Have you ever wondered why people have so many PET PEEVES involving airplanes? How much would you LOVE IT if people got called out more often for being jerks while flying?
American Airlines is testing a new system that will flag when people attempt to board BEFORE their group has been called. There will be an audible alert when they scan their boarding pass, and the agent will tell the passenger to “please step aside.”
They say the purpose is to “ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding” and “help improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress.”
But also, it’s to SHAME line-jumpers. Interesting fact: Airline employees often refer to those people as, quote, “gate lice.”
So far, American Airlines said they have been pleased with the test.
And travelers seem to like it. One person on social media said, “I saw this in action yesterday. It was great. I saw about five people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!
(Now all we need is shaming alerts that call out people who try to push ahead to cut the line while getting OFF the plane. Sure, there are instances when people NEED to catch another flight, but 95% of the time it’s just someone who’s being selfish and difficult for no reason. What OTHER alerts can we get? Arm-rests? Bare feet? Kids kicking)
(View from the Wing / Washington Post)
