Heads up, sneaky line-jumpers: if you’re flying American Airlines, you could get caught—and shamed—if you try to board ahead of your assigned group. The airline is testing out new technology designed to keep everyone in line during the boarding process.
Passengers are supposed to wait their turn when boarding the plane, and those who don’t are referred to by airline employees as “gate lice” due to the fact that they hover around the boarding area and then try to jump ahead to the early boarding groups. Line-jumping has gotten worse recently, according to travel experts, as passengers try to snag limited overhead bin space (while avoiding ever-increasing checked bag fees).
American has confirmed that they are testing out a system where gate agents will be alerted via an audible error signal if a passenger in the wrong boarding group scans their ticket. An agent can then call out that passenger, moving them back to their proper group, all in view of other passengers.
“We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process. The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team," said an airline spokesperson.
Passengers flying out of Albuquerque and Tucson, Arizona, have been subject to the trial for a few weeks. Plans to expand the technology include Washington Reagan National Airport.