American Airlines is expanding its efforts to get people to stop lingering at boarding gates—a condition of idle waiting in crowds that’s been dubbed “gate lice.” In its latest bid to make check-in smoother for passengers, American has announced enhanced crowd control measures are now in place across more than 100 airports in the United States.
The initiative, initially a pilot program in select cities, has shown promising outcomes in eliminating confusion and stress at the time of boarding. With the expansion across the American Airlines network, the airline is hopeful to replicate such success throughout.
When referring to the crowd of passengers building up near the boarding gate awaiting their group call, it is often called “gate lice.” These crowds congest the area, causing frustration for airline staff and other passengers. The activity is quite widespread during peak travel periods due to the obvious need for overhead bin space or simply the desire to be seated quickly.
While this term has certainly entered the lexicon of airline speak, it does highlight a legitimate problem for airlines that wish to ensure an efficient boarding process. Crowded gate areas result in delays, misunderstandings, and an unhappy experience for passengers.
How American Airlines Addresses Its Challenge
American Airlines has implemented a comprehensive plan using clear communication, assigned boarding zones, and the efficient management of the gate area. The initiative includes:
- Enhanced Boarding Zone Signage: Airports have much bigger and very clear signs guiding passengers to wait in their designated boarding zones. Electronic screens have real-time updates on when a group will begin boarding.
- Training to Staff: Gate agents have been better trained to handle the flow of people. They have been reminded to keep travelers seated until their group is called.
- Physical Barriers and Queue Lines: In some airports, the airline introduced stanchions and barriers, creating clear boarding lanes and keeping passengers away from entering early through the gate.
- Public Address Announcements and Text Messages: The prevailing reminders were on public announcements and text messages, reminding passengers to wait for their specified boarding group to arrive.
Responses to the increased measures have been mixed. Regular travelers, and especially those in the preferred cabins or loyalty program lines, have generally received the new measures well, calling the boarding process less disorderly and more predictable.
However, some passengers have complained and expressed frustration, especially those who want to stay near the gate for overhead space or will experience congested gates, not getting enough time to reach their destination before boarding an already packed flight.
Initial outcomes of the pilot program indicated that these steps narrowed boarding times by as much as 10%, which in turn ensured that flights departed on schedule. American Airlines will closely follow this expanded program and modify its strategy based on comments from passengers and actual data regarding flight operations.
Other airlines are observing, and a few of them have already decided to replicate the trend. Industry insiders think that crowd control at boarding gates would become an off-the-shelf solution as airlines strive to work more efficiently and increase customer satisfaction.
Such proactive measures by American Airlines to deal with “gate lice” represent one of the most powerful efforts of other airlines in dealing with the most common problems of flying. American is targeting over 100 airports as part of this deal, which should make boarding easier for both passengers and staff. Though some people may not like the changes, it is likely to be less stressful and efficient for the majority in the long run.
