An American Airlines passenger who went viral because of videos of her appearing to accuse a fellow flier of being "not real" said that the experience wrecked her life.
27.07.2023 - 18:26 / smartertravel.com
Normally an airline updating its boarding process wouldn’t be newsworthy. But take a gander at American’s new boarding procedure, which debuted March 1, and … wow.
First off, there are nine boarding groups. Nine. This seems like a lot, but to be honest it’s in line with what American had previously. There is a new group for the airline’s recently launched basic economy service, and of course that group brings up the rear, boarding after everyone else.
Frequent fliers on American, however, will notice some significant and potentially confusing changes. In the old procedure, various frequent fliers and non-economy travelers boarded first via the priority lane, while economy travelers were assigned to numbered groups that boarded via the main boarding queue. There were four such numbered groups, meaning Group 4 boarded last.
Related:Ready or Not, Bare Fares Coming to American, United in 2017Now, however, Group 4 truly boards fourth, via the priority lane. American also lists two Group 4s, which are presumably the same Group 4, despite being listed separately. Group 4 includes premium economy, which wasn’t accounted for in the old procedure.
Group 5 (which used to be group 1) through Group 9 boards via the main boarding lane.
If you’re sitting there thinking this all seems horribly confusing, you’re not wrong. That said, this a symptom of airlines slicing and dicing their product for profit, leading to an ever-growing number of fare classes and extra services travelers can purchase when they fly.
A la carte pricing is great for travelers who want to save a few bucks or, conversely, pay up for a better experience. But it also means accommodating these various tiers of service, which results in complicated and ultimately time-consuming procedures like this. You don’t end up with nine boarding groups if the goal is efficiency.
So as more travelers pay up for priority boarding, those that don’t plunk down the extra dollars pay as well, in the form of frustration and wasted time. Which, of course, is precisely the airlines’ idea: Maybe next time those frustrated passengers will pay for priority boarding, too, right?
But what if everyone does?
More from SmarterTravel: With Airline Pricing Changes, It’s Now a Bare Fares World Free Coach Meals Coming to (Some) Delta Flights United’s New Bare-Bones Class Makes Economy Look GoodWe hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a
An American Airlines passenger who went viral because of videos of her appearing to accuse a fellow flier of being "not real" said that the experience wrecked her life.
The passenger who generated dozens of memes for accusing another passenger of being "not real" on an American Airlines flight is said to live in a multimillion-dollar house in Lakewood, Dallas, per a New York Post report.
Calling all job hunters: the city of Wellington, New Zealand, is welcoming Americans to move and work in the county's capital — touting its great work/life balance.
I'm an American originally from New York City. But for almost 10 years, I've been living in Italy. I also gave birth to my daughter here, almost five years ago. My daughter is bilingual and fully immersed in Italian ways of life.
Last month, American Airlines made headlines when it punished a teenager for "skiplagging."
The teenager whose ticket was canceled after American Airlines realized that he wasn't planning to board his connecting flight didn't know that skiplagging was frowned upon.
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Justin Miller, a Tokyo-based DJ and English teacher. He shares what he's learned about Tokyo after living in Japan for 15 years. It's been edited for length and clarity.
In a big win for Uber, the ride-sharing service today announced a new partnership with American, the world’s largest airline. “The companies will work together to provide customers faster service, better airport navigation, rider promotions and mileage promotions.”
In its latest effort to capture the hearts, minds, and expense accounts of the travel universe’s most privileged 1 percent, American is raising the bar for airport lounges.