The crackdown on ‘Gate lice’ spreads to more than 100 airports as US airlines target pushy passengers ahead of Thanksgiving

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American Airlines has announced that it will expand its new technology to combat ‘gate lice’ – passengers who like to queue at the gate before being called to board a flight.

More than 100 U.S. airports will now use the boarding technology during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas travel period, following successful tests in Albuquerque, Washington and Tucson last month.

The new software will not accept passengers’ boarding passes until their group number has been called and will make an audible sound to alert gate agents that they have violated boarding protocol.

An on-screen message is also displayed for airline staff, who can then instruct passengers to stand aside until their group is called to board.

For customers traveling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the gate agent can ignore the warning and accept the pass to proceed with boarding.

Feedback from the tests showed that the new platform also helped speed up the boarding process and anticipate the arrival time of inbound flight connections, American Airlines said.

Aviation hubs including Austin-Bergstrom International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International are among the airports rolling out the boarding system to avoid lines at the gate.

The airline’s boarding priority groups are assigned based on several factors, including ticket purchase and AAdvantage status.

Julie Rath, American’s Senior Vice President of Airport Operations, said: “We have heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it is a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or rate purchase.

“The initial positive response from customers and team members has exceeded our expectations, so we’re excited to leverage this technology to help them move forward ahead of Thanksgiving.”

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