I’m sure you’ve all seen and have been annoyed by them. Gate lice, or people that crowd the gate area when pre-boarding is called and sometimes tries to board with an earlier group are the scourge of frequent and courteous travelers. So, thankfully, American Air is taking on gate lice. I hope their efforts works and is copied!
I don’t know about you all, but gate lice of all types annoy the hell out of me. These people, at best, become a nuisance by blocking the way for people that who are actively boarding, and at worst, are cutting in front of others – sometimes, people that paid for the privilege of boarding earlier. This type off behavior angers conscientious travelers and can be unbearable for frequent travelers – you know, the people airlines actually need to keep happy.
That no one has done anything to address this flabbergasts me. I mean, how hard can it be? But, I guess gate agents aren’t really verifying anything other than ensuring that you have a valid boarding pass. But, thankfully, American Air is taking on gate lice, though their efforts are only seeking to address the worst offenders – those who try to cut.
American Air is Taking on Gate Lice
Per the New York Times, American Air is taking on gate lice with an all-new system that will identify line cutters and alert gate agents of them. This new system will work by blaring an audible alert when a passenger with a boarding pass not belonging to the current boarding group scans their boarding pass. Moreover, the system supposedly won’t accept the boarding pass and will have the gate agent send the passenger back to board with their assigned group. Presumably, this only applies if you’re trying to board with an earlier group – not a later one.
This system sounds music to my ears and seems like something that should have been done a while ago. Unfortunately, it’s not something that the airline is planning on widely deploying right now. In fact, the system is in early testing, having been deployed at three airports thus far, including Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, Tucson International Airport in Arizona and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The good news is that a rep for American Airlines told the Times that they’re pleased with the results of their trial thus for. However, they do not currently have anything else to say about their testing initiative, such as how much longer testing will continue, or when they plan on potentially rolling it out globally. Hopefully, the system is entirely software-based, as the existing ticket scanners have an audible confirmation when scanning your boarding pass. If this is the case, they may be able to quickly add the capability by pushing out a software update and new operating procedures.
Final Thoughts
I, and many others, appear to agree that American Air is taking on gate lice is a good idea. In fact, when discussing how American Air is taking on gate lice with passengers, the New York Times received responses like “it’s about time.” I agree, though I also think it’s ironic that we’re rejoicing this development, as the airlines are the ones that created this issue. After all, carry on bags become more prevalent when airlines started charging for checked bags, and even more so as they continued to hike these fees.
All that said, since there’s no going back to the way things were – and Elliott is trying to take away our last bastion of free checked bags – then, I suppose, this is the next best thing.
Either way, I don’t get people who think they should be allowed to board earlier than indicated on their boarding pass. If that earlier position really means that much to you, buy an extra space seat or carry a credit card that gets you an earlier boarding group. For American specifically, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card had me end up being one of the first to board my flight once. I also typically fly Premium Class with Alaska, which grants me Group B boarding.
Anyway, what do you all think? Are you a fan of American’s initiative?
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