'Gate lice' begone? Airline seeks to enforce order in boarding process

Passengers look out at an American Airlines jet. The airline is cracking down on "gate lice" — passengers who crowd around departure gates in terminals, and try to jump ahead in the boarding queue. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

American Airlines is testing a system to ease airport infestations of “gate lice” — the pejorative term for passengers who throng terminals’ boarding areas in an attempt to get on the plane before their group or zone is announced.

“We’ve been pleased with the results of the test so far,” the airline tells NPR.

American’s initiative aims to reduce crowding and line-jumping that soared as people seek to avoid paying steep fees to airlines that charge both for checking bags — and for the privilege of boarding early.

It’s also putting a new spotlight on gate lice, a creature that’s been discussed for years, but one with which few seem to self-identify, at least publicly. The term was popularized as early as 2010, shortly after airlines started charging passengers for checking a suitcase. “Generally you'll find more 'gate lice' … heading to or back from leisure destinations, and traveling at peak leisure times,” Gary Leff of the airline industry website View from the Wing tells NPR. “Sundays in Orlando, for instance!”

American says it’s testing out the new technology at three airports: Albuquerque International Sunport; Tucson International; and Ronald Reagan Washington National.

At gates using the trial system, an alert tone will beep if a passenger scans their boarding pass before it’s their turn. They’re then asked to wait for their group to be called.

Leff says that, to avoid putting new technical tasks on airline staff at the gate, the computer system essentially rejects the out-of-order pass, requiring the passenger to wait until the appropriate time to scan their pass again so they can board.

Over the past decade, both gate lice, and the push to combat them, have increased.

“United Airlines actually already has a somewhat similar system in place, while Delta does not (and neither does Southwest),” Leff says.

Critics say passengers who try to board out-of-order add to delays and frustrations that many travelers hope to avoid — anxieties that can be amplified by complicated hierarchies that can include a half-dozen or more boarding zones and groups.

“I do think people try to board earlier (and earlier than they're supposed to) for reasons other than bin space” alone, Leff says.

What gate lice really want, he says, is to feel the sense of confidence that comes with finally making it to one’s seat on an airliner: “they've done everything they can to make sure their travel goes smoothly, everything in their control from getting to the airport to getting through security and onto the plane is done.”

The new push by American Airlines comes months after a frequent air traveler posted a bit of advice online that was seen as giving a green light to gate lice of the most aggressive variety.

“Board in Group 1, no matter your group,” writer Dickie Bush said in his brief guide. “99% of the time they don't say anything. Worst case they tell you to wait, then you're first when they call your actual group.”

Leff agrees that many gate agents don’t check boarding groups closely, noting that they have many other responsibilities and are often working alone or in smaller crews.

But Leff says it’s overkill to try to glom onto Group 1, noting the ethical questions involved and the good chance of finding space to stow luggage if you’re in the first half of boarders.

“In general I would prefer to be the last on board, not the first, if I was confident of having access to bin space,” he tells NPR.

“Why spend more time in an airplane seat than you have to?”