No soup for you! And no cutting the line, either. Ahead of what is supposed to be a monstrous rush for the Thanksgiving holiday, American Airlines has expanded its program to crack down on gate lice.
Gate lice is the term used for passengers who try to get on a plane before their respective boarding area is called.
American began cracking down on the frowned-upon practice at three airports a month ago. A new ticket protocol audibly flags when a passenger attempts to board the plane before their designated assignment is called.
Apparently, the beta testing was successful. American plans to expand the program to more than 100 airports.
Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery, said the problem is intended to cut down on the chaos.
"The initial positive response from customers and team members has exceeded our expectations, so we are thrilled to leverage this technology to deliver for them ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday," said Rath.
The new ticket "provides team members with more insight into the number of customers in each boarding group" and "displays anticipated arrival time for incoming flight connections," according to American.
Some of the airports include Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
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