Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a busy travel season at American airports as families trek across the country to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones. This year, AAA predicts more than 18 million people will travel by plane during Thanksgiving week, an increase of 6 percent over 2023. Three million people are expected to go through airport security on the Sunday after the holiday, which would tie the record set on the Sunday after this year’s Fourth of July. To manage the anticipated crowds, airlines are trying some new tactics to reduce delays and keep flights on schedule.

One strategy is to make it harder for passengers to jump the line while boarding a plane. For example, American Airlines is rolling out new technology that prevents travelers from boarding ahead of their assigned group. The airline has nine boarding groups based on ticket price and rewards status, ranging from top-tier first class to the least-expensive economy fares. If a passenger tries to scan their boarding pass too early, the technology will sound a two-tone alert and reject the ticket. Then the gate agent will instruct the passenger to come back when it is their turn to board.

Just in time for holiday travel, the new boarding technology is up and running in more than 100 U.S. airports, including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  “What it is intended to do is bring order out of chaos,” said Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. But experts say it’s not clear if the technology will actually speed up the boarding process during busy times, especially since airport employees have had only weeks to prepare. American Airlines hopes that stopping line-jumpers will attract more people to its rewards program, which promises exclusive perks including early boarding.

Questions:

1. Do you think American Airlines’ new technology will speed up the boarding process during Thanksgiving week? Why or why not?
2. How do customer rewards programs benefit companies like American Airlines? What benefits do they provide for consumers? 

Sources: Wyatte Grantham-Philips, “Cutting In Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You At Now Over 100 Airports,” Associated Press, Nov. 21, 2024; Leslie Josephs, “American Airlines To Shame Boarding Line Cutters With New Technology,” CNBC, Nov. 20, 2024; David Koenig, “‘Busiest Thanksgiving Ever’: How the TSA Plans to Handle Record Air Travel,” Associated Press, November 25, 2024.