Last month, American Airlines introduced stricter enforcements of boarding groups to prevent “line-jumping” and premature boardings of flights.
With the new measures getting rave reviews at the first few airports, American is rolling new technology out for all the airports they are doing business with in the U.S.
American Puts its Foot Down
Since American Airlines implemented new technology in October to prevent premature boardings, the airline will move forward with introducing it to over 100 more airports in the near future.
American first tested the new technology at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport in New Mexico and Tucson International Airport in Arizona. The airline shortly brought it to a third airline last month: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Crystal City, Virginia.
With over 350 airports worldwide American flies to, there isn’t a definite list as of now which ones will soon receive this new technology. At least two of the confirmed airports will be Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.
This new technology requires passengers to scan their boarding pass at a scanner near the gate. If it’s not the passenger’s turn to board the aircraft, the scanner will let out an audible beep. A nearby agent will then force the passenger out of line so passengers who are entitled to board early may do so.
This new measure is seemingly working to prevent crowds of people from huddling up close to the gate. It also helps get priority boarders on the plane much faster than before.
American Airlines Senior Vice President of Airport Operations Julie Rath commented on the convenience of the new boarding procedures:
“The initial positive response from customers and team members has exceeded our expectations, so we are thrilled to leverage this technology to deliver for them ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.”
American Airlines Boarding Groups
Here’s the current list of boarding groups American Airlines currently has:
| Boarding Group | Boarding Pass Type |
| ConciergeKey members | ConciergeKey Members |
| Group 1 | First Class U.S. Military AAdvantage Executive Platinum Members |
| Group 2 | AAdvantage Platinum Pro Members Oneworld Emerald Members |
| Group 3 | AAdvantage Platinum Members Oneworld Sapphire Members |
| Group 4 | AAdvantage Gold Members Oneworld Ruby Members Airpass Holders Premium Economy Citi / AAdvantage Executive credit card owners Travelers who bought Priority boarding |
| Group 5 | Main Cabin Extra AAdvantage members with more than 15,000 Loyalty Points AAdvantage credit card owners |
| Group 6 | AAdvantage Members |
| Groups 7 & 8 | Main Cabin |
| Group 9 | Basic Economy |
Currently, there is no timetable for the airline to deliver this technology to all airports.
