American Airlines is expanding its new boarding system to more than 100 airports across the U.S.
The airline says the system ensures passengers benefit from boarding in their assigned group and supports staff with more visibility into the boarding process.
American has 10 boarding groups and the group a passenger gets is based on several factors, including fare, AAdvantage status or membership and more.
In the U.S. it often seems like passengers are carrying all their worldly goods onboard. That means a lot of competition for the overhead storage space. Getting on as soon as possible allows passengers to grab as much as they can. Group 9 passengers can have their bags taken away and put in the hold.
American has successfully trialled the system over the last month at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Tucson International Airport (TUS).
How it works
The new system alerts gate agents and passengers with an audible sound if someone attempts to board before their assigned group.
The agent can then ‘invite’ the passenger to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.
For passengers travelling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the agent can override the alert with a simple click.
More features of the new system
The ability to confirm passengers can board in their assigned group is the major feature of the system. But American says there are more.
- The system tells gate agents the number of passengers in each boarding group, which helps them pace the boarding process
- Displays anticipated arrival time for incoming flight connections, which gives agents more insight into potential misconnections
In the coming months, American will start using the system at more airports.
American’s 10 boarding groups
Readers may be wondering who is in each of the 10 boarding groups. According to aa.com, they are:
| ConciergeKey® members | ConciergeKey® |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | First Active duty U.S. military with military I.D. AAdvantage Executive Platinum® (Business on a 2-class international plane) |
| Group 2 | AAdvantage Platinum Pro® oneworld® Emerald℠ (Business on a 3-class plane) |
| Group 3 | AAdvantage Platinum® oneworld® Sapphire℠ |
| Group 4 | AAdvantage Gold® oneworld® Ruby℠ AirPass℠ Premium Economy Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive cardmembers Travelers who bought Priority boarding |
| Group 5 (Preferred boarding) | Main Cabin Extra (excluding Basic Economy) AAdvantage® members who earn 15,000 Loyalty Points Eligible AAdvantage® credit cardmembers |
| Group 6 | AAdvantage® members |
| Group 7 – 8 | Main cabin |
| Group 9 | Basic Economy |
