Attention passengers: someone is cutting in line at your boarding gate

Every air traveler has experienced this. The boarding process begins and the gate is flooded with passengers before their groups are called.

These individuals are popularly known in the US as “gate lice,” and despite being shamed and mocked in popular culture, American airports still experience outbreaks of this behavior.

Now, American Airlines has announced that it is in the early stages of testing new technology to address these nuisances. When a passenger tries to board the plane before the correct time, the new system will emit an “audible signal” to the gate agent, according to the airline.

Boarding passes for passengers who activate the signal will not be accepted by agents, and these travelers will be sent back to board with their group, as per company policy.

The technology, which is in early phase testing, has already been implemented at Sunport International Airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tucson International Airport, Arizona, and Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, Virginia.

American Airlines said in a statement: “The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive priority boarding benefits with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team.”

Gary Leff, who has operated the travel site for 22 years, said he learned about the program from a reader who found the technology in Albuquerque. Since then, more readers have shared their positive reactions.

“People believe they should board in their assigned groups,” Leff said. “Cutting in line is not consistent with the norms that people tend to like.”

Travel experts say non-compliant passengers are becoming increasingly common as travelers who want to secure valuable but rare space in carry-on luggage compartments mark their territory as quickly as possible.

“Nowadays, there are a lot more people jumping the line than ever before because there is now a benefit to boarding early that wasn’t there before,” said Scott Keyes, founder of , a travel app that alerts people to cheap flights from from their home airports.

Undisciplined passengers may also have become bolder recently due to steadily rising prices for checked luggage, which encourages the use of carry-on luggage. Influencers and posts on social media also promoted tips to make it easier to join the first groups. Gate agents hoping to avoid unnecessary delays may not be strictly enforcing the correct group boarding order.

Travel experts believe technology can act like a “bad cop” and identify queue jumpers, rather than leaving that task to the gate agent alone. The sign could result in fewer rule violations and reduce confrontations for airline employees when helping passengers get to their gates.

“What I hope is that this message gets across to the public and that boarding lines don’t get clogged up,” said Clint Henderson, editor-in-chief of , a website dedicated to offering travel-saving tips. “Frankly, a lot of people in that line know they shouldn’t be boarding early and they know they can get away with it.”

American Airlines reported being pleased with the results so far, as did several passengers who spoke out on social media. One passenger on the platform Reddit said he “had fun witnessing sneaky passengers receive embarrassing justice in front of everyone.”

Three other passengers kept their reactions short and to the point: “It’s about time!”