Air passengers tend to fall into two categories once they reach the departure gate: those sat down with an “it won’t leave without us” mentality and those who hover by the desk with their hand luggage in a bid to board first.
Airlines are now making moves to crack down on the latter – or “gate lice” as they are known by aviation insiders.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) highlighted the havoc that can be caused by “skip boarding” (the official term) during an industry event this week.
According to The Telegraph, Nick Careen, IATA’s head of operations and safety, said: “It’s a term used when you see people queueing in their own line and doing it on purpose. It’s skipping the boarding process.
“When they get to the front it’s sometimes easier just to let them through rather than turn them away.”
American Airlines is one airline trialling new technology to enforce boarding groups and cut queue jumping at the gate.
In trials at Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington airports, passengers scanning their boarding pass before their group number is called will now be met with an alarm sound.
The computer will also display an alert message for gate agents, who can then instruct pushy passengers to stand aside until their group is called to board.
Airports often encounter long boarding queues as passengers attempt to be the first in the cabin and secure coveted space in the overhead bins – regardless of whether their boarding group number has been called.
American Airlines said the move intended to “improve the boarding experience” and “ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding”.
A total of ten groups, ranging from from ConciergeKey members to basic economy, will usually start boarding one by one in the 30 to 50 minutes before a flight’s scheduled departure using a priority lane and a general boarding line, which will now have new scanning technology.
Staff will be able to clear the notification and allow passengers to board early if there is a valid reason.
A spokesperson for American Airlines said: “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.”
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