American Airlines is taking another step to smooth out its boarding process—always one of everyone’s least favorite part of air travel.
Starting May 1, AA is adding five minutes to the time it allots for boarding; the process will now start 35 minutes before scheduled departure for its Airbus planes and 40 minutes for its Boeing fleet and its widebodies.
Despite what seems like a very small change, the airline says it will have a big effect. A spokesperson explained “This extra time will… allow for pauses between boarding groups, relieving congestion on the jet bridge, and allowing customers to stow their bags and get settled before departure. In addition, American’s gate agents and flight attendants will have more time to complete their pre-departure work… more time to monitor and confirm when overhead bins are full, helping to reduce the number of involuntary gate-checked bags when bin space is still available.”
American’s other recent boarding change has been to implement audio-visual alerts for gate agents when passengers try to board ahead of their assigned boarding group, a move that has now been implemented at more than 100 airports.
