What are ‘gate lice’ and how does American Airlines plan to control them?

An alert message will allow gate agents to enforce American Airlines boarding groups - (Getty Images)

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.