‘Gate lice’ is a term for passengers who hover by gates with hand luggage in a bid to board first
Passengers queue to board an aircraft. Photo: Getty
American Airlines has announced it is expanding its new technology to control “gate lice” – keen passengers with an itch to line up at the gate before they are called to board a flight.
More than 100 airports across the US will now use the boarding tech over the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas travel period after successful trials in Albuquerque, Washington and Tucson last month.
The new software will not accept the boarding pass of passengers before their group number is called and will make an audible sound to alert gate agents that they have broken boarding protocol.
A message will also be displayed on the screen for airline staff, who can then instruct cutting-in customers to stand aside until their group is called to board.
For customers travelling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the gate agent can override the alert and accept the pass to continue boarding.
Feedback from the trials found the new platform also helped to pace the boarding process and anticipate the arrival time for incoming flight connections, said American Airlines.
Aviation hubs, including Austin-Bergstrom International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, are among airports rolling out the boarding system to cut queue jumping at the gate.
The airline’s boarding priority groups are assigned based on several factors, including ticket purchase and AAdvantage status.
Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airport operations, said: “We’ve heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it’s a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or fare purchase.
“The initial positive response from customers and team members has exceeded our expectations, so we are thrilled to leverage this technology to deliver for them ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.”