American Airlines is implementing a new system to ensure passengers don’t board early.
The airline has been piloting a system that will audibly flag when someone tries to board before their designated boarding group has been called.
“We are in the early phase of testing new technology used during the boarding process,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement to the Washington Post.
Passengers who try to board early will hear a sound when they scan their boarding pass and the gate agent will be shown a message with the correct group.
“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 rep explained.
The new system is currently being tested at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ) and the Tucson International Airport (TUS) with plans to soon expand to other locations like the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
So far, American Airlines said they have been pleased with the outcome of the test.
On Reddit, one traveler documented hearing an “error beep” and witnessing passengers being told to “please step aside.”
“I saw this in action yesterday,” one commenter added. “It was great. I saw about 5 people get punted out of line for trying to board before their group was called. About time!”