Just in time for the holiday season, American Airlines is expanding technology in an effort to increase efficiency and fairness in the boarding process.
The new technology has now been rolled out to more than 100 airports across the U.S. The technology platform ensures customers receive the benefit of boarding in their assigned group and supports team members with more visibility into the boarding process.
The airline has successfully trialed this modern technology over the last month at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Tucson International Airport (TUS) to gain early insights on ways to improve the boarding process.
“We’ve heard from our customers that the ability to board with their assigned group is important to them because it’s a benefit associated with their AAdvantage status or fare purchase,” said Julie Rath, American’s Senior Vice President of Airport Operations, Reservations and Service Recovery. “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.”
Using technology to support the gate experience
If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass and instead makes an audible sound to alert the gate agent and customer that the group has not yet been called. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.
For customers traveling with a companion in an earlier boarding group, the agent has a simple one-click solution to override the alert and accept the pass to continue boarding.
More information here