Though they could never put a name on these specific flouters of airline behaviour, everyone who has flown with a major airline in recent years is aware of the plague of so-called “gate lice.”
Simply said, “gate lice” is a negative term used to describe passengers that transgress the rules of the boarding process in an attempt to get on the aircraft early, therefore gathering around a boarding gate long before their seat zone is called.
Although the typical flyer may consider gate lice passengers as more of a nuisance than a significant issue, airlines have cautioned this shirking of the social contract has real consequences: delays for travellers with impairments, families and those with priority boarding.
Now, at least one airline is using an experimental scheme meant to discourage those who try to bypass the queue with a subdued public humiliation, therefore addressing these bothersome bugs.
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American Airlines said it will be strengthening the policies controlling the boarding procedure and using a scanning system to sound an audio warning should someone try to board ahead of their assigned zone.
More importantly, other passengers waiting to board will also be witnesses to the mild but nonetheless embarrassing public flogging when the alert is set off. The gate worker will advise the person to stand aside and wait until their zone is called.
American Airlines spokesperson Rachel Warner told USA Today, “We are always looking at ways to make the boarding experience easier for our customers and for our team members, too. The system is currently being tested at Albuquerque International Sunport, Tucson International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.”
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“It went rather nicely in Tucson and Albuquerque,” Warner remarked.
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Early this month, in a Reddit post devoted to talking about American Airlines, a user offered their first-hand narrative of seeing the system in use.
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Group 1 was overflowing with people as usual, however several people ahead of me had an incorrect beep while attempting to scan their boarding card. The gate agent then advised them, “Sir/mamm [sic] you are group 5, kindly step aside.” The Redditor said, “was great to see this enforced and looked like it was system driven vs gate agent having to make that call.”
“This occurred to me this week in CLT. Another user said in the same thread: “I’m group 3 and once they called 3 I joined the queue and was rudely cut in front of.” “He arrived at the agent and she said to him, sir: you are group 7; stand aside and you will also have to check your bag; this is a full flight. I started to laugh at him as he turned around clearly ashamed and furious.
