American Airlines will shame line cutters at boarding gates with new technology

American Airlines is trialing technology to deter passengers from cutting into the boarding lines at airports.

This system, operational at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport, Tucson International Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, plays an audible alert when someone attempts to board before their group is called.

“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,” American Airlines said.

When a premature boarding attempt occurs, gate agents are directed by the technology to ask those customers to wait until the correct boarding time.

In cases where exceptions could apply, such as when a passenger is traveling with a higher-status companion, the system includes a simple override function to accommodate them. Though only in a testing phase, American Airlines has reported satisfaction with the technology’s performance to date.

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