Boarding flights in the United States is a hot mess… it’s a little different than in Japan! Airlines have tried to commoditize the boarding process as much as possible (by giving people an incentive to earn status, pick up a credit card, or outright pay for priority boarding), while doing little to actually enforce the boarding order.
It seems that American Airlines actually has a plan that will see the airline enforcing its boarding priority, and I kind of love it.
In this post:
American’s genius plan to stop boarding “cheaters”
American has nine boarding groups (not including pre-boarding), and all too often you see people not following the correct boarding order, and boarding way ahead of when they’re supposed to. In some cases I suspect it’s because people truly don’t know better, though I would guess that in most cases people know exactly what they’re doing.
Part of the issue with enforcing boarding order is how we go about boarding planes. You generally go up to the gate scanner, and then scan your own boarding pass face down, whether it’s on your smartphone or a physical boarding pass. It’s very rare to see gate agents actually check boarding passes prior to them being scanned. Of course this creates a recurring problem. When people realize they can get away with it once, they do it again.
View from the Wing reports on how American is rolling out technology to simplify the boarding process, and it’s… remarkably easy?
Thanks to new technology from the Fort Worth-based airline, when passengers scan their boarding passes before their group number has been called, an audible tone will go off at the scanner, so that the gate agent knows that they’re trying to board ahead of their group. The gate agent is then supposed to ask the passenger to step aside until their group is called.
American has reportedly trialed this in recent weeks at a couple of airports, and with feedback on the concept being positive, the airline is now rolling this out to more airports. As an American spokesperson explains:
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.
Well done, American!
It’s not often I say this, but… well done, American, on introducing technology that should improve the passenger experience! It’s important for airlines to enforce boarding priority for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they market priority or preferred boarding as a perk to so many different passengers.
This is such an obvious and simple solution, and it should make boarding with the first few groups a little bit less stressful. Of course it’s worth acknowledging a couple of points:
- It comes down to the gate agent to actually enforce the rules, based on the tone they hear
- This adds a small layer of complexity for those trying to board with a companion in a lower group, as that’s still generally allowed, but could lead to a tone
Here’s to hoping the airline rolls this out on a widespread basis in the near future.
Bottom line
American is working on rolling out technology to enforce the intended boarding priority. With this new system, there’s a tone when someone tries to board before their group number is called, making it much harder to get away with cutting the line. This is a simple but smart development, and I’m happy to see it.
What do you make of American’s new boarding technology?
It is a pretty low tech solution. Southwest buzzes if you board in the wrong boarding group alerting the gate agent to check the screen. Southwest is strict if you are a B or C boarding group trying to board with the As.
Ironically on mainline AA boarding priority is the least consequential - their A321s have huge bins, no issues for any boarding group
It is a cultural problem. Very few people really don’t understand or listen to announcements and try to board at the wrong time. The majority knows what they are doing and are playing dumb. It is the same case of people walking by first class and placing their luggage on an overhead bin that says “first class passengers only” and keep walking to the back of the plane like nothing happened. People love to play stupid to take advantage of the system.
You make it sound like AA has invented some kind of amazing new technology. Several airlines around the world already have this in place and use it effectively to enforce boarding priority.
Maybe the biggest problem is American has too many boarding groups. For example, I don’t really see the point of having both Group 7 and 8. 6-7 boarding groups are the sweet spot while 9 groups are simply too hard to manage.
How would you fix the group boarding problems American is currently facing ?
We really have to go back ten years when group boarding problems started. It is all Trumps fault.
Boarding is not being "commoditized" by US airlines, it's being put for sale, aka monetized.
I don't understand: the scanner beeps, but the person is "ON" the flight, so what is a gate agent going to do with these people? They can't release them back to the line (remember, they are "ON"), and there's no space to hold them, so I predict the beep is simply going to be ignored since it will go off anyways multiple times for legitimate reasons (spouse or kids of an EP on a different...
I don't understand: the scanner beeps, but the person is "ON" the flight, so what is a gate agent going to do with these people? They can't release them back to the line (remember, they are "ON"), and there's no space to hold them, so I predict the beep is simply going to be ignored since it will go off anyways multiple times for legitimate reasons (spouse or kids of an EP on a different PNR allowed to board with their significant other or parents, accompanying person to someone needing assistance, etc. etc. etc.)
Appears to be another really really badly thought out AA band-aid.
If current boarding group >= passenger boarding group then beep and “ON”
If current boarding group < passenger boarding group then boop and NOT “ON”
You're inventing a problem that doesn't exist. Almost all airlines on the planet have had this in place for years. If someone scans their BP before their boarding group is called, the system will throw an error and will NOT board the person. Agent has the option to override it and board the person anyway (e.g. on airlines where families with children can board early), but they must actively do so, it doesn't happen by default.
US carriers need to implement automatic turnstiles like many airports have in Europe. Scan your ticket and if it's not the right zone it doesn't let you through.
This will be good at the airports turned immigration centers close to the border. I constantly use Spanish to tell the immigrants being flown around the country by the government with their blue Below Five bags that they’re in the wrong grupo y tienen que esparar.
The question is why this was so hard to implement. There are tons of things that they should do. This is among the easiest and yet even this took this long.
