Last month I broke news that American Airlines was testing new tech to enforce boarding groups at its gates.
- At the time, in Albuquerque and Tucson, passengers trying to board before their group was called would hear an audible sound when they scanned their boarding pass – and gate agents would kick them out of line to wait until it was their turn.
- The next step, as I wrote in mid-October, was testing this at a hub: Washington’s Reagan National airport.
Here’s the sound when a boarding pass is rejected:
American learned two things. First, customers actually like it when gate lice can’t crowd ahead of them and board before it’s their turn. Second, doing this really doesn’t slow down the boarding process and risk on-time departures.
And so American Airlines now says that this is being expanded to “more than 100 spoke airports” including Atlanta and Austin “[j]ust in time for the holiday season.” Then, as long as things continue to go well, American will expand to other airports – including hubs.
An important thing to know is that if you buzz because you’re boarding before your group is called, the gate agent can clear the flag on their screen and allow you to board. If you’re traveling with a family member or friend on a different reservation, for instance, it is actually policy according to the airline that you should still be allowed to board together in the earlier group.
For customers traveling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the agent has a simple one-click solution to override the alert and accept the pass to continue boarding.
I heard from passengers at National airport that this wasn’t always permitted, and American said they would remind agents to allow it. So it’s the one thing to watch out for. Overall though it’s a positive – for customers and for the airline.
- American prioritizes customers either because of their relationship value (status, credit card or even just joining the loyalty program) or their fare, and this benefit only has meaning if it’s enforced.
- Meanwhile, passengers crowding the gate and the boarding lines before it’s their turn, when their boarding group is called, makes for a more chaotic process.
Already I like American Airlines boarding best. They have a priority lane and a general boarding line. Passengers are called to come to their respective line when it is their group’s turn to board. No one has to stand there like with United’s boarding queues where passengers line up in their assigned group far in advance of boarding. American doesn’t push passengers to waste time standing in line before it’s necessary. Keeping people out of line until it’s their turn is even better.
I feel the tone needs to be a bit harsher. Too passive!!
Need something similar to the tone when a contestant fails to guess the correct price on the Price is Right!!
As someone that flys AA 2-4 times a week this will have some effect but gate lice are going nowhere. Biggest problems that continue in order
1. Gate agents that don’t make detailed announcements, particularly when it comes to Pre Boards (which is way over abused)
2. Group One (usually IFFs older couples) that jam the actual boarding lane when Pre Boards are called. I often feel sorry for CKs that have to swim through them to board
3. Other Groups that jam up the boarding lane that will stand within the ropes without actually approaching the card reader. Or stand at the opening of the lane
4. People just too dumb to understand the process or think it doesn’t apply to them.
Since this involves elitism and/or stupidity I’m not sure this can be fixed, except for Number one.
EP at AA. I actually like AA’s boarding process as well. Since I’m always group 1, it does field weird-when I am late but not too late- to use the priority line when there are like 6-7 people before me. After all, we are all leaving and arriving at the same time, and there I have found that there is ‘nearly’ always space for my bag in 1st class (or they will make room).
But I readily admit I get upset when someone else barges ahead, lol. Yes, I know, 1st world problems, but I also fly ‘incognito’, so wearing jeans, sweatshirt, and a baseball hat, so it’s all good.
BUTTTT… why AA doesn’t have a consistent policy on preflight drinks is another matter altogether! I am convinced that American Eagle flight crews are provided incentives to just say “water or juice”? And then when you ask for a soda they give an excuse it’s because they are behind schedule (and this is when there are only 8 F class seats and boarding is going to take another 15 minutes anyway)
Doesn’t make any sense.
Leave it to anonymous curmudgeons like Paper Boarding Pass to decry something as not punitive enough.
Americans overcomplicate boarding. Foreign airlines in foreign countries call boarding all at once. Or, if there is a priority order, it’s first class, and then economy. No group numbers or zone numbers.
Military service members/folks with disability/etc. are all allowed to board early, likely before their boarding group. For this reason alone, there has to be a way to override the rejected boarding pass.
Two thoughts:
1) it should be literally the word SHAME that is broadcast. That sound is too nice.
2) is there a sound when an AA ee is a jerk? Bing-Bong!!!!
Gary Leff writes, “If you are traveling with a family member or friend on a separate reservation, it is actually the airline’s policy that you should still be allowed to board together in an earlier group.” In line with this, American Airlines allows passengers in boarding groups two through nine to form an instant friendship with a Concierge Key or Executive Platinum elite member, enabling their entire party to board on a separate reservation with the elite AAdvantage member in group one.
When a boarding group nine family offers a Concierge Key or Executive Platinum elite an honorarium of $50 to $100 as a gesture of appreciation and goodwill for their early boarding, American Airlines could play a role in fostering new global friendships, helping to promote world peace during the holiday season and creating a unique new benefit for their valued AAdvantage elite passengers.
@Eileen
I feel your love, warmth, peace, and inner happiness!!
Have a Good Day!!
