It could be a handy tool, especially ahead of the holiday season
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You’ve made it to the airport. You’ve checked your bags. You’ve gone through security. Now, you’re at the gate. Your flight is about to board. Even before the announcement is made, a hoard of travellers rush to the gate.
That’s exactly what one airline is trying to avoid with a new system to ensure passengers don’t linger before their group is called. There’s even a term being used for such passengers online: gate lice.
What does gate lice mean?
Comments on social media under the TikTok post were mixed. One person pointed out that they always boarded when the first group was called by airline staff because “they don’t actually check your group.” Others pointed out they were patient and enjoyed boarding last. Some were offended by the term gate lice.
How is American Airlines getting rid of gate lice?
American Airlines plans to combat this airport issue with technology that would alert a gate agent with an “audible signal” if a passenger tried to board with the wrong group, the airline said in a statement to the Washington Post.
“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,” per the statement.
“Several people ahead of me, when trying to scan their boarding pass, got an error beep,” the person wrote, adding that the gate agent then told them to “please step aside.” They said it “was awesome to see this enforced and looked like it was system driven (versus the) gate agent having to make that call.”
Where is the system launching?
“There’s so much that a team member has to do at the gate, so we’re constantly looking at ways we can use technology to make that easier for both groups,” Warner told the publication.
Moving forward, Warner said, “we’ll see where it goes from there.”