American Airlines is in the early stages of rolling out technology it believes will prevent passengers from becoming so-called “gate lice.”

The new system will have an audible signal if someone tries to board the plane before being asked to do so.

“Gate lice” are a nuisance for fellow passengers, but also for the staff who help passengers get on the plane on time.

What does the term “gate lice” mean?

People who try to be one step ahead when boarding are called “gate lice” by fellow passengers.

A flight attendant recently said this Reader's Digest that “gate lice” are people who crowd the boarding gate, “making it difficult for those with legitimate preboarding needs to get to the boarding gate.”

Why are people affected by gate lice?

Passengers who are not in the first boarding group sometimes jump in the wrong line to move forward and secure space for their luggage in the overhead bins.

“The only reason to board first rather than last is for overhead bin space,” says Gary Leff of the popular travel website View from the Wing. In a blog post, he explained that such passengers make the boarding process more complicated than it should be.

What is American Airlines doing to stop gate lice?

The airline says that those attempting to skip the flight will not have their boarding passes accepted by on-board staff. Individuals who attempt to board their flight ahead of their designated group will be boarding the flight at the scheduled time.

“We are in the early stages of testing new technologies that will be used during the boarding process,” American Airlines said in a statement Newsweek. “The new technology is designed to ensure customers can easily take advantage of the benefits of priority boarding and will help improve the boarding experience by giving our team greater insight into boarding progress.”

“We are satisfied with the test results so far,” the airline added.

At which airports is American Airlines testing the new boarding platform?

Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, Tucson International Airport in Arizona and Ronald Reagan National Airport in Virginia are the US airports where the new technology is already being tested.

American Airlines is the second largest airline in the United States by passenger numbers, behind only Southwest Airlines. American Airlines carried over 164 million people in 2023.

Social media users have shared their thoughts about the new technology. One X user, Anton Wahlman, wrote: “I agree with American Airlines: get rid of the lice.”

“The only people who are going to have a problem with this ARE THE PROBLEM,” Skylor said.

“Since every passenger is assigned a specific seat, why rush to board?” argued @infogmarkets.

“This is why I love the @SouthwestAir boarding process. Please don’t change it!” said @RetiredJournal2.

“Just get in backwards like you used to,” @profpaulboxer commented.

“YES @AmericanAir THANK YOU!” wrote @CrowProfane.

“It's about time… A major airline takes action against 'Gate Lice,'” said @perrych.

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