I’m with Paper Boarding Pass on this one. The peasants need to be put in their place. Let them eat cake!
I consider gate lice to be those who stand around the boarding area well before their group number is called, blocking others from boarding and causing confusion about who is actually in the line…not those who actually attempt to cheat and board before their group is called. Those are more like gate garbage.
They could have just used the Airbus cockpit annunciator voice. “Retard, retard.”
@Ken A
The US Supreme Court recently decided to allow blatant corruption so long as you call it a ‘gratuity,’ not a bribe, so if you wish to skip the line, just call it a ‘kickback,’ ‘sweetener,’ ‘incentive,’ or ‘payola.’
gate lice? Really? What asshole came up with that name?
@Terry Brown – it’s been used in frequent flyer circles for decades
@vEileen Which airline you talking about? did you get your information from Fox News?
Qantas Uses 6
Emirates boards based on where you sit on the plane
aIR France, Japan Airlines has 5 groups
@1990
Hey! How about cutting the DNC talking points! One would think that you somehow missed the fact that the majority of this nation rejected your party and its arrogant, narcissistic, deceitful ways. You are just as much a peasant as any other peasant – believe it!
How about the airlines address the REAL issue? If they enforced their own rules-one appropriately sized carry on in the overhead and one small personal item that is stored under the seat I don’t think you would have people trying to board prematurely. If people didn’t have to worry about getting their carry on into the overhead bin near them they wouldn’t be in such a rush to sit in a metal tube, surrounded by strangers, with sub-par seating.
It’s about time they did something to stop this nonsense!
But, you can’t get past the HUGE crowd at the gate to get in line when you are called to board! They should reinforce and designate a certain amount of open space to keep clear so the passengers can get in line to board, when called. Or better, reinforce people to remain seated until they are called to board.
Another thing, each seat has an overhead compartment with the seat number. THAT’S where they should be putting their carry-on and not taking up some else’s space. After all, passengers have paid for that particular seat.. When is that going to happen???
Thank you Catman.
Good. BA needs to be next.
The real problem is the people who block the boarding area and often the general transit lanes at the airport by LINING UP before the boarding begins.
These are the real GATE LICE.
It happens EVERY TIME and I have often had to push through gangs of THESE LICE to get to my hoarding area. Even business class passengers are guilty, often blocking the lanes, usually looking at their phones/watches, up to 25 minutes before actual boarding time. STOP!
Drives me crazy. But as a student of psychology, it makes sense. They have NO SELF AWARENESS!
Cannot tell you how many times I walk to my gate at CLT and these folks are BLOCKING the lanes to more distant gates. . When the gate agent makes that announcement DO NOT BLOCK THE BOARDING GATES… it does nothing. Stupid.
I don’t know where the term gate lice came from but I can tell you it’s not a term used by passenger service employees at American Airlines and can absolutely assure current and future customers, it isn’t used at their fortress hub at DFW! Even with those who do board out of their appointed group number, we respect our customers and do not refer to any of you as lice! Would we appreciate passengers not crowding the boarding lanes until their respective group number has been called, of course! Please don’t judge the airline regarding the current over use of such a derogatory way of addressing this issue by the bloggers and press. Clearly, they believe they’re entitled enough to refer to others in such a disrespectful manner when the truth is, many of them are just as guilty of being “gate lice.”
I alway called them gate rats. Worse than lice.
I like these so called gate lice. At least this is a group of people interested in boarding quickly. Gate agents could take better control if they wanted to by setting out signs as to where each group needs to form and then take the groups in order. I have seen Asian airlines do this with good results.
While this has been successful they should have waited till after the holidays to roll this out. This is going to cause disagreements between GAs and flyers and AA won’t have time to provide guidance to GAs to ensure they are trained well and can effectively discuss with customers. Its stressful enough around the holidays without employees and customers learning a new process.
I can appreciate that the change is logical and pretty simple. But I will put $100 on the table right now that Gary is going to be writing an article about the fight that breaks out over a GA over this change in an airport during holiday travel.
I’ll repeat what I’ve said elsewhere: This doesn’t go far enough. There needs to be an actual tangible penalty for this behavior. Make them all board in group 7 and/or gate check when caught. All this sound thing does is shame them and these people have no shame.
I am both EXP and 1K (United). United’s boarding is infinitely better: they allow 1K as the last of the pre-boards. And enforce the line rigorously. American allows Groups 1-3 to line up together so on bigger flights its a zoo.
Now if the airlines would just figure out that boarding from the BACK to the FRONT would make the whole process go faster!
Poor choice of headline. The gate live are not the ones trying to board early. Gate lice board in their correct group. They just crowd the boarding lanes trying to be the first in their group.
If they really cared about boarding speeds.. they could set up permanent group ‘gates’ so people know where to queue..
AND with today’s mobile boarding passes… automatic alerts on the phone – ‘boarding your group now’ etc..
personally, even if I am in group 1 – I like to board last.. so not bothered what mess is created by the gate ..