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Attention, Passengers: Someone Is Skipping the Line at Your Gate

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Attention, Passengers: Someone Is Skipping the Line at Your Gate

American Airlines is testing a technology platform that will produce a sound when a passenger attempts to board a flight ahead of the assigned group.

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Passengers lining up at a gate to board a flight.
Passengers lining up to board an American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport.Credit…Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Kate Christobek

Oct. 23, 2024
Leer en español

Every airline traveler has been there. The boarding process begins, and the gate is swarmed with passengers before their zones have been called.

They’re popularly known as “gate lice” and, despite being shamed and mocked in popular culture, U.S. airports are still experiencing outbreaks.

Enter American Airlines, which recently announced that it is in the early phase of testing a new technology to help with these pesky critters. When a passenger attempts to board the plane early with the wrong group, the new system will give an “audible signal” to the gate agent, according to the airline.

The boarding passes of passengers who trigger the signal would not be accepted by agents, and those travelers would be sent back to board with their group, according to the airline.

The technology, which is in an early phase of testing, has been rolled out so far at Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, Tucson International Airport in Arizona and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia.

“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,” American Airlines said in a statement.

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Source: https://www.nytimes.com