreliable lately. It tends to drain faster than it used to, especially when I'm using apps that require a lot of power, like the airline's app. I had been meaning to get it checked or replaced, but I kept putting it off. I usually make sure to charge it fully before heading out, but this time, I must have underestimated how quickly it would drain with the airport Wi-Fi and the airline app open. It was a really unfortunate coincidence.

I did try to charge my phone. As soon as I realized it was about to die, I frantically looked for an outlet near the gate. Unfortunately, all the charging stations were occupied, and there weren't any readily available power outlets. I even tried to ask someone if I could borrow their portable charger, but no one had one to spare. It was a bit of a mad scramble, and by the time I found a semi-available spot, my phone had already completely shut down.

It was hard to tell for sure because everyone was in a rush and stressed, but I did overhear a couple of people behind me in the printing line muttering about their phones dying or not being able to load the app. One woman seemed quite frustrated and said something about her battery draining unexpectedly. So, while I didn't see anyone else being turned away at the gate for the same reason, it felt like a recurring problem for a few people.

Yes, I absolutely tried to explain the situation to the airline staff. I approached the gate agent as soon as I realized my phone was dead and explained that my digital boarding pass was inaccessible. I even showed them my dead phone. However, they were very dismissive. They just kept repeating that I needed to go to the customer service desk to get a new one printed. There was no attempt to even check my name or booking details at the gate to see if they could quickly resolve it. They just pointed me towards the long line, which was already forming for other issues.