Haiyun Jiang | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Be careful, line cutters. American Airlines is rolling out recent technology across the country to crack down on travelers attempting to get on the airplane before their boarding group is named.
Customers who attempt to scan a boarding pass before their group is named will hear a two-note sound and be turned away, the airline said.
American Airlines has nine boarding groups, starting from first-class customers and top-tier frequent flyers to travelers who purchased basic economy fares, or the least-expensive tickets. Airlines reward their high-paying elite frequent flyers with perks akin to earlier boarding, and have been attempting to keep it exclusive.
The brand new technology as of Wednesday is in greater than 100 nonhub airports across the U.S. following tests over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport, American Airlines said.
The airline plans to roll it out to hubs later.
The technology will roll out just as American expects 8.3 million people to board its planes between Nov. 21 and Dec. 3, which it considers the Thanksgiving travel period, a rise of 500,000 customers over last 12 months.
Other airlines have experimented with recent ways to forestall gate crowding, which helps board planes faster while also attempting to protect early boarding for the swelling ranks of elite frequent flyer loyalty program members.
United Airlines texts customers when it’s time to board and provides live updates to customer’s iPhones and Apple Watches with a countdown-to-boarding clock. It also has digital signs showing which boarding group has been called.
