American Airlines has launched a trial of new technology intended to put an end to this irritating airport etiquette that gets ignored during the boarding process.
An American Airlines spokesperson says the new technology is being tested in select airports to help prevent impatient travelers from boarding the plane before their group is called.
The spokesperson told Travel + Leisure: ‘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,’ they added.
A commenter on Reddit claimed to have seen the new technology in action and wrote: ‘It was great. I saw about 5 people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!’
‘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 American Airlines spokesperson
While no further details were revealed by the airline, a passenger flying from Albuquerque claimed to have seen the process on Monday.
The passenger posted on Reddit saying they saw other flyers attempting to board in the first boarding group had an error beep when their boarding pass was scanned, followed by the gate agent telling them to step aside.
A commenter on the post also claimed to have seen the new technology in action and wrote: ‘It was great. I saw about 5 people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!’
The new technology is being tested at both Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ) and the Tucson International Airport (TUS), reported Travel + Leisure.
Plenty of other users on the platform echoed the same experiences or were enthusiastic for the new technology to be implemented across airports.
An American Airlines spokesperson says the new technology is being tested in select airports to help prevent impatient travelers from boarding the plane before their group is called
One commenter wrote: ‘I will pay more to fly on an airline that strictly enforces the boarding groups.’
One wrote: ‘I will pay more to fly on an airline that strictly enforces the boarding groups.’
American is not the only airline to majorly change their boarding process. Last year, following technological advancements, United Airlines updated their boarding process.
The change boosted economy passengers with window seats into Group 3, followed by middle seats in Group 4 and aisle seats in Group 5, with hopes to make the process more seamless.
