American Airlines expands crackdown on frustrating travel habit to more than 100 airports
American Airlines has expanded a new technology to more than 100 airports that prevents line jumpers from boarding before their group has been called.
The airline has announced that the system is now being used across the country after successful early testing at three locations in October.
The airline’s senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery said in a statement that the initial response from customers and employees has “exceeded expectations.”
She added that the airline was “delighted” to have the technology up and running before Thanksgiving.
Aviation industry analyst Henry Harteveldt noted that almost every aviator has witnessed the frustrating habit of impatient flyers.
He added that he doesn’t see airline technology as a way to “shame” those at the forefront, but instead as a way to “bring order to chaos.”
‘I hope it will defuse any flare-ups of anger [from] people who just think they have the right to board out of turn. It’s just not fair,” he said, adding that he believes it will improve the experiences of both customers and gate agents.
Others, however, remained skeptical, such as Seth Miller, editor and founder of the website PaxEx.aero, who said he’s not yet “100 percent convinced this is perfect for passengers.”
On Wednesday, American Airlines announced that the technology is now being used nationwide after successful early testing at three locations in October
An aviation industry analyst, Henry Harteveldt, added that he doesn’t see airline technology as a way to “shame” those leading the way, but instead as a way to “bring order to chaos ‘.
He believes the new technology would cause delays for people traveling in pairs or groups, or make lines just one troublesome customer away from arguments and delays.
Both Miller and Harteveldt said they wouldn’t be surprised if other airlines soon follow American Airlines’ lead.
The new technology was rolled out for testing in October and is designed to play a sound for gate agents if a boarding pass is scanned before the passenger’s boarding group is called.
A spokesperson said this Travel + Leisure: ‘The new technology is designed to ensure customers easily receive the benefits of priority boarding and helps improve the boarding experience by giving our team greater visibility into boarding progress.’
During initial testing, many pilots who encountered the technology were in favor of it and were happy to see the rules implemented.
One user on Reddit posted that they saw other flyers trying to board in the first boarding group get an error beep when their boarding pass was scanned and were asked to move aside.
A commenter on the post also claimed they saw the new technology in testing, writing: ‘It was amazing. I saw about five people get pulled out of line because they were trying to get on board before their group was called. It’s about time!’
A DailyMail.com commentator wrote: ‘This is the best news I’ve heard all month – seriously. Everyone who has to board the plane has to be in an important place. Maybe also: they’ll put an end to people stowing their suitcases in the front when they’re in the back of the plane. It obviously causes a chain reaction and it is extremely pompous’
Many DailMail.com readers were also enthusiastic about the technology, with many believing that these preventive measures should have been implemented long ago.
One person said: ‘About time. This should have been done/enforced decades ago, it’s not that difficult.’
Someone else added: ‘This is the best news I’ve heard all month – seriously. Everyone who has to board the plane has to be in an important place. Maybe also: they’ll put an end to people stowing their suitcases in the front when they’re in the back of the plane. It obviously causes a chain reaction and is extremely pompous.”
Another reader commented, “I’m all for it. There are too many people ignoring the rules and it’s part of what makes flying so annoying these days.”
One frequent flyer said, “About time.”
“Great move,” someone else said.
Currently, the airports that have adopted the technology are all spoke or non-hub locations, but the airline expects to expand further to hubs and other airports in the coming months.