American Airlines is testing new technology aimed at cracking down on passengers who board before their group has been called.
According to the airline, the new technology will alert gate agents with a sound and a boarding pass message if a passenger tries to scan their ticket ahead of their assigned group.
"We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process," the airline said in a statement to NBC News in October. "The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team."
The tech trial began its testing phase at New Mexico's Albuquerque International Sunport, Tucson International Airport in Arizona, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia. As of November 20, the tech is now present at more than 100 non-hub airports around the U.S., according to CNBC.
The airline plans to eventually roll out the tech at its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, and Washington–National.
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American Airlines currently allows families traveling with children under two years old to request an earlier boarding group at the gate. Families with older children will also be able to request to board earlier though whether that's granted will depend on the gate agents.
