Anyone who’s flown with a major airline in recent years knows the scourge of so-called “gate lice,” even if they could never put a name to these particular flouters of airline etiquette.
Simply put, “gate lice” is a pejorative term that refers to passengers who prematurely gather around a boarding gate long before their seat zone is called, trying to get onto the flight early by bending the rules of the boarding process.
And while the average flyer might regard gate lice passengers as more of a nuisance than a real problem, airlines have warned this shirking of the societal contract has real consequences: namely, delays for travellers with disabilities, families and those with priority boarding.
Now, at least one airline is cracking down on these annoying pests with a pilot program that aims to deter people who try to skip the line with a subtle public shaming.
American Airlines announced that it will be reinforcing the rules that govern the boarding process, implementing a scanning system that will emit an audible alert if someone is trying to board ahead of their designated zone.
When the alert is sounded, the gate agent will ask the passenger to step aside and wait until their zone is called, but, more importantly, other passengers waiting to board will also be witness to the gentle-yet-embarrassing public flogging.
“We are always looking at ways to make the boarding experience easier for our customers and for our team members, too,” Rachel Warner, an American Airlines spokesperson, told USA Today, adding that the system is currently being tested at Albuquerque International Sunport, Tucson International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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“It went really well in Tucson and in Albuquerque,” Warner said.
Earlier this month, in a Reddit thread dedicated to discussing American Airlines, a customer shared their first-hand account of watching the system in action.
“This happened in CLT to me this week. I’m group 3 and once they called 3 I joined the line and was rudely cut in front of,” another person shared in the same thread. “He got to the agent and she loudly said to him sir you are group 7 step aside and you will also have to check your bag this is a full flight. I couldn’t help but snicker at him as he turned around obviously embarrassed and enraged lol.”
Gary Leff, a writer for airline industry website View from the Wing, told NPR that gate lice have been viewed as a nuisance for years, since airlines started charging passengers to check a suitcase.
He believes gate lice are interested in having control over their flying experience just as much as they want to secure a spot to stow their carry-on luggage.
“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.”
Scott Keyes, the founder of travel app Going.com, told the New York Times that gate lice have only increased in recent years.
“You’ve got a lot more line cutters today than you used to because there’s now a benefit from boarding early that there didn’t used to be,” he said, agreeing that the incentive to use carry-on baggage has created more friction and chaos in the boarding process.
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