American Airlines has announced the expansion of its new boarding technology to manage “gate lice”—eager passengers who queue at the gate before their boarding group is called. A message also appears on the screen for airline staff, allowing them to direct overly eager passengers to wait until their boarding group is called. For passengers traveling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the gate agent can override the alert to permit boarding. Feedback from the trials indicates the system not only reduces pre-boarding congestion but also helps pace the boarding process and provides better insight into the arrival times of connecting flights, according to American Airlines. Major airports such as Austin-Bergstrom International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International are among those introducing the system to curb gate queue-jumping.

Source: The Express Tribune November 24, 2024 22:49 UTC