A warning to all who print their own boarding passes...
Although this has not happened to myself i have seen on 3 separate occasions (Gatwick) people missing their flight because their on-line printed boarding pass did not scan at the security gate.
It appeared on two occasions the easyjet/Ryanair bar code was simply absent from the document, and on the third occasion the bar code could not be read at the security checkpoint.
Despite protests security flatly refused to accommodate and sent them to the check in desk with prospect of another 1 hour Q.
On another occasion in Istanbul the whole plane had to check-in as the airport equipment was broken to scan the home-made passes.
I have personally witnessed these incidents over the last 12months so i assume this must be quite a common problem!
My Own Rules for online checkin
O Arrive with enough free time to be able to traditionally check-in should an issue arise.
O Try and print your boarding pass with a laser printer
O Keep the boarding pass (at least the barcode) free from creases
O Ensure a barcode is actually printed on the document
Smala01