“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,” said American Airlines in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.
American Airlines said that a gate agent politely lets the customer know they’re unable to accept the pass and asks the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called. In some instances where a customer may be able to board out of order, like when traveling with a companion of higher status, the agent has a quick way to override the alert and accept the pass, American Airlines said in the statement.