American Airlines has been testing a new boarding technology that automatically detects when passengers are trying to cut in line. If proven successful, the technology could mean the end of travellers cheating their way on board.
Most airlines use so-called boarding zones to regulate passenger influx when boarding a plane. First- and business-class flyers come first, while economy passengers usually wait longer to board. This not only means they have to wait longer at the gate but also increases the chance of them having to check their carry-on luggage.
Up until now, airline staff could only stop passengers from boarding before their assigned time by manually verifying tickets. However, this allowed for a good amount of human error, and especially when things needed to go quickly, many line skippers thus managed to board in advance.
American Airlines’ new technology, which it has been testing for multiple weeks at the airports of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, is said to automatically take the boarding time into account when a ticket is scanned.
“We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process,” American Airlines told The Independent in a statement. “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.”
Given the initial success of the technology, it will soon also be used at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, and may one day be used on a larger scale.
Even though not many details have been released about how the technology works, but it detects the boarding time when a ticket is scanned. If a traveller tries to board ahead of their assigned time, access is automatically denied and the passenger is asked to wait in line for their turn.
It’s always been a dirty little secret that boarding zones are not part of your boarding pass QR code so when you scan your pass at the gate, the gate agent has no idea what zone you’re in unless they visually look at it.🤔
— Joe San Diego (@KenPlatt45) October 19, 2024
While the new technology seems reasonable enough, many travellers are taking to X and other social media to complain about it. The fact that until now, the only way for airport personnel to check a boarding time was to do so manually was being considered by many as an easy way to cheat and board beforehand.
