For decades, scientists have been trying to decipher why exactly people cut lines. Is it a false sense of urgency? An innate desire to be first?

Whatever the reason, American Airlines wants you to avoid it. The airline is testing new technology to alert passengers and gate agents if someone tries to board before their seat section is called. According to the airline, the system will generate an “acoustic signal” if a passenger attempts to board the aircraft before their seating group is announced. At that point, an alerted gate agent would send the passenger back to their appropriate group.

“The new technology is designed to ensure customers can easily take advantage of priority boarding benefits and helps improve the boarding experience by giving our team more insight into boarding progress,” American Airlines said Assets in a statement.

The new technology is being tested at Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, Tucson International Airport in Arizona and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia.

“Gate lice” have long been a nuisance of flight attendants, who find premature gate swarming behavior annoying and rude.

“Just stay as far away from the boarding area as possible until your group is at least close to being called,” says Rich Henderson, a 10-year flight attendant and co-founder of the Two boys on a plane Blog, tells Business Insider. “If our frequent flyers and top performers aren’t even close to getting on the plane and your crew isn’t even close to getting on the plane, you really have no business standing right at the gate.”

Let's be honest: who among us hasn't tried to sneak into the Group 5 boarding queue even though our boarding pass has a humble “9” stamped on it? According to Ben Mutzabaugh, senior aviation content editor at Travel Blog, the gate lice problem ultimately grew out of a practical problem The Points type. In the late 2000s, after airlines increased checked baggage fees, more passengers are likely to bring carry-on luggage that they want to stash while also looking forward to avoiding the dreaded baggage claim. As more and more carry-on luggage is carried, overhead luggage storage has become more and more popular. Nobody wants to be the first passenger to check their luggage at the gate.

“When that became the new normal and people understood that it was a reality, it caused a lot of anxiety among players to try to get on the plane early,” he said Assets.

The pent-up fear of airlines could escalate into an aviation nightmare. The Federal Aviation Administration has referred 43 unruly passengers to the FBI this year alone, with the regulator referring 310 of the most serious cases – which may involve attacks on flight attendants or passengers – to the FBI since 2021.

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