And the other question is: why is American the only US airline to enforce boarding priority?
I doubt it will work as they're generally boarding a bunch of groups at once. I sometimes reach the gate 4 or 5 minutes after boarding starts and they're already on group six or seven. Groups 2 to 4 will be mixed together, as will 5 through 9.
Even if it does work I doubt it will get you on the plane faster. Sure I, an exalted group 2 boarder, want to get on the...
I doubt it will work as they're generally boarding a bunch of groups at once. I sometimes reach the gate 4 or 5 minutes after boarding starts and they're already on group six or seven. Groups 2 to 4 will be mixed together, as will 5 through 9.
Even if it does work I doubt it will get you on the plane faster. Sure I, an exalted group 2 boarder, want to get on the plane ahead of those flea-ridden group 3 reprobates but the time saved by having a few people wait to board with their group will be more than taken up by the gate agent trying to explain to a non-English speaker that nothing is wrong with their ticket, they just have to step aside for a few minutes.
I also don't think early boarding is particularly out of control. As, often, the only group 2 boarder the number of people boarding in group 1, while large, looks reasonable for all of first class plus EPs who didn't upgrade, plus their lower-status companions.
Supposedly it's working in their test markets and given the fact they are trying it at another airport (and larger one) means they might be onto something.
What a novel idea in 2024. Groundbreaking technology. The best thing since QR codes.
Funny to read this today. I just boarded a flight from LGA to MIA and it was a complete zoo. They called groups 1 to 4 together so there was a stampede. So anything like you said will be welcome, if employees will be trained properly and actually enforce it
I'm more surprised they didn't have it until now. The only other airline I can think off where system lets you board in a wrong group (without a manual override from the agent) is BA which for whatever reason doesn't have groups implemented in their boarding systems. Every other airline I regularly fly, from Lufthansa to Air France, with has this, as can be seen by the number of people turned around after software rejects...
I'm more surprised they didn't have it until now. The only other airline I can think off where system lets you board in a wrong group (without a manual override from the agent) is BA which for whatever reason doesn't have groups implemented in their boarding systems. Every other airline I regularly fly, from Lufthansa to Air France, with has this, as can be seen by the number of people turned around after software rejects their boarding. I think it was implemented back when self-boarding became a thing, so agents checking BPs weren't always feasible (but it also works for boarding via an agent).
The boarding group would not matter at all if there is sufficient overhead space for your belonging. However most airlines decide to monetize the baggage as much as they can and don't provide a timely and safe delivery of the baggage. This incentivizes passengers to have as much carry on luggage as they can get away with.
Anyone who understands basic economics would know the airlines should charge for carryon bags and allow free unlimited (within reason) checked bags. People who must have their things with them (corporate laptops, people with tight connections, time pressure, etc.) will rationally pay for the perk of keeping their bags with them.
This technology has been in place with other airlines for some time. I witnessed pax boarding in the wrong group getting the beep and prevented from boarding last week when I was in Munich. American Airlines… so far behind in so many ways.
Not the first, sure, but that doesn't mean never do it. As the largest airline by pax volume it's still a welcomed upgrade for more people than already benefit from this in Europe.
Pretty amazing- though at some point they should just install automated boarding lanes like in some European airports- that also reject you if you’re too early for your boarding group
Beep ! Sorry, you need to pay more !
Instead of a beep when someone tries to cheat the boarding order, there should be a loud tone with a human voice that yells "ASSHOLE!" at the highest volume. It should go up to 11, volume-wise.
I would prefer that when you scan your boarding pass the voice yells Attention in the boarding area, TravelinPENIS is cleared for departure. TravelinPENIS everybody.
A boarding cheater is not somebody in group 9 boarding in group 1.
It's somebody who is group 1 but arrives late and cuts the line that has already formed for group 1.
I see this frequently. On the west coast, people don't have the balls to speak up. On the east coast, people have the balls to speak up, but the line cutter has bigger balls to talk back, and in effect, nothing changes.
I've seen countless people in low boarding groups at LGA/JFK and all over the country over the years coming up to board during Group 1 or even during priority. It all depends on the Gate Agent. If they feel like being line cop or not. Before I had kids, I didn't give a damn when I boarded anyways, last was fine by me. Now that they're older, it's back to letting everyone else bum rush, we can walk in as the last ones and it's no sweat off our backs.
Haha true
Haha true
I will always do this. Especially if they start boarding before the posted time.
That scenario plainly isn't the fault of the late boarder, but rather of the gate lice cramming the lines - if you arrive 20 mins after Group 1 is ostensibly boarding and you see a line/gaggle forming in front of the gate, how the hell do you know if it's legitimate Group 1 folks waiting to board or just standard-issue gate lice? I'm 100% just gonna walk to the front; in the unlikely event that...
That scenario plainly isn't the fault of the late boarder, but rather of the gate lice cramming the lines - if you arrive 20 mins after Group 1 is ostensibly boarding and you see a line/gaggle forming in front of the gate, how the hell do you know if it's legitimate Group 1 folks waiting to board or just standard-issue gate lice? I'm 100% just gonna walk to the front; in the unlikely event that someone says it's a Group 1 line and produces a Group 1 boarding pass, I'll gladly offer an apology and walk to the back of that line.