Last month, American Airlines introduced technology to prevent passengers from boarding before their assigned group. Initial testing occurred at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Tucson International Airport (TUS), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
With holiday crowds on the horizon, the airline will continue the rollout, adding the technology to more than 100 airports in the U.S. Here’s more on the technology, and how American plans to keep refining it.
How American Airlines’ boarding technology works
American Airlines offers 10 boarding groups (Including ConciergeKey and 1-9). As the airline’s research shows, customers value boarding with their assigned group because it’s a benefit they’ve paid for. With the new software, if a passenger tries to board before their group, their boarding pass won’t be accepted, and an alert sounds, notifying the passenger and gate agent. When someone travels with a companion in a higher boarding group, the agent can override the alert with a quick click. American designed the technology in-house based on team member feedback and plans to refine it over time.
Besides sounding an alert for line skippers, the software offers the following benefits:
- Gives team members more info on the number of people in each boarding group, helping to pace the boarding process
- Shows expected arrival time for incoming connections, offering valuable insights to potential misconnections
- Replaces multiple applications with a single, understandable display, helping agents attend to boarding tasks and deliver on-time departures
Julie Rath, American’s Senior Vice President of Airport Operations, Reservations and Service Recovery, said: “We’ve heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it’s a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or fare purchase. 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.”
