Airlines plot crackdown on queue-jumping ‘gate lice’ passengers

Airline bosses have launched a crackdown on passengers who hover around the departure gate in a bid to board their flight before they are given the green light by airport staff.

Nicknamed “gate lice” by industry insiders, such pushy passengers have become an increasing irritant for carriers as travel demand climbs to record levels.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which represents 330 airlines worldwide, highlighted the problem during an event this week.

Nick Careen, the trade group’s head of operations and safety, said the phenomenon of queue jumping at the gate has become so pervasive that airlines have given it the semi-official name of “skip boarding”.

He said: “It’s a term used when you see people queueing in their own line and doing it on purpose. It’s skipping the boarding process.

“When they get to the front it’s sometimes easier just to let them through rather than turn them away.”

Carriers have started to fight back, with American Airlines trialling technology that alerts gate agents when passengers who have not been called attempt to board the plane.

The technology, which is being tested at Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington National airports, triggers a loud alarm when someone tries to jump the queue.

The offending customer is then sent back to await their permitted boarding slot, the airline said.

The industry is acting in part out of concern that queue jumpers will undermine priority boarding models, which allow premium customers, frequent fliers or those paying directly for the privilege to enter the aircraft first.

“Gate lice” are also a prime bugbear of flight attendants, as they disrupt the boarding process when economy class cabins are being filled in zones, either by swarming the gate or creating disruption as people try to take their seats in the aircraft.

More seriously, interlopers can also make it difficult for disabled people with mobility problems to safely board.

The problem is also in part one of the airline industry’s own creation, however.

The imposition of fees for checked luggage 20 years ago spurred a trend towards carry-on bags that can mean there is insufficient room in overhead lockers, with the last people to board generally those who find their belongings moved to the hold.