American Airlines boarding process changes are now in effect: What to know

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information.

American Airlines first-class and business-class passengers will now get even more of a head start when boarding. And, beginning in May, passengers on certain flights may need to get to the airport a little bit earlier than before.

In recent months, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier announced a handful of changes to its boarding process aimed at speeding things up and streamlining the preflight process.

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The changes include tweaking the airline’s boarding order and implementing earlier boarding start times for flights operated by some of its larger planes. Plus, the carrier has more fully rolled out its new technology, which will make a “beep” sound and bar travelers from boarding out of turn.

American Airlines boarding groups

Under the revised boarding procedures, American Airlines passengers with a first- or business-class ticket will now be invited to preboard ahead of the formal group boarding.

That privilege will also remain in place for flyers who hold the carrier’s invitation-only Concierge Key designation. Travelers who need a bit more time to board — including families with children under the age of 2 — will be allowed on board early, too.

From there, things look fairly similar to what the airline offered previously. Priority group access is awarded to American Airlines AAdvantage and Oneworld alliance elite status members, as well as to travelers with certain cobranded American Airlines credit cards.

Here’s how American Airlines’ new boarding groups will shake out:

Thinning out Group 1

The biggest change American made was to shift premium-cabin passengers into preboarding from their previous Group 1 boarding slot, where they used to board alongside top-tier AAdvantage Executive Platinum members.

Group 1 — despite its priority designation — can be a heavily packed boarding group. This is particularly true at major American hubs like Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), where there is a large number of elite status customers.

The carrier hopes the updated boarding procedures will lead to a “better-paced boarding process” when combined with a host of other boarding-related changes that also started May 1.

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A host of other boarding-related changes

In February, the carrier announced it would bump up the boarding times for flights on certain narrow-body aircraft. Effective May 1, boarding begins 35 minutes prior to departure for flights operated with an Airbus A319 or A320 aircraft. Flights with a larger Boeing 737 or A321 aircraft will see boarding begin 40 minutes before takeoff.

The carrier already boards flights on its wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 jets even earlier — 50 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

New software bans line-cutters

Last fall, American also rolled out new software aimed at preventing passengers from boarding before the gate agent calls their group. It lets out an audible “beep” that prompts the gate agent to tell the customer to step aside and wait for their designated boarding group.

That program is now widely available at airports from which American flies, the carrier recently reported. It’s now in place to cover around 90% of its customers on any given day.

Early feedback, the airline said, has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

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