American Airlines is piloting an initiative aimed to control the growing challenge of “gate lice” at airport departure gates.“Gate lice” is a term coined to describe people who skip the queue to board their planes ahead of their assigned group, causing chaos, disorder and frustration. Following many complaints by passengers that they are not boarding their planes in an orderly fashion or in a fair way, American Airlines has responded with a new system, which they hope will control the exasperation felt by passengers and staff.
New technology to control “gate lice” being tested across American airports
The fourth largest airline out of San Francisco International Airport, American Airlines, does not anticipate changes to boarding speed, but simply aims to create a calmer environment in the departure lounge. They are currently testing out the technology comprising a type of alarm whereby when passengers board ahead of their time, or ahead of their assigned group, a beeping sound will be detected which will notify the gate agent.
Albuquerque and Tucson airports are the first airports to become guinea pigs in this trial run, but the idea is to expand to other airports including Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. An airline spokesman said in a statement to the Washington Post: “We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process.” He added: “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.”
According to psychologists, the “gate lice” phenomenon is most likely caused by increased feelings of anxiety at airports, as well as a herd mentality. Regardless of the reasons, it is detrimental for groups of vulnerable passengers including travellers with disabilities, those with young children or the elderly. It is essential to maintain order as these passengers do need to be prioritised.
More control at departure gates to avoid queue-skipping “gate lice”
For passengers, this will hopefully bring a greater sense of control to how departure gates are managed. Travellers have already been exposed to the trial and have taken notice. One user reported: “Was flying out of ABQ yesterday and saw the test boarding system for the first time.” They continued: “As usual, group 1 was flooded with people but several people ahead of me, when trying to scan their boarding pass, got an error beep.
The gate agent proceeded to tell them ‘sir/mamm you are group 5, please step aside’. Was awesome to see this enforced and looked like it was system-driven.” It would appear that passengers believe this strategy is long overdue with another passengers saying: “It was great,” they said. “I saw about 5 people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!”
If successful, the new system being tested by airlines to control “gate lice” could bring much-needed order to the often chaotic boarding process. By ensuring that priority boarding is respected and fairness is upheld, this initiative has the potential to streamline boarding procedures worldwide, making air travel a smoother and more efficient experience for all passengers. Here’s hoping this solution is adopted more widely, benefiting airports
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